Any location will do

One of the first question clients and other photographers ask me is 'have you got a studio?' The photographers are being geeky - we love to have a nose round other people's kit - but with clients, the reason for the question is a bit different. You want a portrait session so you shoot in a studio right?

Well yes, but you don't have to limit yourselves to a studio set up. I often find, particularly when photographing children and families, that a location of their choosing is much more fun and far less intimidating than a studio and the results are often far more genuine and characterful.

To illustrate this point, here's a portrait of my youngest son, taken at home this weekend with natural light from an east-facing window, a simple wooden floor as a backdrop and about a 5-minute window of cooperation...