If you're one of the 70% of Americans who will be dealing with freezing temperatures and even snow this winter, you might be thinking, where am I supposed to photograph my clients in this weather without a studio? I've got eight creative ideas that will keep your business humming along even when it's freezing outside.
I know that not having a studio this time of year can feel like a limitation. Not having a studio is actually a secret weapon. No rent or extra bills eating into your profits. You take home more money for you and your family from each session. I understand that the weather can be a bit of a party crasher. Let's dig into eight proven ways to photograph in tricky weather conditions so you never have to let the climate be in charge of your business success.
- Use your own client’s home
Having a session in your client's home is a way for them to feel more connected to the images. When they look back years later, they'll remember what it was like to bring that baby into their home for the first time. It also ensures that each of your sessions are different, because their own home makes the session and images more unique. Many new parents would rather skip the extra trip of going to a studio when they can just enjoy the session from their own home. This doesn't just go for babies. It goes for kids too.
- Use a hotel lobby
We have done this quite a bit. During a session with a teen client, we hopped into a cool hotel in town and asked if they minded if we took a few photographs in their lobby because we were driving around looking for cool areas. It was filled with natural light and they said, absolutely. Most hotels I found don't mind people having little mini photo shoots in the lobby if you're not disrupting them.
- Your own garage
If you have a garage, you can simply make a little studio that has all the pieces you need for quick set up and tear down. Many successful Hollywood celebrity headshot photographers use this exact method. You just pull the cars out, tidy it up, you can put tarps or drop cloths down. Get a simple background stand, set it up, clamp some paper rolls, a sweep, or any background of your choice, and now you have your own natural light portrait studio.
- Local indoor landmarks
Think museums, public park pavilions, historic public buildings, community centers. In my hometown of Springfield, Illinois, there is a super cool historic train station that I still use every once in a while for a senior portrait session. We also have an old state capital that has fantastic lighting and big thick columns.
- Use a hotel room or Airbnb
I have students in my programs who find these cool Airbnbs and just rent them out for a day and just crank sessions.
- Look for a shared space (art collective)
We have an art collective in our city, which could be really cool. If you live in a smaller town, there may not be an art collective nearby, but a lot of bigger cities have this place where local creatives gather.
- Short-term leases and pop-up photography studios
Boutiques do this, coffee shops, escape rooms. Instead of settling down with your own photography studio, what if you look into a short-term lease. There's an extra element of spontaneity when you launch a pop-up studio in your community and it allows you to use a time-sensitive.
- Make an at-home photography studio
Sometimes it makes the most sense to set up a mini studio inside your own home. If you've got good lighting and backdrops, there's no reason you can't take amazing portraits from your humble abode.
You can be tenacious and you can photograph in any weather condition because you're creative and willing to make it work no matter what.
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