cherry, baby: a bit about how I choose locations for photoshoots

This past weekend while I was home in Philadelphia, I shot photos wearing this dress from Smak Parlour and earrings from Color Theory Shop. If you've read my blog before, these are both small businesses that I love and have worked with before, so I was glad I got to wear items from both brands together in one look. 

You can shop the dress here:
https://www.smakparlour.com/collections/collection/products/fruit-printed-a-line-shift-dress-with-mock-neck-keyhole-and-bow 
You can shop the earrings here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/538591535/neon-circle-earrings-geometric-enamel?ref=shop_home_feat_3 

By now you've probably noticed the fruit theme (particularly watermelons) in my wardrobe this summer, so I was excited to add this dress to my collection. When I shoot blog photos, I usually choose very specific locations because I want every post be purposeful and to tell a story. Originally I had the idea to shoot this dress in a pie shop in Manhattan, while eating a slice of cherry pie of course. However, the shop is located near Times Square, aka a New Yorker's version of hell, so the chances of convincing one of my friends to come there to take photos with me were slim to none. Instead, I made my sister help me (because that's what siblings are for right?) since we were both visiting home last weekend. I decided we should shoot at Famous Fourth Street Deli. This Jewish deli is one of my favorite spots to eat when I'm in Philly, yet it never dawned on me before that it could work as a backdrop for blog photos as well. Even though they didn't have cherry pie, they did have black and white cookies that complimented my earrings perfectly (and were also delicious). ​

Although this was my second choice of location, I'm happy with how these photos turned out. With so many bloggers out there, especially in NYC, I often feel the need to find obscure and unique locations that no one else has found yet to shoot. When I first started blogging, I would scour Yelp or Instagram looking for cool places. But even with a seemingly perfect location, I would sometimes end up feeling disappointed in how the photos turned out because my expectations were too high. But recently I've started rolling with the punches more when it comes to location and not plan too much in advance. Ironically, the less I plan, the more satisfied I feel with the end results of the photos. Sometimes the best photo shoot locations are right under your nose. 

Dress: C/O Smak Parlour 
www.smakparlour.com
Earrings: C/O Color Theory Shop
www.colortheoryshop.com 
Shoes: Nine West (bought at Macy's)
Location: Famous Fourth Street Deli (Philadelphia, PA)