On Location or in the Studio

On Location or in the Studio?

At what point does it make more sense to shoot in the studio or on site. Over the years I have found myself doing more and more shoots on site, either at the logistics center or manufacturing facility. At what point should you shoot on site versus in the studio? The answer is really dependent on the type of subject be photographed, its value, and quantity of the items.

The first and most important factor is SIZE. Even in a 2000 square foot studio it does not take a lot of merchandise to render the studio difficult to work in when the product is large. I remember having three caskets in the studio and was amazed how quickly we ran out of workable space. In most cases with large items like the chair below it is far more cost effective to have the photographer work on site. This presents the client with several advantages ; Logistically it is far simpler to find empty space to be used as a temporary studio on site. The potential for merchandise damage while in transit is eliminated, and 90% of the time last minute items can be switched or added. Adding items to a photoshoot at the studio is far more time consuming depending on the distance the items would need to travel and the complexity of shipping the items. With smaller product my preference has always been to shoot in the studio. With the shoes as an example it is easy to ship a hundred pairs by courier to the studio. I have also found that small items require a broader range of lighting equipment often far more function specific than large items would require. The lighting is closer and has a greater effect on the product causing the need for a broader range of reflectors, soft box sizes and shapes.

 

Below are two images taken from a photoshoot on location within the clients facility. All that is required is an open space (ideally 20 by 30 feet or more) and an electrical outlet. Either one of the two items would have worked in the studio as a single item. Once there is more than one item they would quickly fill the studio making it a difficult environment to work within.

Shooting on location is not always reserved for large product. I have done numerous shoots on site in which the subject matter could have easily fit in a small bag. The reason for shooting on location rather than the studio was due to the value of the subject. The client felt much more comfortable being able to move one item in to the shoot as needed and return them directly to the vault within a secure environment. These shoots while they have smaller subject matter tend to require as much equipment as the larger products, just different set up. Capturing jewellery I have always found easier in the studio where I have access to all the tools and lighting gear etc... That said the results are just as good on location.

The key to location shoots going smoothly is in being prepared. There is nothing worse than being on site and having a piece of equipment fail (not always avoidable) and the more planning ahead the less likely the unexpected will pop up. Some of the changes digital photography has made to planning and execution of location shoots are:

• Memory cards are small and depending on the format can be easily obtained in 16/32GB - a half dozen cards will allow for more shooting than you ever want to edit. One of the most difficult planning areas was the amount of film you had to bring to a shoot. As a rule I used to double the expected film need, and even then I ran short on some shoots. Not a big deal when you are within a large city and a real challenge when you are shooting in Leemington in the middle of winter with the closest store being over an hour away and without the remotest possibility of getting pro large format film. One more reason to love the digital format.

• Digital cameras require far less light power than large format film. 8X10 and 4X5 film cameras used to eat up a lot of light, and flash power. It was very common to have to go to shoots with 15-20,000 watts of light power. This equated into a lot of equipment that had to be bagged and moved to and from location shoots. With the move to digital the light needed for the same photo shoot is significantly less and 2-3,000 watts of light power is ample for most shoots. This translates into a lot less gear making for faster and more efficient set up and tear down time.

Photographing corporate portraits on location has become the norm. With the constant rise in tight schedules and time constraints within the corporate workplace it is far more convenient to set up on site and have people pop in for the shoot. In most cases this reduces the shoot time per person to 15-30 minutes without the travel time and being away from the office.