When it comes to shooting portraits I am constantly torn between whether or not I should shoot on location or in a studio. Obviously some portraiture calls for a simple clean background and if that’s the case, I can't think of a reason not to shoot in a studio setting. However, If a client wants a more complex portrait is it even worth it to try and convince them to shoot a composite in a studio setting or should you just shoot everything on location?
Personally I have always been a fan of composite photography. There is something exciting about being able to build an image from the ground up and make it look exactly how you want it to. You can make your photo as realistic or fantastic as you want and nobody can claim whether or not its the right way or wrong way to shoot because it has now become a piece of art that YOU created. The fact that you can create everything from a comfortable studio setting no matter what the weather or the season is definitely a “pro” for composite photography. Shooting this way is also great for clients since they don't have to drive to some remote location, endure extreme heat/cold (depending on the season) and there is no shortage of food and beverages on hand, providing I got around to stocking the fridge before the shoot... If there are so many positives to shooting composite photography, why is it so hard to convince clients to shoot composites rather than shooting on location?
Although I have to admit, that looks pretty darn good, I might have to make this photo my next Christmas card.
On a serious note, the above photo looks awful and if this is the kind of work that clients are picturing in their head I can’t blame them for not wanting to shoot a composite portrait. Although I can’t blame them for their reservations, I can and will do everything I can to assure them that their photo ABSOLUTELY will not look like this.
Most people are actually surprised how realistic a composite portrait can look. Maybe you will be too.
Can you tell which photo is a composite and which was shot on location? You may find it a little difficult to tell the difference and that’s ok! I actually just showed this to my friend Leigh (who also happens to be the guy in the picture) and he couldn’t tell the difference even though he was there with me when I shot it. This just goes to show that you can make a really realistic portrait without going through the hassle of scouting locations and bringing tons of gear with you on a photo shoot.
Composite Photography (Pros and Cons)
Pros
- Comfortable shooting environment.
- Like I stated above, you don’t have to worry about seasonal factors that may make shooting on location difficult.
- Control over the whole process.
- You have control of the process from start to finish and you can decide how it will turn out.
- Outside variables won’t effect the shoot.
- You never have to reschedule shoots due to weather.
- Client doesn’t have to travel to shooting locations with you.
- Not only does the client not have to travel with you to the location, you don’t have to do nearly as much location scouting and wondering whether or not you have to get permission to shoot.
- You don’t have to lug gear to locations.
- Some locations won’t allow you to shoot portraits but you are allowed to bring your camera and tripod and snap some shots. If this is the case then the only choice you have is to either scout a different location or shoot a composite.
- Your client can have their portrait taken anywhere in the world.
- Whenever I travel I always bring a camera with me and try to get some static shots of different locations. That way I can use those shots as backgrounds for portraits if a client wants an exotic location for their photo.
Cons
- Plan plan plan!
- The preproduction process is very extensive when shooting composites. You have to have a vision for the final product when you shoot both the subject and the location.
- Photoshop/editing skills must be second to none.
- This is HUGE! If you aren’t confident in your photoshop skills then composite photography probably isn’t for you. That being said, you have to start somewhere and if you are interested in shooting composites then you should practice your editing.
- Editing time.
- On average a composite takes about 3 times longer to edit than a portrait shot on location. On the other hand, a portrait shot in a studio usually takes about 3 times less time to shoot than an on location portrait… So maybe this isn’t really a “con” after all but definitely something to take into consideration.
- Stubborn clients.
- If you come across a client that absolutely does not want to shoot a composite then don’t… After all, they hired you and paying good money to have their picture taken. You have to respect that. If I run into this, I will usually suggest shooting some photos on a plain white background so I can throw together a composite even if the client doesn’t want me to.
On Location Photography (Pros and Cons
These will pretty much be the reverse of the composite pros and cons but I’m going to list them anyway…Pros
- You get what you get.
- When shooting on location there is no guessing what the final product will look like. Whatever you see on the back of the camera is pretty much what your final image will look like
- You don’t have to rely so heavily on post processing.
- When I am shooting on location I pretty much know that when I dump the files onto my computer I will not be doing any crazy editing. I’m not saying that I don’t edit my pictures, but I do try and keep the finals as natural as possible.
- Comfortable clients.
- When shooting on location you don’t have to worry about your clients second guessing whether or not they made the right choice. They will more than likely be comfortable and you will probably get a great result because of that.
- Great natural light… (Sometimes)
- This maybe shouldn’t be considered a pro, or maybe it should just have an asterisk behind it. Either way, shooting on location can really give you some amazing results, especially when it comes to lighting, that are very difficult to replicate in a studio.
Cons
- Scouting Locations.
- Scouting locations can be a huge pain and very time consuming. Obviously when shooting composites you have to travel to those locations to get the background shot but it never seems to be as much of a hassle as just aimlessly driving around looking for somewhere to shoot. There are some great resources like Shot Hot Spot and Scoutt which make location scouting a lot easier.
- Lugging gear all about town.
- Knowing what gear to bring to a shoot can be a daunting task and in order to remedy that, you may find myself bringing way too much (just in case). However, if you properly scouted the location and did the proper pre production you shouldn’t run into this issue.
- Forgetting gear.
- It seems that however much I plan for a shoot, I usually forget something. Whether it be gaff tape, extra batteries or even a reflector its always something. If you shoot in a studio, all of your gear is already there and there is physically no way to forget anything.
- Transportation.
- Sometimes photo shoots require a large crew and making sure everyone has transportation to the location can be a challenge.
- Acquiring a photo permit.
- Some locations require you to have a photo permit before you can shoot there. Obtaining one of these permits can definitely be a setback when planning a shoot.
- Some locations cost money!
- At some point in your photographic career you will inevitably get a client who insist on shooting at a specific location. This is all good and well until the you find out that the location they want to shoot at has some astronomical fee attached to it making it nearly impossible to shoot there.
After looking at the pros and cons of both composite and on location photography you’re probably wondering whether one is better than the other. The truth is, it ultimately depends on what the client wants. If they can be convinced to shoot a composite portrait and you’re comfortable offering that service then give it a shot. That being said, going out and shooting on location is a ton of fun and there is almost always a good story that can come out over every location shoot. For example, my client and I almost got hit by a pigeon not once but 3 times yesterday. Now that I think about it, he was probably just angry we took over his home (in a parking garage) for 4 hours.
Thanks so much for taking the time to read this post, and I encourage you to go out and try shooting some composite portraits. One thing you can always count on is that if you want someone to hire you for a specific type of work you need to have that work in your portfolio.
Below are a few composite portraits I have shot over the years.
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Cheers,
-Jeff
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