You don’t need to have a full-scale studio or even studio lighting to compete in the portrait market, as Peter Prior demonstrates on a recent shoot

Although very much a specialist wedding business, we are receiving more and more requests from clients who want us to shoot portraits these days. Most of these leads come from past wedding clients or from folks connected to them. We are working to build up a steady portrait business alongside our very successful wedding venture, but we plan to move forward without throwing money at it, and all of our shoots are generated by word of mouth.
A major stumbling block to being able to get these enquiries ‘through the door’ is our distinct lack of a studio: we don’t have one and, as things stand, we have no intention of ever opening premises. In our favour is my reputation for working fast and producing natural, real-life wedding images, and these days most clients come to us for this ‘look’ and approach to portrait work.
Mind you, as I shoot around 50 weddings per year and run one-to-one consultancies for budding and established wedding photographers, I am not after shooting high-volume portraiture anyway. I prefer to shoot for clients who allow me a certain amount of freedom to produce what I want and who are attracted to my style rather than the usual images being shot elsewhere. Not being tied to a lease and shooting in a studio allows me to keep fresh and to play!
For locations I have always tended to shoot in a local park or at a client’s home, but since we moved last year I have found promising new areas nearby – such as a pathway under a railway bridge that was, until very recently, covered in vivid graffiti: anathema to some, but it certainly made a stunning background for modern portraits. Unfortunately for me the local council decided to clean it up over the winter. Alongside our house we also have an oak tree-lined twitten (a path), which is perfect for all sorts of images and offers terrific lighting opportunities. Locations such as these played a part in our decision to buy our current home.
When I shoot weddings or portraits I always prefer to keep things simple and to move fast so as to keep the subject looking interested and as relaxed as possible. These days I keep equipment to the bare minimum; I don’t carry lights, for example, and this approach enables me to really flow during a session and to get the very best from my subjects. Keeping things simple enables me to produce some great, natural expressions, rather than a set of pictures full of false grins. If they enjoy the experience this leads to better sales and further word-of-mouth recommendations.