Choosing a location for a photography shoot isn’t just about finding somewhere that looks good. It’s about finding somewhere that’s right — that adds meaning and context to the image rather than just providing an attractive backdrop. Get that decision wrong, and even technically excellent photography can feel off.
Relevance matters more than beauty
The most common mistake we see is choosing a location because it’s visually impressive, without asking whether it actually serves the brief. A stunning landscape is only useful if it connects to what you’re selling. An image that raises the question “why is this here?” has already lost the viewer.
Location should add an extra dimension to an image — context, atmosphere, story — without dominating it. The product or subject should still be the point.
When the location is obvious
Sometimes the right location is self-evident. When we photographed Kitchen Craft’s ‘Seafarer’ range, the brief practically wrote itself — a product with nautical references belongs near water, near boats, near the sea. We shot at Lyme Regis harbour, and the results had an authenticity that no studio set could have replicated.
For Kitchen Craft’s ‘Butterfly Lane’ kitchenware range, the answer was a classic English country garden — which, fortunately, didn’t require travelling far. Sometimes the perfect location is in your own back yard. Literally, in this case.
When the location is fixed
Not every product is portable, and not every client has the flexibility to choose where to shoot. When the location is predetermined — an installation, a building, a production facility — the photography becomes about making the most of what’s there.
That means understanding the light at different times of day, finding angles that work, and being creative within the constraints. Some of our most interesting work has come from fixed locations with limited options, because the constraints force inventive thinking.
The planning conversation
Location decisions work best when they’re made early — as part of the briefing process, not as an afterthought. Understanding the purpose of the images, the audience they’re for, and the season or timing of the campaign all feed into the location choice. We talk through all of this before any recce or shoot day is planned.
If you’ve got a shoot coming up and you’re not sure where to set it, that’s exactly the kind of conversation we enjoy.
To find out more about our commercial photography work, visit our service page.
Related reading: Location Photography: Getting the Most From Real-World Shoots.
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