The city is great choice when looking for a fun and unique location for a photo session. The architectural features of buildings in older cities like Attleboro and Providence, the many interesting walkways and the storefronts give the option for a different pose in a variety of locations. A portrait session in the city is a great option for those that are looking for an alternative to a forest, woods or park. Bonus: it also a great option when all the leaves have fallen off the trees too!
"Fit Check!" Switch up your outfit for a new look in your portraits
Changing up outfits throughout the session is a great way to add some variety to your session and to give your wall-art and albums a way to tell your story in a different way. Go from business to casual, a polo to t-shirt, add a sweater or Varsity/Letterman jacket, t-shirt to sweater, or like Caroline go from a sundress to jeans. Another great way to add variety to your portraits is to change accessories or start the session with long hair down and change it up halfway through.
A tip I give to all of my clients looking to change from a dress to jeans or shorts at their session is to wear the dress to the session. We will start your portrait session in the dress and then when ready to change, pull the jeans on under the dress. With a tank top, tube top or bodysuit hidden underneath, changing into a shirt from the dress is a really easy transition.
Keep shoes in mind! Make sure you have shoes that go with each outfit. If one pair looks great with both, score! If you want to wear high heels or any shoes that aren't comfortable for walking distances, bring a second pair to change into while walking around the city. A pair of flip flops or flats that you are comfortable with will work well. Bonus tip: It also could be helpful to pack some bandaids just in case all the walking around the city starts to rub on those heels.
Considerations with outfit changes while doing your city scene portrait session:
- Remember, you will be in the middle of the city and there may not be a public restroom that you can easily pop into so you may need to be able to change on the spot.
- Keep in mind that you will have to carry around the city all of your outfit changes! Keep the load light.
- Time constraints. Each outfit change will start to take away from the portrait session time and consequently lowers the amount of images you will be able to capture. If your session is at the end of the day, you will be racing the sunset and your photographer will want to take advantage of as much of available light as possible. Most schedule outdoor sessions for the end of the day when the light is softer. So, keep the outfit changes easily transitionable and to a minimum. I tell my clients that 3 looks is great. A dress, a more casual outfit and then a sweater or jacket added to one of those outfits. Optional: The use of a prop in your session will give you a fourth look!
- Weather considerations. Especially here in Massachusetts we have to keep in mind the 4 seasons during our portrait sessions. During the cold, snowy and wintery months, dress so you will be comfortable and warm. Same with those hot summer Senior or Family sessions, avoid heavy coats and sweaters that will make you sweat.
Props at your city photoshoot
For Senior Sessions, if there is a small "prop" that represents you and it is something that is important to your life, bring it! A small instrument, a special hat, or maybe some funky sunglasses can be a fun way to help tell the story of you! Just keep in mind, any props will have to be carried around the city so keep them to a minimum, small and light and easy to incorporate into a couple of photos.
Caroline plays the clarinet in the band at Attleboro High School and it was important to represent her love and passion for music in her senior photos. It was small and easy to carry and helped to tell her story in print in the wall-art collage her family invested in!
The different architecture in the city is a convenient built-in "prop" too! Bridges, walking paths, tunnels, murals, plants, handrails, and steps are all great ways to give you many different looks for your portrait session around the city.
Use water features, not just buildings for your portraits!
I love water! I grew up next to the ocean so finding little gems with water features in the city is always so fun for me. Water is a great way to add variety and softness to the urban jungle. Look for pretty water fountains or water features, a greenbelt or like Providence, RI, an awesome canal. Fun fact, this waterway in Providence also offers gondola rides. Very cool!
Calculating the best time of day for your photo session
Timewise, a portrait session in the city needs to be considered a little more closely than say in an open field. The first obvious one is traffic. Allow yourself extra time to get to your location and get to a predetermined meet-up address. The photographer can also share a pinned location for meet-up too just in case there are any last minute changes.
Parking can be a challenge in the city for an outdoor portrait session too. Look up beforehand where to park, the time it will take to walk to the location and take into consideration if needing to pay for parking before leaving your car. Before I leave my photography studio in Attleboro, I use the app SpotHero. Fussing with traffic and parking will eat into the portrait session time.
Do a double check to make sure there aren't any festivals or events happening for the day of your session in the city that would add more traffic and pedestrians.
Loss of light is faster in the city amongst the tall buildings. The normal golden hour session time may not give enough daylight because the sun is being blocked. Starting your session in amongst the buildings where you will loose light first and then moving to more open areas as the sun begins to set will help maximize your time. Having predetermined photo locations in mind will help with time management.
*Bonus tip: make sure you, as the photographer or client being photographed have checked to see if any permits or permission is required. Make sure permits/permissions are obtained starting at least 4-6 weeks in advance (I'm a planner!). Some locations can get those photography permits turned around quickly, some take some time. The last thing you want is for your photo session to be cut short because you don't have the required permits. This is a tip that the photographer should inquire about for all sessions!
Use flowers in planters and flower pots around the city to change up the scene.
If I posted just this one image of Caroline, you could think she was somewhere in a flower field or garden. In actuality, she is sitting next to a flower box right in downtown Providence, RI! Look for beauty in small spaces while walking around the city.
A city scene is a fun and unique setting for any senior session, portrait session or family session if you are well prepared! As an Attleboro Photographer, I am so close to so many great city options!
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