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3 Ways to Make the Most of Your Senior Shoot Location: Alley

February 13, 2023

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Alleys and brick walls may be one of the most overused locations for urban senior portraits, but my clients continue to request them, and I still love them for several reasons. The main reasons I love this location is the amazing light that is available, all of the compositional elements I can use, and the variety of shots I can get by just taking a few steps.

Here’s how I make sure to give each client several unique shots and make use of all of these amazing alleyway features in pretty much any alley.

In the shot on the left, my model is facing the wall, but turned slightly toward the open end of they alley creating a moody lighting. In the shot on the right, it is more about the movement and mood, but I would rather have had her face that open end because the lighting on her face is not my favorite.

1. Look for the best light.

For the most part, I have my model face an open end of the alley. I do not have my model face the opposite wall unless I want a more artistic look. Thankfully this alley has two open ends so it is usable at any time of day and from both directions.

The open shade of the alley creates butterfly lighting or beauty lighting on the model’s face, which is basically the best light for anyone. The subtractive light (a.k.a. shadows) show the shape of the model’s face in a flattering way by emphasizing eyes, cheek bones, and lips.

Compare the lighting on her face in this shot with the ones above and you will see a big difference. The light is just more flattering.

2. Look for elements of design.

Use your surroundings: the walls, doorways, bricks, lines of walls, etc. as compositional elements like leading lines, frames, and repetitive shapes. In portrait photography, the eye should always be drawn to the model. These elements of design can enrich your composition by leading to your model. Change the angle you are shooting at to use the lines and shapes around you to your advantage.

Any wall can become a leading line by using the art of perspective. When you (the photographer) lean up against the wall, the lines of the wall become closer together the further they are from the camera, which then naturally lead the eye to your model.

Doors can become frames around the model and bricks can become repetitive shapes.

In the shot on the left, I frame my model with the doorway and in the right, I use the lines of the bricks as leading lines.

3. Look for levels.

Alleys that have doorways, ledges, or even a clean floor offer the best options for versatile poses. We all know that regular people (a.k.a. not professional models) have a hard time knowing what to do with hands, arms, legs… basically their body. So give them some security by allowing them to lean, sit or even lay down in an alley. You can also do fun poses with kicking or dancing. And if the floor is just not to your standard of clean, try bringing an old chair, stool, bike or skateboard that could look natural in the surroundings.