Today, I scouted a few locations close to the house which would make a nice backdrop for "environmental portraits" of both dogs and people. My criteria included proximity -- had to be relatively close to the studio; shade -- temps in the 90s today indicate that summer has come to Central Florida; and relatively quiet -- little car or people traffic.

I found two spots very close to each other just down the street and since this is a gated community, the locations are both quiet and shaded in the afternoon. Here are two shots of those spots.

The first has lovely yellow flowers.



And the other has a drape of Bougainvillea over a shadow-box fence.



My question is for the pet portraitists on this list: do you have a list of locations that you like to use for your environmental portraits or do you search out new ones every time you take a new portrait?

Now, I'm not abandoning the studio but there are times when outdoor shots with gorgeous light and lovely color that you can throw OOF really make for a nice combination. Plus, the studio is about to become a Rottie nursery for the next 10 weeks and no dogs will be allowed into it until the pups are in their new homes. Having locations to shoot out of the house will make my job a lot easier.

Tomorrow, I'm going to a local lake to find a few more and next week, I'll scout the local beaches. Just curious what type of locations the rest of you look for.

Jim

I prefer natural light. While on your scouting trip, make sure you locate good shaded areas in case the light is too hard. I've got a few picked out that work well at different times of the year. I just near the canadian boarder so we have huge difference in sun angle depending on the time of year. . .

I do have locations I prefer. I charge more for "environmental" portraits than I do studio ones.

Julie,
really? Interesting. Because they're harder to do or because they're harder to set up?

Certainly there are more variables involved in shooting "on location" but to me it's just the difference between shooting an outdoor show vs. shooting an indoor show. Same amount of work just slightly different tools. Less control but sometimes, really gorgeous light. And the ability to really diffuse the background.

I'll have to think about the pricing thing, though. You might be right that I should charge more for them.

Jim

The studio is at my home and I don't have to drive anywhere. Studio shots usually take me less time and I also don't have to find a babysitter. I can do a studio shot in any weather, any time of day. I have to really pre-plan the outdoor shoots. I will only do those about 45min before sunset or before 10am.

shade, shade, shade. . . .

Problem with shade is you lose that beautiful specular richness of the sun. Granted,you can do shoots in the day, but, they are just so much more blah

Julie,
I think that's more a matter of taste than absolute fact. While I love the quality of light in the early morning and late afternoon, it is also much more directional at those times making for stronger shadows. If that's what you're after in your portraits, then it's perfect.

I'm more into a flatter overall light both in the studio and in the field which is why I prefer open shade with a small amount of fill-flash. That's just the look and quality of light I prefer.

Neither is right and neither is wrong. I've gotten some lovely late afternoon portraits. But the bulk of my work gets done when it's convenient for the clients and their dogs and that's not always easy to force into the early morning or late afternoon hours. So I've gotten to the point where I prefer to shoot where I know I'll have good, controllable light at virtually any hour of the day.

Having seen your work from Perry, shooting late in the day gives you lovely light without question and you certainly know how to use it.

Jim

After attending a seminar with Fuzzy Duenkel (yes, his name is Fuzzy!) I learned some great techniques in using outdoor spaces in special ways. Shooting seniors has been more about giving the client more options with clothing changes then we could ever worry about with pets.
So to answer, using shade spots outside with some mylar panels for kick lights, has opened the great outdoors more than ever before.

But, I like Julie, like the studio control. So I try to do both but most often people pick the studio shots first.

PeggySue,
what is it with you women needing control ? Yes, I agree that the studio gives you much greater control of lighting and environment. But there's something about an outdoor portrait, properly lighted and with background diffusion that has a 3-dimensional effect that is difficult to get in the studio.

But I'm not talking just about outdoor locations. I'm looking for out-of-studio locations which would make for fun/interesting portrait environments. Places where I could take the studio lights and create great portraits with interesting background elements.

I'll try to find a few examples over the weekend to share with you to show what I mean. But, for example, there's a place in Winter Park (close to Orlando) that rents out an old chapel for "studio" shoots. I think that would be a cool place for a "marriage" shot of prospective doggie parents.

Or a old factory. Or a library. Cool places where you could shoot using whatever lighting you felt you needed -- including the studio lights for you control freaks .

Jim