It’s easy to think that if you want a great portrait session, you need to book an expensive location and have a well-lit room, but sometimes simplicity can be more beneficial. .
In this video, master portrait photographer, Peter Coulson, takes you through the behind-the-scenes as he shoots a model using only natural light and his AirBnB. It really shows that you don’t have to be so polished to create a brilliant shoot.
I have done a lot of photo sessions over the years for a variety of purposes. When I look back at the photos that I like best, most of them are simple and free. Arguably there is also a correlation between my favorite images (those are the ones that I think are strong) and the lightweight ones. Although I prefer to use special color gel and strobe lights or RGB LEDs, I am still attracted to natural light and reflectors.
I’ll give a warning here about AirBnBs: I’ve looked into their use for filming in the past and some properties have policies to forbid this and it’s generally not acceptable. In my experience, simply asking the property owner if you can do a simple photo session on the premises while you’re there and unpacking exactly what’s going to happen is a better route. a lot of.
