How to Create Beautiful Photos in Boring Locations

Having a perfect background is one of the most overrated factors in photography. Here are several tips for getting amazing shots when your session restricts you to shooting in a boring area.

As a wedding photographer, I often have few options available to get portraits of the bride and groom. It’s common for a bride to think that her chosen venue is beautiful, but they are often unaware of how difficult the location is for pictures. I usually have no choice but to make the best of what I have. This video from Jessica Kobeissi helps with this issue, as she shares how she creates stunning images in the most unexpected locations.

While Kobeissi had several points that were helpful, the one I found most interesting was that a dramatic pose from a subject will overshadow a dull background. After looking over her images, I found this statement to be more accurate than I thought. I also found her advice on not ruling out a location too quickly to be true. In my career, I have learned that lighting is the most critical factor, followed by posing, and of least importance is the background. Getting the first two variables right is usually enough to create a great photo.

If you want to see the rest of Kobeissi’s tips for handling boring locations, check out the video above.

Levi Keplar's picture

Levi Keplar is a wedding and portrait photographer and educator. He currently owns and operates his studio, Katie & Levi Photography, with his wife and is based in the Wichita, Kansas area. He has a passion for both the technical and the business sides of photography and helping others to grow in those areas as well.

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7 Comments

If your models don't know how to pose you need to pose them or show them images of what you want your the director and the photographer. Please level out the eyes atleast

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Why's that?

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Always making it look so easy with models that do the posing for you, good make up that you don't t need to use photoshop and wide 1.2 aperture that makes construction cones into nice bokeh. If you want to show off your knowledge take a simple bride that never posed, that got less than decent makeup, getting dressed in not so ideal hotel room with almost no window light and trash everywhere and then for a challenge put f 2.8 or f4. Most people don't have access to models, so start posting more related content.

That's true. The term "model" can/has been used loosely and interchangeably along with the term "subject".