Preparation for my Photo Shoot: Location

As my chosen theme is vintage fashion, I feel as though one of the main factors of which must stand out in the photography is location. To reflect  different eras which have the potential to come up in vintage fashion through location, it is necessary to find somewhere appropriate to produce my photography, rather than settling for the studio or an area close to college, as the outcome will be much grander. Though the studio could still be used for smaller shoots that are perhaps less important than the feature, such as images for the contents page. I thought about doing the shoot in debonair, charming gardens, such as the Lost Gardens of Heligan; though there would be a limit to what my model would be able to do, as it is currently Autumn going into Winter, so relatively rainy. She would not be able to carry out the particular postures I would prefer her to mould her body into, as the clothing would need to stay clean. Also, if I were to do a garden shoot, my photo shoot would be very weather-dependent. It is more than likely that I would have to postpone the shoot on several occasions, especially in consideration of the dull and rainy weather we are having, as mud would be a major problem when it comes down to the actual fashion. It would not be possible to drag the garments through the mud, as it is most likely that they will be borrowed.  The portable lighting kit cannot be used outside either, again making the pictures dull and somewhat depressing. Rather, I aspire to come out with inspirational imagery that has charming lighting.


Upon the realization of this, I have looked at various houses around Cornwall that have the potential to emulate the particular style in which I plan to work in. Pencarrow house and Lanhydrock house are both potential locations, and though they are Victorian houses, the features resemble the sort of style of houses owned by the rich in the era that I have elided upon focusing. After some thought on the matter, I determined Lanhydrock to be the better location to base my shoot; it is far more closer than Pencarrow, and I am familiar with the house as a whole. 

In order to shoot at Lanhydrock, it was necessary to ring the secretary and query about whether or not the shoot would be possible, due to potential restrictions on a lot of the rooms as to protect the vintage decor. The woman that I spoke to was unsure on whether or not they allow students to shoot anymore, so said she would ring back, but didn't. I rang a few more times, but she didn't seem overly bothered about the situation. As not to give up, I found another source of which was able to get me into the house to do a photo shoot. My friend's auntie actually works at Lanhydrock in the costume department, so the model and I organised a date and time to come down and complete it.