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Sophie Hitchens

Sophie Hitchens

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What Makes a Great Photo Shoot Location

Sophie Hitchens Friday 01st March 2019

“What makes a good location house?” This is a question I am asked all the time!

There are many qualities we look for when taking on a new photo shoot location. It is a combination of numerous qualites that make it work especially for us as we are very selective! You can’t just have a beautiful big house! It has to be beautiful inside as well as outside!

These are a few qualities that we look for when deciding whether a location is right for us:

* Where a property is situated. We don’t take locations more than 2.5 hours from London. Properties in London and the surrounding area tend to be the busiest locations.

* Room sizes: These must be good to allow people scope in the rooms and allow the photographer to pull back. The larger the room the more versatile it is.

* The property must have at least three suitable main rooms. Living room, kitchen, main bedroom, bathroom.  A good hallway and children’s rooms are an added bonus. One room is not enough.

* Flooring is important: Floorboards/parquet or concrete are all popular options. Carpets in the main living spaces are too restrictive for the type of shoots we do.

* Period features: In a Victorian/Georgian property period features are a must. Sash windows, fireplaces, floorboards and tall ceilings. If a modern building we look for large windows with lots of light.

* The décor is an essential ingredient: There has to be an inspirational feel to the property. The more neutral the paint colours on the wall the more versatile the house will be as it will allow people to stamp their mark on it as we do a lot of painting and decorating jobs. A mix of neutral and feature walls are a good idea as they provide more background options.

* Furniture is also important: Stylish furniture and props always make the locations more appealing to a prospective client. No clutter!

* Light: The property must have good natural light to allow people to have the option to shoot in natural daylight.

* Locations outside of London must provide scope internally and externally.  There has to be a reason for people to travel so any outdoor features like a lovely garden, summerhouse, swimming pool etc are always good features.

If you think you might have a suitable house do send in some images of all suitable rooms to us. Snappy snap photos are fine as long as they give us a good idea of the space and style of the property. Send them through to sophie@lightlocations.co.uk Once they have been seen you will then be informed as to whether the house is suitable for us or not.

Why choose Light Locations

* You will always receive a friendly, personal, professional, efficient service

* You will be kept informed at every stage with our brand new paperwork app

* We visit all our locations so have a great knowledge of every photo shoot location on the site.

* Easy to navigate, well designed and informative website.

* Our porfolio is small so your property is not lost on the site

* Great working relationship with both location owner and client

* Clients are always kept well informed of any new properties or updates to existing locations with our stylish newsletters

A few testimonials from our owners:

I have worked with Light locations for many years and I have been lucky enough to work with them on a regular basis. They are always a pleasure to deal with and are very swift to respond to any enquiries.I have collaborated with them on location sourcing and representing my home on the Light Locations website for location hire. On both elements I am extremely happy and cannot recommend them highly enough.

Louisa Grey, Owner of Wray Crescent

The team at Light Locations are a pleasure to work with. As a location owner and a photographer who often shoots in one of their spaces. Over the years we have built a trusting relationship. I also believe that Sophie understands the system, and I think this stems from having had previous experience behind the camera.

Emma Lee, Owner of Forest House

Light Locations provide invaluable support to us as a location owner. I don’t know of any other location agency who familiarise themselves with their locations as much as they do. Communication lines are always open and all our needs and queries are always dealt with promptly and efficiently. Quite simply, they are brilliant.

Rose Hammick, Owner of Marmora Road

Light Locations have always been the most proactive and creative with their marketing, advertising and everything generally.  From giving me a sign to put by the bin (!) to surprising me with the lovely calendar, they really have been brilliant.  Whilst I’m singing Sophie’s praises, Madeleine and Nicola have been great too – I always know that they’re protecting my best interests and I’ve yet to have any “nasty surprises”.  If anything has cropped up then they have been brilliant at resolving things.

Jemima Sanders, Owner of Kingsley Place

If you are embarking on the business of running a location house, and want the best example of a productive, efficient, friendly and completely reliable location house agency then Light Locations fits the bill perfectly. I have worked with Sophie and her team for nearly 10 years. Over this period Sophie has supplied me with an increasing array of excellent editorial, advertising and tv shoots. It is such a joy not to have to worry over payments and admin. This is all managed and processed quickly and seamlessly by Sophie on each and every job. Nicola and Madeleine, always at the end of an email or phone, is a great asset in the office, too

Jane Cumberbatch, Owner of Palace Road

A few examples of some of our popular locations!
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