Spring has finally sprung, and you know what that means! It’s time to bust out your favorite outfits and designs and get the cameras rolling! After a long winter cooped up in doors we’re all anxious to get outside and soak up some wonderful sunshine. While it will likely be bright and on the warmer side, you’re probably going to notice a few things about the scenery. It’s just been through a long, cold period with potentially a lot of precipitation, so you may have to take a few extra measures to make sure the scene is perfect for your shoot. Let’s quickly go over some of the main points to watch out for.
Be On The Lookout For Mud
The winter can often bring a lot of precipitation, much of it in the form of snow. This combined with the fact that the ground often freezes solid means that the soil tends to retain a lot of water. As the temperature starts to rise this will begin to evaporate into the atmosphere and restore a more stable balance, but unfortunately here in the spring that means that there is the potential for an awful lot of soggy turf and mud. This can lead to dirty shoes and unstable grounds – not to mention an absolute nightmare for heels! Keep this in mind as you scope out a locale for your shoot, and if you can avoid muddy turf that is absolutely the best way to go. Sometimes this simply isn’t an option, and in these cases you’ll have to get creative. You can often make use of an area rug or similar if you in a bind.
Make The Surfaces Shine
Likewise, all of that built up snow is going to retain all kinds of dirt and debris and leave a coating on any surfaces until either you make an effort to remove it or the surfaces have seen several solid rains. If you are planning to shoot anywhere that has brilliant rocks, large spans of concrete, or even building facades with siding you’d be best to make sure it is bright, shining, and clean before you get started. There is no better way to remedy the situation than with a pressure washer, this is exactly what they’re made for. If you’re running a photography or modeling business, they’re a tool you simply can’t operate without for exactly this reason. You’ll want to find something that is the right size and strength for this purpose, and you can read more about them to find a good fit. They aren’t too expensive, and the payoff will be huge if it means for higher raw footage. Remember, filters can do a world of miracles to pictures, but the better the starting material the better the finished product. As the old saying goes, you can’t polish a turd.
Cleanup Dead Foliage and Plant Debris
Plants will often seem a bit weathered this time of year, and you’ll see a lot of dead leaves from when the plants were fully grown before the cold season. You may also see quite a bit of fallen leaves that were not cleaned up before the bad weather came. The plants themselves will likely be quite small still, but you can make them look much better by going in and removing all of this brown, dead debris before you get on with the shoot. It’s a bit of work but you’ll find that most of the debris comes up quite easily. Just bring a pair of garden trimmers to help with any of the tougher branches. You’ll be amazed how much of a difference this can make in bringing life to your shoot, and once you’ve put it into action it’s a technique that you can’t live without.
So that’s it ladies, these few tips should get you well on your way for preparing the perfect outdoor scene for your next photo shoot. Now onto the important stuff. What are you going to wear? What colors are hot this season. Who are you going to rep? We’d love to hear from you, let us know what you think!