A photography “trend” that hit the internet recently is Lowe’s ugly location challenge. Instead of streamlining for the usual beautiful locations in the Destin area, I thought I would challenge myself to this idea and do something out of the norm for me! I wanted somewhere with bad lighting and limited backdrops and Lowe’s in Crestview, FL seemed like the perfect option!

Preparation for the challenge

Before taking on the Lowe’s ugly location challenge, I set a rule to work with what’s already there such as lighting and props. All I wanted was a model, my camera, and me. Just for your information, I did contact a friend of mine who works there to see if he thought I would get kicked out! He informed me that I should be fine. I then sought out a victim, I mean a model! As you can imagine when I asked a few ladies they had this confused look on their faces. It was priceless! My coworker, Kimberly Snodgrass, who is a nurse at Eglin Air Force Base Hospital, took the bait! She was a little taken back, but when I showed her other photographers who took on the Lowe’s ugly location challenge she was totally on board!

One the day of the shoot, Lowe’s was a little crowded since it was a really nice sunny day here in Florida. Kim and I walked in and just started to walk around and stop in various areas throughout the store such as paint, lumber, garden, and appliance departments. Kim is not a professional model. She was a little nervous, but after a few minutes, she got into her groove! We got stares as we stopped at different departments, but we had a blast! I am all about having fun while working.

Overall, I think this shoot was a WIN! Now, will I ever suggest someone do a photoshoot at Lowe’s? Okay! Maybe not a family photoshoot, but for just a single person portrait I would say, YES! I just love these images!

My favorite images from this shoot

 Give an unconventional spot a chance, you never know what kind of fabulous images you will end up with!