Scouting out the perfect location

When it comes to finding the perfect location for a photoshoot, I have a checklist of things I look for: 

Is there a lot of foot traffic? 

What’s the shadow and light situation?

Is there a place to sit down (bench, stone wall, etc)?

Will there be a variety of different backdrops?

At a quick glance, any photographer would be able to answer these questions as they’re pulling up to the location. Might as well not even get out of the car. And sometimes, I’ll do that! 

Just the other day, I visited General Field in Groton, MA - drove in the entrance and drove out the exit in a matter of a minute. Why? I knew right away the location would only work at a certain time of day with a certain group of people. It’s a beautiful field on a hilltop with a great foliage view. But that’s all it is. Not a ton of backdrop space or a different place to sit other than on the ground. The field is also wide open with no shady areas. I would take a family with young kids (maybe age 4 and older) during sunset and get some nice candid photos of the kids running around and snuggling with their parents on a blanket. The photos would come out beautifully and it would be all in a day's work. But as a photographer, I don’t think I would be satisfied with the variety.

William’s Barn - Groton, MA

So I kept on searching and found William’s Barn, also in Groton. If anyone is from the Framingham/Sudbury area, this place reminded me of a miniature Wayside Inn and Grist Mill. That place was t.h.e. s.p.o.t. for family shoots, senior photos and the alike when I was growing up - and probably still is. There’s a reason for - it has variety. You have trees, grass, fences, stone walls and historical structures - all in one location. 

William’s Barn has the same feel - but smaller and quieter. It holds a rustic barn, old wagon wheels (I’ll have Wagon Wheel stuck in my head for the rest of the day now), stone walls and steps, a field with trees in the background and a walking trail that I can only imagine is just perfectly orange and yellow in the Fall. I had been looking for a spot like this since moving to the area almost 3 years ago and I’m so glad I found it! I’ve hosted several shoots there already and find it fits my needs perfectly. 

So to sum it up, when you’re scouting out a new location, make a small checklist for yourself of what’s important to you and what you think enhances your photography. Is it how the light floods through the trees, or maybe it’s stunning architecture in the city. Lucky for us in Massachusetts, we are never too far from either option.