Scouting
Have you ever heard a photographer mention the term "scouting" before? So what exactly is scouting? Scouting is an important tool in a professional photographer's repertoire. Scouting is generally a trip taken before the actual photography event in order to get a grasp on the landscape and figure out the physical details of the shoot. If the shoot is inside, the scouter may check where the best place to park is, where to place possibly bulky equipment, where to set-up, what angle to shoot from, and which potential backgrounds to use. If a shoot is outside, the photographer may ask themselves, where will the ambient light be coming from? What time of day will it be at? Photographers have to be mindful of the color temperature as light quality changes depending on the time of day and also the weather. Will it be rainy, will there be clouds, does this location harsh lighting or is it in shade? What if certain roads are blocked or unknown construction sites have been erected? These are all things photographers have to plan and be on the alert for and be open to be flexible about changing initial plans depending on the information gleaned from the scouting trips.
For his business, Gerry needs to scout often. He often scout building locations, checking which building side is more photogenic or what time of day would work best for the shoot. He keeps in close communicate with the coordinator of the the business employing him, asking for their ideas, goals, and working towards fine tuning the final plan. Scouting give both the photographer and customer valuable feed-back, with planning time, a sense of direction to move towards, and a grasp of the overall layout of the area. Sometimes both parties will even change the direction of the shoot based up information gathered from the scouting trip. Scouting is an invaluable part taking great photographs and a valuable service GMP offers to clients.
Final Product
