Why is it that some people are considered photogenic and others are not? Or why do some people think they are not photogenic? In reality, all people, irrespective of shape or size, are photogenic - the challenge for the photographer is to bring that out.
Generally, when you put everyday people in front of a camera they become nervous, tense, and awkward and this then shows in their expressions and subsequent images which results in less than faltering images. A good portrait should be simple, elegant, void of distractions, and should flatter the subject
The recipe for taking a good portrait is more than understanding cameras, lenses, and lighting gear. In fact, some photographers believe their images are not technically at the highest level, and some photographers outsource their editing to someone else, but they still take some amazing portrait photographs.
One of the keys to taking great portrait photographs is to ensure you can make the everyday person feel safe, comfortable, and relaxed. By doing this you will get natural expressions and emotions. This is achieved by directing your ‘model/client’, the everyday person, to find their best positions and angles to create a stunning image. Sometimes it is even beneficial just to watch the client because sometimes the things they do make great artistic poses. As I have found out, direction and connection are two critical elements in taking amazing portrait images. Sometimes this connection is a communication that occurs beyond and without words - maybe it is empathy but the ultimate goal is to make the client look beautiful and to bring out the best in them emotionally.
When you submit images for accreditation there is one fundamental rule - “Connection beats all the other rules”. I might cut off an arm or a leg at the wrong spot, the lightning may not be the best but if I have a good connection then the image gets points and passes.
I am an introvert and I thought I would have difficulty in establishing connections but I realised very quickly that most people like to talk about themselves, their interests, and hobbies. When they do this they automatically relax and in a way become vulnerable. That vulnerability allows me to capture the raw emotion from their expressions. Additionally, by having this rapport I also relax and this, in turn, makes the client more at ease. I can’t tell jokes unless they are one-liners, so this approach will never work for me. For me, it’s about listening and empathizing with the client, and it’s a constant learning process, (which all my past hobbies seem to be) especially since people have different personalities and challenges. This is why I like to either meet a client informally beforehand, ideally over a nice coffee (preferably a flat white), or have a Zoom/Skype call, and have a conversation and ask questions about their intentions and hopes for the shoot. Obviously, if I know my clients beforehand it is a lot easier to establish a connection so with friends and relatives it is a lot easier to get them to relax and capture true emotion. I even got my wife to relax in front of the camera and take amazing images of her, and in the past, she has always said she doesn't look good in photographs. I have proved her wrong, and now she volunteers to be my model whenever I am trying something new.
One aspect of connection that is ingrained in me is that any portrait shoot is a collaboration between the client and myself. We have to work together to get what they want and together we establish a relationship that helps produce the best results. This collaboration doesn’t just end when the shoot is finished, it continues through to the reveal and future shoots.
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