How to Choose the Right Location for Your Photography Session
Updated: Aug 30
How to Choose the Right Outdoor Location for Your Photography Session
Choosing a location is one of the most exciting parts of planning your photography session. The setting helps create the mood of your images, but a beautiful background is only one part of the decision.
We also need to consider your family, outfits, pets, the season, crowds, accessibility, property rules, and any required permits. The goal is to choose a place that looks beautiful while keeping your session comfortable, safe, and legal.
Think About the Style You Want
Before choosing a location outside of the studio setting, think about how you want your photographs to feel.
Do you prefer something natural and relaxed, colorful and playful, simple and timeless, or more urban and modern?
Different locations create different styles:
Open fields feel soft, natural, and relaxed.
Wooded areas create a warm and earthy look.
Downtown locations can feel modern, bold, or casual.
Historic buildings add texture and character.
Studio settings offer a clean and controlled environment.
Lakes, rivers, and overlooks create a scenic outdoor look.
Your home or property can add a deeply personal meaning.
You do not have to know the exact location before contacting me. Send me examples of the style you love, and I can help recommend a setting that fits your vision.
Consider What Looks Best With Your Outfits
Your outfits and location should complement each other instead of competing for attention.
Neutral outfits often look beautiful in natural settings, while richer colors can stand out against fields, trees, or simple architecture. Dressier outfits may work better with historic buildings, elegant indoor spaces, or clean urban locations.
If everyone is wearing several colors or patterns, a simple background may be best. If your outfits are neutral and understated, we may have more flexibility to use a location with stronger colors or textures.
Try to avoid choosing outfits that blend completely into the background. For example, wearing several shades of green in a heavily wooded area may cause your family to disappear into the scenery.
Send me pictures of your outfit ideas while we are planning. I can help you decide whether the colors and style will work well with the location.
Think About the Time of Year
A location can look completely different from one season to the next.
Fields may be lush and green during the spring but dry and golden later in the year. Trees may be full in the summer, colorful for a short period during the fall, and bare during winter. Flowers have specific blooming seasons, and water levels can change throughout the year.
The sun also sets in a different direction and at a different time as the seasons change. A location that works beautifully for a summer evening may be shaded much earlier during the fall or winter.
Weather matters too. Heavy rain can leave fields muddy, while summer heat can make an open area uncomfortable for children and pets. Some locations may also become crowded during popular seasons, especially when fall colors or flowers are at their best.
I will consider the current season, lighting, weather, and appearance of the location when helping you choose.
Choose a Kid-Friendly Location
A beautiful location is not always the best choice for young children.
Children usually do better when they have room to move safely. Locations near steep drop-offs, deep water, heavy traffic, or fragile landscaping may create unnecessary stress for parents.
For sessions involving children, I consider:
How far the family must walk
Whether strollers can reach the area
Nearby roads, water, or steep ground
Space for children to move and play
Restrooms or changing areas
Mud, tall grass, insects, and uneven ground
Whether the area will hold a child’s interest
When children feel comfortable, they are more likely to relax and show their real personalities. A simple, safe location often creates better photographs than a dramatic setting where everyone is worried about what the children may touch or where they may run.
Make Sure the Location Is Pet-Friendly
Please tell me in advance if you plan to bring a pet. Not every park, trail, business, or private property allows animals.
A pet-friendly location should have enough space to keep your pet comfortable and away from heavy traffic or other animals. We also need to consider leash requirements, wildlife, water, heat, and the possibility of crowds.
Some pets become overwhelmed in busy places. If your pet is anxious or reactive, a quieter location may be safer and more enjoyable.
Bring a trusted helper who can care for your pet while we capture photographs without them. I do not recommend leaving a pet inside a vehicle during the session.
Permits May Be Required
Some public locations require permits, entrance fees, parking fees, or advance approval for professional photography. The exact requirements depend on who owns and manages the property.
A new Arkansas requirement is especially important when considering certain Arkansas Game and Fish Commission properties. Effective July 1, 2026, people age 16 and older using an AGFC-owned wildlife management area or lake must have either a valid Arkansas hunting or fishing license or an annual WMA/Lake Conservation Permit. The conservation permit currently costs $10.50. This requirement applies to recreational access such as hiking, birding, paddling, and other activities, so it may also apply when we enter a listed property for a photography session. The rule does not apply to every outdoor location in Arkansas, only the AGFC-owned areas and lakes covered by the requirement. View the official AGFC permit information.
This may mean that the photographer, client, and other session participants age 16 or older each need the required permit or a valid Arkansas hunting or fishing license before entering the covered location. AGFC lists limited exceptions for people simply passing through without stopping for an activity and for certain public roads or navigable waterways. Read AGFC’s current regulation summary.
Because rules and fees can change, we will verify the current requirements before finalizing a location. Any required entrance, parking, access, or photography fees should be discussed before the session.
We Must Have Permission to Use Private Property
A property does not have to display a “No Trespassing” sign for it to be private.
An open field, old barn, flower garden, business exterior, alley, front porch, or wooded area may look like the perfect photography location, but we cannot assume we are allowed to use it.
We must receive permission from the property owner or business before the session. Permission should be clear and preferably in writing. If a business has approved photography, we still need to respect its hours, customers, employees, parking areas, and any restrictions it provides.
Being a paying customer does not automatically give us permission to conduct a professional photography session inside or around a business.
Even if you know the property owner personally, please confirm that they have approved the date, time, number of people, pets, vehicles, and type of session. We will always leave the location the way we came to it- Clean!
Trespassing Is Never Worth the Photograph
I will not enter private property without permission, climb fences, pass posted signs, block gates, train tracks, move barriers, or photograph in a closed area.
A location may have been accessible during a previous visit but no longer be open to the public. Ownership, rules, construction, events, and seasonal restrictions can change.
Please do not enter the property early or explore areas outside the approved location. We will remain within the boundaries provided by the owner or property manager.
No photograph is worth risking a confrontation, fine, injury, or damage to someone else’s property.
Consider Crowds and Special Events
Popular locations can become extremely busy, particularly during weekends, holidays, festivals, prom season, graduation, and peak fall color.
A crowded location can affect:
Parking
Privacy
Background distractions
The amount of space available
How comfortable children or pets feel
How quickly we can move through the session
Whether we can access the planned area
I cannot guarantee that a public location will be empty. We may need to wait briefly, adjust our angles, or move to another area.
If privacy is important, consider a weekday, an off-season date, a less popular location, private property with permission, or a studio session.
Accessibility and Comfort Matter
Please tell me if anyone in your group has mobility limitations, uses a wheelchair or walker, cannot stand for long periods, or needs easy access to a vehicle.
Some beautiful locations require long walks, uneven trails, steps, or hills. Others may not have nearby seating or restrooms.
I would rather choose an accessible location where everyone can feel comfortable than select a dramatic setting that causes pain, exhaustion, or stress.
A Meaningful Location Can Be the Best Choice
The best location is not always the most popular one. Sometimes it is a place with a personal connection.
It could be:
Your family’s land
A grandparent’s home
The place where you became engaged
A downtown area connected to your family
Your child’s favorite park
A farm or business your family owns
Your own home
Personal locations add another layer of meaning to your photographs. We will still need to consider lighting, safety, permission, and accessibility, but the emotional connection can make the images especially valuable.
Let’s Choose the Location Together
You are always welcome to share location ideas, inspiration photographs, and places that are meaningful to you. I will help determine whether the setting works with your outfits, family, pets, season, lighting, and overall vision.
If a location requires permission or a permit, we will address that before the session. If it is overcrowded, unsafe, inaccessible, or located on private property without approval, we will choose another option.
The right location does more than provide a pretty background. It gives your family a safe and comfortable place to relax, connect, and create photographs that truly feel like you.
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