Four Tips for Location Scouting

Finding new locations to shoot can be hard after you’ve been shooting for awhile. Especially if you are contained to only a few areas and locations. Exploring and documenting new adventures are key to photography. Whether it be actually exploring into the wilderness or just exploring into a new form of photography, progressing and venturing off from your comfort zone are critical to moving forward as a photographer.

With these four tips for location scouting, you will have a new outlook on how to find new spots to shoot, where to find these spots, and some tricks to help find amazing shots at these locations. Continue reading to find out more on location scouting.

Explore New Areas

1. Always be open to exploring and finding new spots. Sometimes the pictures you take in the most unexpected locations will look the best. In cities, look for deep, back alleys. In the mountains, look for the best vantage point with the perfect sunlight. Use elevation and angles to your advantage.

Try not to contain yourself to where you live either. On the weekends or when you have free time, take day trips to nearby sites so that you have new scenes to photograph. Documenting new scenery is always a big help if you become bored with the same old pictures you’ve been getting at home.

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Be Original

2. Look for something different in a new perspective. Following trends and copying others ideas for photos may give you something that looks nice, but it is not original. Photography is art and when making art you should show pride in your work and take it as your own.

Don’t go out exploring hopeful to find something you found in someone else’s picture. Go out and find a new view, a new style, anything, just look for something unique and original. Doing this will help you open your limits and not box yourself in. Getting trapped as a photographer can happen if you have been shooting the same area for awhile. However, leaving your comfort zone and venturing into a new type of photography with different perspectives is a great way to break free and be original.

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Google Earth

3. Use Google Earth beforehand. This is always a quick, easy way to get an aerial view of a new location you could be thinking about going to (without actually making the trip).

Doing this can help you in a few ways. This can help you get a new perspective and to look at an aerial view from a photographer’s perspective and also can help you scout the terrain to see the conditions.

Check out our post to see the best photography from Google Earth.

photography from Google Earth

A photo by Sebastien Gabriel. unsplash.com/photos/w7oxd0tzWWs

Use Instagram Locations to Find Cool Spots

4.  Instagram locations are another great way to find out good spots without having to do any exploring. Using other photographer’s photos from this spot will help you get familiar with the area before going as well as giving you some inspiration for photos of the new location. However, remember to be original and break free of trends and your own comfort zone. Create something completely new.

You can find cool, new locations close by or even far away. Similar to Google Earth, just not from an aerial perspective, Instagram locations are a quick and useful way to find new spots.

Here is the link to the location for Los Angeles, California based on Instagram’s photos.

ig-locations

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Location scouting can be hard, especially after taking photos for a long time. Just never forget to continue exploring and finding new things to photograph and document. Discover popular photography destinations around the world.

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