On-Location Photography

I just wrapped up a fashion campaign shoot at Sarakiniko Beach in Milos, Greece. Here is how it went, what I learned from the experience, and how we approached getting the shots.

Reliable power on location is a necessity for creators, but high-capacity units are often expensive. The OUPES Exodus 2400 aims to challenge that with a compelling feature set at a budget price. I put it through its paces to see if it can keep up.

Widely accepted as a go-to product for many outdoors and camping enthusiasts, power stations like this are underappreciated by photographers who have a need for power in off-grid scenarios. This article puts the Bluetti Elite 200 V2 through its paces for a variety of photographers who need serious, reliable energy in the field. 

Long location shoots and trips present a unique set of challenges: dead batteries, overheated gear, dehydrated clients, and the constant juggling of power banks and coolers. What if one device could solve multiple problems at once? The BLUETTI MultiCooler aims to be exactly that: a 4-in-1 fridge, freezer, and ice maker that also serves as a charging station for all your gear. After two months of real-world testing, I can confidently say this is one of the most practical tools a location photographer can add to their kit.

Every photographer has heard this advice before: pack light. But on a multi-day wilderness shoot, it’s about more than cameras and lenses. Your survival kit matters just as much as your gear.

Landscape photography is not just an art, it is also an act of endurance, exploration, and personal vision. This is especially true in Patagonia.

If you have never looked into Gregory Crewdson’s approach to photography, this one is for you. Crewdson generally ditches the usual “capture the moment” process that many photographers might follow.

With power stations, everyone wants more capacity and longer life, but nobody wants to lug around a 60-pound brick. The Dabbsson 2000L aims to strike a balance by packing 2 kWh of energy storage into a surprisingly portable form factor at a very competitive price point. Is the Dabbsson 2000L an ideal entry point for creators looking for a large power station?

I’ve relied on power stations for outdoor shoots and location work over the past year because they eliminate battery anxiety and bridge the gap between studio and location setups. With the Power 2000, DJI elevates the power station with a high-capacity unit featuring user-friendly design and tight integration with their ecosystem. Is it worth adding to your gear?

If you love photographing vast landscapes, ancient cities, and magnificent architecture, you'll enjoy a visit to Morocco. In this article, I show you five of the best photo spots in the country.

Locationscout is a sort of Swiss Army knife for all kinds of useful photo information. It comes in a variety of flavors: iOS, Android, and a full-featured web app.

Canadian photographer Greg Girard left Vancouver in the 1970s to explore Southeast Asia with his camera. His colorful, atmospheric landscapes showed us a very different and unfamiliar part of the world that, for Westerners at that time, was much less traveled and even less well known.

In one of the most inhospitable regions of the world, where life exists on a knife’s edge, Ragnar Axelsson has spent four decades photographing the beauty of its frozen landscapes and, more recently, the impact of climate change on the lives of the hardy people who call this frozen wilderness home.

Photography is an art form that often demands more than creativity; it requires courage, perseverance, and sometimes a willingness to take life-altering risks. Over the years, some photographers, including even myself, have ventured into jaw-dropping locations to capture images that defy both logic and limits. These stories are a testament to the lengths artists will go to for the perfect shot.

Join photographer Laura BC as she embarks on a 48-hour photography challenge in Bali, testing the limits of her Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 GM II lens. Known for her creative challenges, Laura takes this single-lens approach to showcase how limiting your gear can unlock new levels of creativity.

Have you ever struggled to find new places to photograph and felt like you have exhausted all the locations near you? Dylan Blackburn has a few great tips for finding new locations.

Finding the perfect photo shoot location can make all the difference. Whether you're working outdoors or transforming your own space, the right setting can elevate your images significantly.

There are very few professions where you get to shoot zombies for a living, but production photography is one of them. If you’ve ever wondered what production photographers do and whether you might like to try it for yourself, then read on because this article was written just for you.

There are parameters within which a camera is supposed to work, and one extreme I had not tried with mine was the severe cold. So, I headed to Northern Finland, where I would experience temperatures I had never felt before. Here is what happened to my camera.

The motorized cart wheel manufacturer has refreshed their line-up, making for a smarter offering.

If you want to be the best, you need to refine and perfect your craft. You also need to recognize your errors and eliminate them. Here are two of the most common amateur mistakes that the best photographers never make.

Cornwall is one of those places I cannot get enough of. I've visited three times over the past years and can't wait to be back. In this article, I show you five of my favorite photo locations in Cornwall.

Ah, the allure of the sea! The crashing waves, the salty air, and the breathtaking beauty of the coastline. If you're a beginner photographer looking to embark on a seascape photography journey, you're in for a treat.

This portable power station can power almost any device you have and it can recharge itself on location.

When it comes to landscape photography, certain destinations immediately come to mind – the dramatic landscapes of Iceland, the majestic mountains of the Canadian Rockies, or the iconic landmarks of the American Southwest. However, there is one country that often gets overlooked as a photography hotspot: Ireland.

Since July 4th, over 7,000 earthquakes have been recorded in the Reykjanes Peninsula in the southwest coast of Iceland, leading to sustained speculation that a volcanic eruption is imminent. Over the last couple of years, we have already seen this behavior twice in Iceland, and now, it looks set to happen again for a third time.

The enchanting allure of golden hues, vibrant skies, and serene landscapes make both sunrise and sunset photography captivating endeavours. While sunrise photography has its undeniable charm, there are distinct qualities that make sunset photography equally mesmerising, if not more.

If you are looking for beautiful, natural light portraiture and how to pose models effectively, this is a fabulous video set in an amazing location with a professional model. Join Irene Rudnyk behind the scenes on this adventure and watch the magic unfold.

The northern lights are one of the great unicorns of the photography world. Researching how to find them can sound as complicated as entropy. Luckily, this video breaks down everything you need to know about analyzing the science behind hunting the auroras.

If you are looking for amazing tips of posing models and how to use natural light, this video has it all. In this video, Michael Sasser travels to Bali, Indonesia and shares behind-the-scenes footage along with lots of tips and tricks that will help you in boudoir and portrait photography.

Do you struggle with your landscape photography when at a new location? It can be challenging when you are photographing a new area. You don’t have a go-to composition, you don’t know when the light is best, and so on. This video walks through how one photographer approaches a new location. 

We all know what the rule of thirds is, right? And we all know that in the bottom third of the frame, we often have a foreground element of interest. Take a look here to see how going without any foreground at all can greatly improve your landscape images.

Over the past 13 months, I've been traveling the world, visiting and photographing many beautiful landscapes and cityscapes. But how did I find all those photogenic places? A few months ago, I wrote an article about how to level up your photography through scouting and exploring new locations. But to achieve a good balance while traveling, you should also have a base of known photo spots available. In this article, I show how I find and organize those.

You've got your subject, you've got your elements, you've got your rule of thirds composition, but you're missing something in the foreground. How do you find the perfect foreground to complement your image and give it that real wow factor?

I’ve been covering the Coney Island Polar Bear Plunge like clockwork for well over a decade now, and I think it’s fair to say that I’ve picked up a few useful habits along the way. For those unfamiliar with the event, imagine several hundred folks in various stages of near-nudity packed into a corner of the beach. It’s typically rather cold - though some years have been colder than others - and everyone’s working themselves up into a fevered lather. In this excitement, a drum team forms up, creating a corridor from the top of the beach to the ocean. As the sound of those instruments gets louder and faster and more aggressive, the signal is sounded and the mob stampedes towards the Atlantic. 

In what is becoming a disturbing trend, photographers are being attacked and robbed in broad daylight at San Francisco's Palace of Fine Arts. The latest attack, which was caught on video, has photographers who work in the area on edge.

For those of you in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s now coming into the cozier and colder time of year. Fall is great with all its colors, but the dead of winter can leave photographers feeling drab and uninspired. Check out my four spots to photograph when the weather turns inclement to keep you photographing all through the seasons. 

Do you think the locations around you are boring and really not worth your time? This will help inspire you and breathe new life into your photography. 

Photographing sand dunes can be a very productive photographic endeavor if you find a stretch of desert remote enough that not every inch of it is covered in footprints. In this article, I show you my favorite place to photograph dunes, and I give tips on how to get the most out of this sandy subject matter.

Have you found yourself frustrated by being nickeled and dimed for your work? Does self-doubt about your skill and imagery creep in as a result of the prices you are asked to shoot at? You’re not the only one.

While browsing through various photo-sharing platforms, you might get the impression that everything has already been photographed. After all, millions of photos get uploaded each day to Instagram alone. But if you take a closer look, you'll see a lot of repetition. Many photos show the same places, the same compositions, and often similar light and editing. Even today, it's possible to discover new photo spots. In this article, I show you my favorite way to do so.

Shooting on location can be a stressful time. So, what are some of the questions I ask myself before heading out into the wild?

Have you ever had to sort through a box of photos, perhaps from your parents’ collection of vacation photos? An all too common question is: “When was this photo taken?”

If you're sick of cramming all your various camera bags and light stands into your car, then you're not alone. With a little know-how, it's possible to take the headache out of shoots by building the ultimate production van.

Not only is Lisbon the capital of Portugal, its largest city, and a major tourist destination in Europe, it's also a great location for cityscape photography. Its hilly profile offers beautiful views of the narrow streets and Mediterranean architecture. All across the city, you'll find interesting photo spots, and in this article, I show you three of the best in Lisbon's center.

For creative professionals, the cases and bags that protect your gear are as crucial as the equipment inside them. The Manfrotto Pro Light Reloader Tough 55 offers that and more.

Scotland has some stunning natural beauty, but the islands surrounding it are often neglected. In this video, one landscape photographer goes to the Isle of Harris and Lewis to conduct some stunning, minimalist photography.