When making photos of people, photographers should strive to connect with their models. That is to say, your interaction with the person you’re photographing should consist of more than instructions to smile and how to pose.
For this photo shoot, the first interactions began two weeks prior, when I asked Emmy if I could photograph her with Hunter. I explained that I would like to do this in order to expand my portfolio (thus, this was an unpaid assignment), and offered to share the photos with her on CD. The low-key, friendly conversation set the tone for the shoot. We worked out a mutually-convenient time, set a rain date, and it was done.
The day of the shoot, Emmy e-mailed me to ask what she should wear. By setting the initial tone, she felt comfortable asking that question. I explained to her that she should dress comfortably, because she would be on the ground with the dog. Fortunately, that was all the direction she needed; Emmy is an elegant woman with a great fashion sense.
During the shoot, I had to engage both Emmy and Hunter. When photographing people, I try to make them laugh and keep it deliberately casual. People who are at ease look better in photographs. There is a fine line you walk between keeping your banter light and remaining in control of the situation.
Two-way communication is very important. While you are the photographer and you need to remain in overall control, a model to whom you don’t pay attention quickly becomes frustrated. Frustrated people do not look good in pictures. Models often have good ideas that can improve a photo. Listen to the person you’re photographing; it can make quite a difference in the final product.
Ultimately, keeping the people you photograph happy will help them, help you, and result in more opportunities to practice your craft. Remember, practice makes perfect.
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Do you find that you're better at shoots with people you know well, or ones you have a friendly acquaintance relationship with? I've thought about doing more model-centric shoots, and I've been wondering if I'm better with a close friend or not...
ReplyDeleteTom: As car commercials are wont to tell you, your mileage may vary.
ReplyDeleteClose friends might be more cooperative because they're more comfortable with you. Your photos may have a more intimate feel when you're shooting somebody who knows you.
However, your friends, knowing you always have that camera with you, might not take the task as seriously as you do. Or they can have their own ideas of what they want the photos to look like, which may or may not be what you're looking for.
Regardless, you need to engage your model and communicate with her, regardless of familiarity (or lack thereof). Personally, I find that I can "connect" with most people on some level. Even with my admitted curmudgeonly tendencies, people like me, and when I'm photographing, I use this to my advantage.
Unless you plan to make your entire portfolio photos of your friends -- which is fine, but ultimately limits your range -- you will eventually end up taking photos of strangers. And if you can't engage that person you've only met once, your photography will reflect this.