Wedding photography location scouting in Ubud, Bali

Sometimes the best pictures are made totally off the cuff, captured moments of layered beauty. But more often than not, when working with commercial or wedding clients who have certain expectations for the images you’re going to make (and rightfully so), the best pictures are born from a lot of preparation. Once it’s time to press the shutter, 90% of the work has already been done.

When shooting engagement or pre-wedding photo sessions, the top of my prep list is always location scouting. All I need is a good location at the right time of day, and I feel like everything else will fall into place fairly easily.

I have a honeymoon photography session next week in Ubud, Bali, so I wanted to sniff around for good spots to shoot. I’ve been to the early morning market here before, and noticed the colourful tin storefronts and one alleyway where the morning light came flooding in at a dramatic angle. So I headed out this morning (with my 2 year old son on my back) to check it out, and most importantly, mark down the exact time when that gorgeous sun hits just the right spots.

I’ve been to a lot of wet markets around Asia, and Ubud market is pretty good. It’s got that important combination of being pretty easy on the eyes – the colours pop, and there’s some interesting architecture to work with – and it’s populated with kindhearted shopkeepers and traders who smile and don’t mind that you’re in the way making pictures (Vietnam, for instance, has amazingly colourful markets, but I’ve been shoved and cursed by dozens of octogenarian fishmongers over the years, and its sometimes not much fun. They’re tough.).

Oh, and the sun hits the sweet spot starting pretty much exactly at 7am at this time of year, just in case you’re thinking of heading up there for a few snaps.