Usually, after completing a photo shoot, in my mind I tend to go over the things I did and did not do well. The likelihood of doing a better job the next time is a very good incentive for me to remain interested in editorial photography.
I find it very important to arrive early and scout the location every chance I get to shoot outdoor portraits. That was the case when I did my first photo shoot with Vianca in downtown Bridgeport, CT; I remember that day I spent several minutes exploring different locations around the area before I met with Vianca. Since I was not able to cover all the different locations I had in mind on our first shoot, I got a very clear idea of the results we would end up having from our second photo shoot based on previous knowledge of the places I explored.
Since choosing locations was no longer a problem, I was able to fix my attention on shooting and move quickly. Action shots were taken on a zebra crossing; then we moved to a vine wall, an acrylic brick wall not far from the zebra crossing and experimented with some reflections through a shop window. As we moved to the third and fourth location, I then shot some standard shots of Vianca in front of a mural and beneath a public clock. We finished this shoot next to a red wall where I did the majority of closeup and extreme close-up portraits.
I understand scouting a location isn't always feasible, but it sure pays off with great dividends to have a solid idea of how I can use the spaces presented to me.