In the past, I’ve had mixed feelings about the benefits of scouting out a location before a portrait shoot. So many times I have put effort into checking out a location, thinking through the angles of light at a specific time of day, noting shadows, and jotting down ideas . . . only to arrive at the actual day of the photoshoot to find the circumstances entirely different. 

For example, the sun may be out when I’m scouting, but as soon as I arrive for the photoshoot, the sun may decide to tuck itself behind some clouds for an hour. Or, what if the sunlight is actually at a slightly different angle than anticipated? There are so many elements that change from day to day that it is almost impossible to predict what I will be working with. It could make me wonder, is it really worth it to even try? 

But as I have written many times before on the importance of scouting, I still think the pros outweigh the cons!

After a recent wedding, I compared photos from the scouting excursion to the actual wedding day and I was blown away by their similarity . . . even though the weather was completely different! 

For example:

Doesn’t it look like these pictures were both taken on the same day? Well, they weren’t!

On the scouting day, it was literally raining.

I had to convince myself to get out of the car to walk around in the rain and wet grass!

The day of the wedding, on the other hand, was partly sunny with clouds rolling in now and then!

Scouting is way more than just looking at the light. It’s finding out which bank at the four corners of a covered bridge will be accessible to a bride in a spotless, white gown. It’s observing where the flowers are growing. What the park boundaries are. Where the sky is visible. What vantage points I can access. What backgrounds I can use. Where props (like benches and walls and steps and pillars and trees and “windows through the trees”, etc.) are located. What lenses would work best. What focal lengths are going to be ideal. The list is endless!

I can determine the position of the sun with an app. As long as I keep envisioning my subjects’ standing with their backs toward the sun, I don’t necessarily need to see the sun on scouting day.

Now, this isn’t to say that I only photograph at the exact spots that I have scouted. No, I work in the moment all the time. I don’t limit myself to the places I’ve scouted. 

But scouting does give me a place to start and ideas to go back to when I have exhausted the spontaneous side of my brain.

And sometimes it’s neat to see the similarities between the photos on day 1 and day 2. 🙂

For this particular wedding, at the location we scouted there was this quaint, grassy field at one end of the covered bridge. 

And a path alongside the field.

And looking down the path the other direction.

If you read the recent blog post on covered bridges, you saw this one:

There was also a little stone wall leading up to the bridge which proved to be a nice spot for photos.

And then of course, the classic photo right in front of the bridge.

Knowing our way around this location helped us to have an idea of where to bring people when we were taking the photos on the actual wedding day. It helped eliminate the amount of decisions we had to make in the moment. And we were able to direct the group more confidently, giving the overall impression of professionalism in entire photoshoot.

I am always amazed at the value of scouting, even if the specifics look a little different from one day to another. At the same time, scouting is not something you can put your trust in. With variations in the weather, time of day, and other factors, it is almost inevitable that your photos will not look the same two days in a row. But having a good sense of the location is very valuable and reduces unnecessary stress in an already stressful job. 

Isn’t that how life is? We make plans to the best of our ability, but we can’t truly know what a day will hold until we are walking through it. “Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth” (Proverbs 27:1). Planning is not something we can put our trust in.

But this doesn’t mean we should not make plans at all! “A wicked man hardeneth his face: but as for the upright, he directeth his way” (Proverbs 21:29). We should be flexible enough to adapt and “wing it” while trusting that the Lord will direct in each situation. 

Like President Eisenhower said in a speech in 1974, “Plans are worthless, but planning is everything.”

We do not neglect to do our part. But we let God be God. “A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9)

Speaking of scouting, I should mention . . . today and tomorrow are the last days to get 20% off lifetime access to the Lenspiration Scouting Guide! If you haven’t heard of it, you should check it out. 🙂