How to find locations for personal portrait photoshoots

I’ve still been doing many personal portrait photoshoots in London over the last few years. Portraits still are one of my favorite things to do in photography. However when based in one city and after shooting everywhere many times, I often am in need to find new places to use as a background. So in this post I will share some thoughts on how to find locations for personal portrait photoshoots. (Alongside some results with two portrait photoshoots for lovely girls – with Estelle and Kat.)

How to find locations for personal portrait photoshoots in London

First, I always like to ask my clients to show me any photos that they would love to get a similar result to. (My own photos or any other photographers.) Or to straight up send me a pinterest board / a moodboard. That really helps me get a good idea on what type of shoot they would like to get. (And usually I can see what type of location we might need from the beginning too.) Then I think of any locations in London that I’m already aware of that have that similar feeling. (or that I wanted to shoot in for a while.)

Another super easy way, is just to ask the person I’ll be shooting with if they have any favorite areas. That they like a lot or that mean something to them. My favorite thing is when we actually shoot in a place like that. Then the person is already much more comfortable and at ease just from being in a familiar location. It might even be emotional, as locations can mean a lot and can be connected to some important memories. (Like shooting engagement / couples shoots in a place where they met. Or have had some of their best memories in – instant magic!) By asking the person you might also find out that they have access to some very interesting location that is a joy to be able to use.

And then of course there is the good old Google. I just look up things like “most beautiful parks in London” etc. I also bookmark in a visual way all the time. (Whenever I see a geo-tagged post on instagram that catches my eye and that I know one day I would like to shoot in.)

You can see my other portrait shoots on my blog.

Estelle portrait photoshoot

Estelle’s shoot below might be some of my favorite portrait shoots in last few years. She felt like a natural. She also chose a style herself that I often do in my own model tests. When I asked her for ideas, we knew that the most convenient would be to use her own flat. And the area around her house – as it’s very nice! Without having to scout, as Estelle knew the area, we found this little park.

However, the park itself was small and quite empty, so it wasn’t really anything special or amazing. Hence my biggest tip is always just to find the best light wherever you are and the best angles. Hide the “uglier” bits in the location around you. And even one tree or bush in a portrait shoot can become an entirely different location than it actually looks in real life.

In the last pictures you can see a few pictures from the flat as well. It was cute and had a good light too, so that was good to use to get some very different background in as well.

Kat portrait photoshoot

How to find locations for personal portrait photoshoots in London

Portrait photoshoot with Kat was also similar in how we decided on the location. Kat is a photographer herself, so she has a very good idea on where and how to shoot. And she knew what she wanted from the shoot. So she suggested a lovely place outside of London that she often goes to for a walk etc. Right away I knew it would be special and the best place for us to shoot. (Especially as I’ve been saying how much I’d like to explore outside London too.)

It had everything there – fields, a forest like location, a lake – and a magical sunset light too. It also felt a lot like going back to my roots. Shooting in a magical dreamy light with a flower crown, which I loved. To make it more dreamy I used items in front of my lens – ribbons etc. (That’s where the hazy effect comes from). Still love that technique!

I also loved how we both also thought about Midsommar vibes. Love a bit of folk /midsummer type horror. (Want to do a full on fashion editorial on the theme actually!). So one of my favorite pics is the one in the white top, with a wooden cross behind her. Kat even looks a bit like Florence Pugh!

Let me know what you think and how do you find locations? What are your go to tips?