How location shooting can take your feed to aesthetic goals
One of my fave vloggers and Instagrammers at the moment is Ashley aka Best Dressed. I watched one of her vlogs recently on how she takes Instagram pictures on her own. One of the tips she gave was to simply shoot at locations with aesthetic backgrounds. Living in California, she has some dope spots in her neighbourhood, but for the sake of not being able to afford a one-way ticket to the USA myself, I made use of my own neighbourhood´s aesthetic and surprisingly there were some pretty cute spots some would see as ordinary.
So, I grabbed my friend Mia and my dog, Nougat, and we went location hunting in my area.
I´ve compiled a list of tips and tricks for taking aesthetic photographs.
Tip 1: safety first!
Image source
I would obviously not advise you to go location hunting on your own if you´ll be taking expensive cameras or any kind of valuables with you. If you will be on your own, make sure to shoot in busy enough areas, so you won´t be isolated in a quiet spot. In all honesty the best location spots are often the most unexpected. If you find a different looking tree, a pole with some red autumn leaves wrapped around it (like you´ll see below), a gorgeous colour wall or even the SKY! Go nuts, the only limit is your imagination.
A wall is all you need:
Image by Mia Hughes
Finding a wall in a great colour is like finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow in my eyes..okay maybe not quite, but if you´re a sucker for a gorgeous colour wall like me you´ll understand (the one or two of you that are lol). But then again maybe that opinion is just cause I have plain beige walls in my house and the dullness gets to me. Wear an outfit that compliments well with your wall of choice or is the same colour as your outfit (which can also be fun if you like some chameleon camouflage vibes). Then go nuts!
In the pics I took, the wall I used was literally some random person´s wall outside their house, which happened to be super plain with no windows on them or anything (hellooo blank canvas!). It was also this gorgeous pinky clay colour, which contrasted sooo nicely with the clear blue sky! We took a couple pics where we purposefully included a streak of sky, to help create a balance with the blue of my mini skirt.
Image by Mia Hughes
The sky is your canvas:☁️
Speaking of the sky: if you can´t find a good background, use the sky. At different times of day, you´ll get such different effects from the brightest ozone blue to the pink blush and bubblegum or brilliantly striking orange effects of sunset. If you´ve got a touch of blue in your outfit, the sky is also a great way to make that colour stand out!
I love how the sky is so blue in this pic (above), it gives a blank canvas effect, which emphasises whoever is in the frame.
In this pic, I really loved how the sky contrasted so well to the brilliant orange of these roses, making them pop.
All in the angle:
Image by me, in frame: Mia Hughes
Play around with angles, it can add such depth to a pic! In this pic, I was kneeling slightly to emphasize Mia's gorgeous height. And to also create an increased shadow effect on her face for a vogue-like pose! Doesn't she look stunning?!
Golden hour:☀️
Image by Reece Leverzencie
#goldenhour hashtags are all over the internet and for good reason! Golden hour, just creates such romance for photographs. If that light hits you just right, you´ll be glowing like a Greek goddess! Depending on the season you´re in, golden hour might happen slightly earlier or slightly later, but be sure to be ready for an impromptu photoshoot when that sun hits just right!
Props props props:
(In frame above, my brother Reece Leverzencie)
Not sure what to do with your face or hands in a pic? Get a prop, it'll take away the awkwardness of needing to pose and adds a fun element.
Find beauty in the ordinary:
There is so much hidden (or obvious) beauty all around you! All you have to do is open your eyes and look around! I found this pole, which was simply dying to be a tree again, as it was wrapped up in all these gorgeously bright red Autumn leaves, which provided such a perfect picture spot
Don´t be static: 🤸
Static posing can be really impactful at times, but why not try playing around with movements! One of Ashley aka Best Dressed´s best poses is the ones where she is casually jumping through the air in a super cute outfit or sitting on a flight of stairs to create levels for her images. This can add such a fun element to your feed!
Image source: Best Dressed
Image by Mia Hughes
I attempted to recreate the mid air run-jump pose and I´m not gonna lie, I got a bit of a workout in running up and down past this house as my friend took continuous shot pics ;p. But I must say I was pretty happy with the result when I edited it all together (as seen above).
Contrast or matchy-matchy:
Besides the contrast that can be created between different colours, like I mentioned previously, contrasting between the vibe of your location can also be pretty cool! If you´re wearing an outfit that´s more feminine or has softer elements to it, try shooting in a grungier looking place like a parking lot or industrial area, to help emphasise the softer elements of your look. If your outfit is grungier, the opposite will apply, try shooting next to a pastel colour wall, or in front of some flowers. Or if you prefer, let your background match your aesthetic (as seen above) x
Not keen to be in the frame?
Have fun playing around with different objects, from your cosmetics to your next cuppa.
I hope these tips were helpful for your next photography sesh! Happy snapping x
Jess x
[I wore a denim mini skirt from Factorie, a thrifted sheer cream blouse and some chunky pink and cream sneakers from Cotton On. Mia wears a white dress with mini palm trees on it, a short cropped denim jacket and sandals.]
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