The Shoot: How To Plan The Perfect Summer Shoot
Wearing Princess Polly top, clutch, and heels.
Now that B.C. is cautiously allowing its residents to enjoy some freedom, it’s becoming safer to venture outside in small groups for fresh air and exercise. For bloggers, it means that we can finally stop shooting in front of bedsheets inside our homes and start adding some variety to our outfit backdrops.
Since receiving this newfound liberty, I think it’s important that we use it sparingly and thoughtfully. With regard to shoots, that means planning our locations and timing carefully in advance so as to avoid crowded areas and unnecessary time spent outdoors.
Full Disclosure: I shoot regularly with another blogger who is a phenom at finding great shooting locations. Without her, I would be shooting at a very bland selection of locations (namely, popular spots downtown and random concrete walls near my apartment). I cannot take credit for the vast majority of the nice locations I usually shoot at— I’m just lucky I get to tag along with her!
Nevertheless, I wanted to share a brief overview of how we usually plan out our summer shoots with certain factors in mind: outfit choice, location, weather, and timing.
NOTE: Many of these location tips are very specific to living in Vancouver; if you live in a city like L.A., you won’t experience many of the issues that we encounter when struggling to find decent places to shoot in rainy Vancity.
Normally, my main choices of shooting locations can be split into two main categories: urban vibes and classic vibes.
Urban Vibes:
While I normally tend to lean towards more feminine, colourful styles, streetwear does occasionally crop up on my Instagram feed. Usually, this is in the form of shorts, joggers, workout sets, oversized tees, sweatshirts, and chunky sneakers. These types of pieces are best suited by edgier, urban backgrounds.
INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS
Wearing Princess Polly Dress and Zara heels.
Type: When shooting streetwear, it’s my preference to choose neutral backgrounds such as white walls and concrete in an urban setting. Industrial buildings often offer the perfect backdrop as they are usually spacious and quiet (during the weekends at least). We have found that the best industrial buildings are usually furniture-related as they are usually large and white/neutral in colour. In downtown Vancouver, we have also found that certain office buildings in Gastown provide large neutral backgrounds and are relatively empty during the weekends.
Timing: As with most shoots, it’s best to shoot at industrial buildings during the later part of the day when lighting isn’t too harsh. However, industrial areas often provide shaded areas on staircases or in corners that you can use regardless of the time of day.
On a particularly icy day, we managed to snap this shot in between gusts of hurricane-force winds. Wearing cardigan from Chicwish; top and pants from Princess Polly; heels from Zara.
Weather/Lighting: If such areas offer shaded areas, you can shoot at industrial-type buildings in any type of weather— rain, shine, or even snow. During the winter, there was one or two memorable shoots during which my friend and I shot at some loading dock area in freezing conditions— our eyes actually teared up because of the icy, strong winds that were constantly blowing in our faces. Yet, we somehow still managed to get some decent shots despite the setbacks!
PARKING GARAGES
Type: Parking garages can offer the basic essentials for a streetwear shoot— concrete, urban vibes, and a reasonable amount of privacy. Try to choose parking lots that aren’t super busy or constantly patrolled (so residential parking garages or commercial parking lots in the suburbs). Usually, I will shoot just outside the parking lot garage to get some natural lighting; however, during the winter, it might be feasible to shoot inside a parking garage if the lighting is sufficient.
Timing: As you would expect, you want to choose the least busy time of day to shoot at a parking garage. Usually, this would mean the weekends or in the evening, depending on where you are shooting.
Weather/Lighting: N/A - Unless you are shooting at the entrance, weather shouldn’t be too important for parking garage shoots.
ROOFTOPS
Top from Princess Polly and hair extensions from Luxy Hair.
Type: A well-placed, relatively private rooftop can provide a great backdrop for an urban photoshoot. Unfortunately, these can be rare and hard to find (thus, why many Vancouver bloggers tend to not share where exactly these rooftops are unless necessary). Ideally, the rooftop should be located in a somewhat picturesque area and not heavily patrolled by security.
Romper from Molly Bracken.
Timing: As usual, weekends are the best time to shoot on rooftops unless that location is quiet even on a weekday.
Weather/Lighting: Good weather (or at least cloudy with no rain) is recommended for such shoots.
Also, late afternoons or golden hour would most likely provide the best lighting.
LOCAL LANDMARKS
At the Vancouver Art Gallery. Sweater from Molly Bracken; skirt and boots from Zara; purse from Topshop.
Type: While Vancouver is a relatively young city, there are a few landmark buildings around town that serve as great backdrops for outfit shoots. Heritage buildings, such as the Vancouver Art Gallery located in the centre of downtown, provide large areas of neutral background where it is socially acceptable to be snapping a lot of photos. If you search enough, it is quite easy to find other heritage buildings (i.e. Art Deco buildings such as the Marine Building) that offer neutral surfaces such as concrete and marble.
As well, certain residential buildings around Yaletown, the West End, and West Vancouver provide aesthetically-pleasing backgrounds (especially the older, retro buildings). Just be sure to confirm if these buildings are private property or at least be respectful of residents who might entering or leaving the premises.
Timing: While certain weekdays might be less busy for such shoots (especially during work hours), weekends are usually the best time to catch the least busy hours for such shooting locations.
Weather/Lighting: Depending on the space you are choosing, any type of weather or time of the day should be appropriate for shooting at local landmarks (however, the harsh light of mid-day should be avoided).
Classic Vibes:
For this type of style, think of outfits like flowy dresses, colourful skirts, and print rompers. These pieces are best suited by a more natural or feminine aesthetic. Therefore, natural scenery are first choices for showcasing these types of outfits.
BEACH
Type: During this time, it’s important to choose beaches that are less crowded in order to maintain good social distancing practices. As a result, we avoid busy beaches such as English Bay and Kitsilano Beach in favour of lesser known beaches in smaller cities.
Timing: For our purposes, we choose to visit the beach during the weekdays and later in the day in order to avoid the most crowded times.
Weather/Lighting: Obviously for a beach environment, sunny, warm weather is ideal for a shoot. As well, we prefer to shoot later in the day (as close to sunset as we can get) in order to get that golden hour lighting.
FIELDS
Type: Shooting in fields has become a strangely popular pastime for bloggers in recent years. While in reality, the field might be a random lot off the side of a highway, the right angle can make it look like you’re frolicking in a giant field in the middle of nowhere.
Two important things to consider while shooting in a field:
Wearing Zara top and skirt from Suzy Shier.
Is it private property where you’ll be in danger of being chased off the premises?
Did you wear proper footwear? (Nothing is worse than being bitten by some unknown vermin in the field— plus certain diseases are known to have been transmitted from walking in such fields *shudder*.)
Timing: As long as the field isn’t private property, timing doesn’t really matter for shooting in this location.
Weather/Lighting: Bright, warm weather is ideal for shooting in a field as you want to capture shots full of summery vibes. Also, you don’t want the field to be still wet from previous rainfall while you are walking around in it.
COLOURFUL BACKDROPS
The famous retro pink washroom.
Type: Depending on your feed’s aesthetic or the colour of your outfit, you might want to consider more fun backgrounds for your shooting location. For instance, every year Vancouver adds to its local street art with the Vancouver Mural Festival in trendy areas such as Mount Pleasant and Gastown. While some of these murals should be avoided as they have been too overdone (the wings in Kitsilano— Vancouverites know what I’m talking about), certain murals provided pleasing staples— i.e. The Pink Alley. Also, there are random spots such as the retro pink washroom located in a popular downtown Vancouver shopping centre.
Timing: I would suggest shooting during the weekdays at such locations as they might be popular with locals and tourists (except right now we don’t have any tourists— weird thought, right?).
Weather/Lighting: While good weather is always preferable, cloudy weather should work as well for such shoots as they will provide all of the colour necessary for a good shoot.
COFFEE SHOPS
The Pink Alley between Seymour and Granville streets in downtown Vancouver.
Type: While shooting inside a coffee shop might not be possible for the next while, certain coffee shop exteriors provide great backdrops for your next outfit shoot. The best way to research such coffee shops is to search for posts from local bloggers who have taken photos there before. In this way, you can properly plan out which outfits would work best for that area.
Timing: As weekends might be the busiest times for coffee shops, weekdays are most likely the best times to visit such locations.
Weather/Lighting: As shooting outside a coffee shop is the most likely circumstance for the next while, good weather is preferable for shooting at this type of location.
LOCAL/VANCOUVER LANDMARKS
For classier styles, heritage buildings (such as the aforementioned Vancouver Art Gallery) also provide great backgrounds for a shoot. For instance, the front steps of such buildings are the perfect way to showcase fancy outfits such as long gowns.
I hope that these tips are somewhat helpful in your future photoshoot planning. Personally, I am so excited for future beach picnics and sunset shoots that can only be enjoyed during the summertime. What type of summer shoots are you looking forward to?
Also, as always, I would stress being responsible and respectful while embarking on your shooting adventures!