Photo Aesthetic: How Amanda Elle Photography & I Choose Locations

Photos by: Amanda Elle Photography

Looking to elevate your Instagram feed or website photos? Or are you looking for the perfect backdrop for your next photo shoot? Whether you’re starting out as a blogger or looking for a location for your engagement photos, this post is for you! The background is a huge piece of your photo aesthetic, blurred out or not. So today, my photo expert, Amanda Elle, and I are sharing our secrets on how we choose locations!

When I first started blogging four years ago, I followed likes of the big bloggers of the times and shot with a bokeh effect with uninteresting backdrops. You know at first it worked. But, being creative, it definitely got boring quick. You see, beggars can’t be choosers and my Mom was taking most of my photos. Although she was and still is a huge support and a great sport, she didn’t want to run around town with me, taking photos. When Amanda and I started working together, it was so exciting to me. She wanted to go everywhere!

Here’s a quick backstory on my relationship with Amanda…

Amanda and I actually went to high school together. She did gymnastics and I did cheerleading and I wanted her to join the cheerleading team so bad! She was an amazing gymnast!! Haha! She never ended up joining and stayed with gymnastics. We ended up crossing paths again at Iona College and totally hit it off! When I officially started blogging we were a match made in heaven. I love her eye and attention to detail. At this point, we work so well together we can shoot three amazing looks in about an hour! 

Location, location, location.

That’s what they say about businesses and it happens to be very important when creating an aesthetic. In the blogging world, you constantly hear the word aesthetic. Which simply stated means creating a look that’s pleasing to the eye. It can be a darker photo or full of color, but to have a great aesthetic, all the components (the background location, your outfit and the photo edit) have to mesh well together. This post is a series of three, and today with the help of my photographer I’m breaking down the first component, your location.

How to Choose Locations:

(‘S’ will note when I’m sharing my tips and ‘A’ will note when it’s Amanda)

S – First, what is it that you’re trying to capture? For me, it’s usually clothing or an accessory that I’m shooting for a brand. So I want to show that item it the most interesting, natural and beautiful way possible. Are you showcasing your love for engagement photos? Or is it your child’s first birthday? Know what the focal point it. It’s important to convey this to your photographer.

A – Your location should line up with your focal point. So for Simone, I usually like to ask myself does this outfit match the location? I always want to understand the story behind her outfit, so there may be times where we shoot a workout look over coffee and croissants, but most of the time workout looks will require action shots. So we’ll be outside, maybe on a sidewalk or a path and Simone will be running or stretching. I want to be able to guide her when choosing the location so it’s important that I also understand the story behind the look, not only the look itself.

S – Yes that’s so right! I do come up with some crazy storylines that work with my looks! Which brings me to my next point, always be on the lookout for an amazing location. I always have my eyes peeled when I’m running errands around town over the weekends. Also, keep in mind that flowers and foliage changes. So if you see something good jump on it! Again, if your focal point is about your relationship or children, think of places where you are most happy with them. Where did you and your significant-other first meet? What do you love to do together? What does your child love to do? This will help you when you’re scouting your location!

A – Pick a background color that doesn’t clash with outfit and props. You’re not going to want to shoot a bright red dress against green, green grass, and trees – the colors will clash and it’s going to remind everyone of Christmas. Same goes for whites, if Simone is wearing all-white we’re hesitant to shoot against another white background. The location will either end up looking yellow or Simone will end up looking like she’s floating. Same goes for a baby’s cake smashing photo. A white cake with white diapers in a white room doesn’t work well.

S – Architecture and landmarks. Becuase I’m a Westchester based blogger, local landmarks matter to me. First off, do you want everyone to know where you’re shooting your photos or not? If everyone has taken photos somewhere, do you want to take them there too? Is there a specific location I want to showcase that my Westchester readers would be interested in? There are all things I think about!

A – Time of day. You need to be conscious of how much light your location has on it. Certain times of day when your location is more shaded is better. An overly bright location is going to look washed out and will case details in the outfit and background to be missed. Mornings before 10:00 a.m. and right before the sun goes down in the evening (aka the golden hour) is best!

A – Take your time and make sure your location is perfect. Remove leaves and debris, and make sure your focal point is positioned in front of unpleasing items (like garbage cans) if you can help it. Photoshop will help you in the end, but it’s much easier if you make your photo perfect, to begin with.

I hope you enjoyed this post because it’s part of a series! I’m also going to cover my favorite iPhone apps for editing photos and style so you can create your very one aesthetic!

If you’re just here for the fashion, sorry for the long post! This maxi dress is so comfortable and classic. It’s something I’ll probably keep in my closet for years. It came with a black belt, but to make it more Summer appropriate I used a scarf instead.

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