On location senior photography is a much different monster than studio senior photography. An on location photographer is unable to shoot as many seniors in a day, while working with uncontrollable elements such as wind, sun, clouds, rain, etc. Also, a great deal of travel may be involved if working in a large area. To be successful and profitable you must be able to deal with the conditions, work around obstacles while creating an exciting atmosphere for your senior client. See photo 01
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Scheduling for Efficiency
Our studio shoots an average of 3-4 high school seniors per day within a 60 mile radius covering approximately 30 high schools. So how do we contain this logistical nightmare and chaotic travel schedule? It starts with our scheduling. My wife Shannon takes care of all of our scheduling and she fills each day with seniors in a close proximity of each other. Every senior we bring through our door goes through a picture consultation and expresses their interests, hobbies and type of environment they prefer. Through our consult we can then best determine what type of location would be best for them based on their response and the session they and their parents have selected for senior portraits. Shannon will then group our seniors together based on these responses so that we are spending the day either in the same city, county or area allowing us to increase and maintain our senior clientele.

In the Field – Mobile and Accurate
Our sessions are based on hours for our seniors. We have a one, two and three hour session. The amount of locations each senior gets to choose is based on their session. One hour yields one location, two hours yield two and our three hour yields three. On many days we can be shooting from 6-8 hours. We do not have a lot of time for mistakes and lugging around heavy equipment. For these reasons we have carefully selected the best equipment to keep us moving and making correct images in the camera.

Lightweight and Simple
Our on location lighting equipment is lightweight and simple. We use Elinchrom Quadras for our on location lighting. See photo 02

. These lights are powerful, up to 400ws, light, head weighs 1/2lb and battery weighs 3lbs. The lights are triggered wirelessly by a hot shoe receiver called and an Elinchrom Skyport. The Skyport serves as more than just a wireless transmitter for triggering your light(s). It also has power buttons on the transmitter that allow you to control the output of your light in 1/10 increments. There is also a button for turning on your modeling light. See photo 03
. We have used several different light setups in the field and I cannot say enough great things about the Elinchrom Quadras. These lights allow us to move quickly and are able to light any location. Larger heads may not be able to be set up due to the space we have to work with or terrain.

Get It Right in the Camera!
During our senior sessions our main goal is to get the image correct in the camera. I am not a believer of the words “it can be fixed in Photoshop”. I make money when I am shooting in the field not sitting behind the computer editing. For these reasons we carry a light meter and a gray card. Before every location set up we meter our light and set our white balance with a gray card. See photo 04

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. This allows me to get the shots I need quickly and accurately. Knowing my light is dialed in correctly and my skin tones are properly balanced allows me to worry more about the vision I am trying to create for our senior at that particular location. This also allows me to show our senior the back of my camera during the shoot to make sure we are headed in the right direction. We want our seniors to be excited about their experience and their pictures. What better way than to be able to share the images that day with them from the back of the camera. If you are not metering your light and producing proper skin tones in camera, you cannot share this experience with your client. Not to mention that you are spending more time photographing and editing than necessary.

Spend More Time With Clients
If you want to be successful and profitable with on location photography, you must be able to spend more time with clients and less time with your computer and camera. I have a goal for each image that I edit to take less than 2 minutes. I am usually able to meet or exceed this goal due to proper in-camera techniques. I also do not believe in the “spray and pray” method. This is where the photographer ends up taking a gazillion images of their client and they have a few different looks or poses. The goal for every shoot should be to shoot less. Meter your light, set your white balance via gray card, put your client in the proper pose, take the picture and move on.

On Location Changing Room
One thing is for sure if when photographing high school seniors… They like to bring lots of clothes and accessories. We love it when a senior has a variety of outfits. We want them to have several different looks throughout their session. However, this can also pose as a problem if not handled correctly. We need to be able to transport their outfits throughout the location(s) and provide them with privacy to change their clothes. I am not a big fan of having a client change in their car or behind a bush. For these reasons we bring a utility wagon with us on the majority of our shoots. “Juanita” our affectionately named utility wagon, sports a clothes hanger pole made of PVC that allows us to transport our equipment, refreshments for the client and their clothing. See photo 05

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. For changing purposes we have purchased a pop-up changing room. See photo 06
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. You can purchase these at http://www.portablechangingroom.com/

Create Fun Images Stress-Free
Your client wants something special. Make an impact.
By being efficient and accurate during an on location shoot, I now have more time to create something special for my client. The greatest joy Shannon and I receive is when a senior is wowed by their images. Our sessions are primarily stress-free, fun and creative. By having the right equipment and proper in-camera set up, my mind is more focused on creating beautiful images.

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