A shot in an alley of the Arena District by Benjamin Yoder.
Studios are great; they let you control the light, and, with a clean, one-color background, you can digitally insert your own backgrounds easily, and without all the trouble of lugging all your equipment onto location. But what happens when you don't have a studio?
This series is going to be all about great places to shoot in Columbus for when you don't have that great studio space, or just need to get out and get some fresh air.
Starting with one of my personal favorites, the Arena District gives a great, clean urban feeling with all the new-ish buildings around. There isn't a huge variety of architecture, which is actually alright; if there is too much traffic in one area, just pack it up and move down the street. No worries about not having the same type of background.
When you go near the Gordon Biersch distillery, you have the great bridge between the main Arena District and the Arena District Apartments. Use this bridge around sunrise or sunset to get some great color and shadows.
Don't miss the arch on the Southwest side of Nationwide Arena. At night, the lights that shine upward from the sidewalk can give some funky effects, just remember to use your flash as a main light source so you don't end up with weird shadows on your subject.
On the far West side of the district, you have the LC Pavilion and Huntington Park as great backdrops, and a railroad underpass that can provide a bit more of a dilapidated look to some of your shots.
There are even some railroad tracks over by the entrance of the parking garage for the Arena Grand Theater (which itself has a very cool "Park" sign) that you can use in the background of your shots. Just a word of note: railroad tracks are owned by the rail company, and going onto them is trespassing; and these tracks are active, so be careful that way, too.
The biggest downside to the Arena District is, not surprisingly, people. Between the Arena itself, the LC, and Huntington Park, there is a lot of action all year round. Check an events calendar before you load up.
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Have a great place you love to head out to and use for on location stuff? Let me know by leaving a comment or through e-mail and I may use it in a future article.
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