Does the sand's color and texture and condition matter for a beach shoot?
Does the condition of the paint on the wall matter for a hotel shoot? Does the…yes, yes and yes!--it all matters. Everything that matters, matters, as I
like to say.
The beauty of using a location is, it adds a unique
dimension to the visual story. But
only if thought about and integrated into the overall production planning for a
shoot and the story it’s trying to convey.
A white pristine beach tells a completely different story from
one that’s a little unkempt, a little rockier, and has a beer can or two from
the night before. They are
both beaches, but the similarity ends there. How you use and integrate the actual vibe of a particular location is what
allows it to add that something extra special.
Picture in your mind a model in a long dress, walking down a
white sand beach. Now picture her
walking down a rougher beach, with the rocks and the beer cans. Pretty different ideas about who she
is, I’m guessing. And it’s
not that one’s right and one’s wrong—they just say different things.
Same thing for graffiti, and fields of grass, and alleys and staircases, and just about everything.
It might be hard or even impossible to describe in words
what particular feel a location brings, but whoever sees the photos will
still be feeling its vibe and giving it an interpretation. And that’s ultimately the goal of
visual art. If it could be
described with words, we’d be writing novels instead of taking pictures.
