Top 5 Photo Shoot Myths

Far too often I hear clients making decisions about an upcoming shoot based on certain myths that simply aren’t true. As a photographer, it is my job to be the expert on this and point my clients in the right direction. However, because these myths are so widespread, I felt a blog post was in order to help educate people. Hopefully you will remember these top 5 myths when planning your next photo shoot!

1. Bright, sunny days are the best for outdoor shoots.

WRONG- in fact nothing could be further from the truth. A bright sun makes for extremely difficult shooting. The bright skies will create squinty eyes, lots of weird shadows, and harsh, over exposed photos. The best conditions for outside shooting would occur on an overcast day. If a shoot has to happen on a sunny day, it is best to find a shaded area to shoot at as opposed to being out in the open sun.

2. The middle of the day is the best time for an outdoor shoot.

Nope! The best time for a shoot is either during sunset or sunrise (I prefer sunset) when the lighting in the sky is a nice golden tone. This provides the absolute best lighting possible. If you have your photo shoot in the middle of the day, you risk the harshest lighting (for many of the reasons listed above in #1) and it is much more difficult to get the desired tones that most people want.

3. You should use lots of props.

Sometimes props are appropriate, but never too many. It is so easy to clutter up a photo with props and take the focus off the actual subject of the photo. The focus should always be on the subject, and a prop or two to enhance a photo is just fine, but keeping things simple will allow the subject of the photo to stay the focus. So don't overdo it. And don't believe that you HAVE to have any props at all, because you most certainly do not!

4. You have to use on-location landmarks or structures for great pictures (bridges, waterfalls, gazebos, etc.)

This is probably THE biggest misconception I hear from people. For some reason, there is this thought that in order to have a great photo taken, something extraordinary should be in the picture. But what people forget is that the picture is supposed to be extraordinary because they are in it! You are supposed to make your picture great, not the scenery. Taking a picture in front of a waterfall will likely make the picture more about the waterfall than about you. That isn’t what you want! Of course, scenery does play an important role in your shoots, and these items can work well if used correctly. But just standing in front of a waterfall is not going to do your photos any favors.

5. You have to say “cheese”

This one speaks for itself. Staring at the camera in a stiff pose with an unnatural smile, saying “cheese” will in fact leave you with a CHEESY picture. Don’t do it. Natural posing and facial expressions are always better than stiff ones. When you give the same giant, unnatural smile in every picture, it makes things so difficult for us photographers! We want you to love your pictures, and if they all end up cheesy, you will not love them, trust me! Please switch it up, make different faces, take your photographer’s direction, and have fun. You must relax and be yourself…. Just say no to “cheese!”

Well, I hope you found some use out of this post... now I will leave you with a photo of an unbelievably adorable baby (notice there are no props, no background landmarks, no cheesy smiles and this photo was taken early in the morning on an overcast day - see, I don't make this stuff up!):

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