Studio Anywhere: A Photographer’s Guide to Shooting in Unconventional Locations

4. Using Existing Environments

I always walk into a home shoot with the expectation that, if nothing else, I can shoot the subject in front of a blank wall. Even if a picture frame or two need to be removed, a blank wall isn’t hard to find. Usually, this is as close as I have to a plan; I rarely arrive at a shoot with a previsualized idea of how I will photograph the subject. Because I know how to light a blank wall in several different ways, I know that I can still get an interesting portrait, even if nothing more interesting presents itself.

Sometimes, however, I am lucky enough to walk into interesting and amazing homes full of possibilities, as was the case in this shoot with Helena. Helena is a model as well as a photographer, who lives ...