Getting your subject(s) to relax?

[redthedunns]

What wonderful ideas!! Thanks for starting this thread.

I do have a side question. Many people have suggested using a remote. What setting do you have the camera in when you are using a remote?

[embrownny]

Originally Posted by redthedunns

What wonderful ideas!! Thanks for starting this thread.

I do have a side question. Many people have suggested using a remote. What setting do you have the camera in when you are using a remote?

When using a wireless remote, the camera has to be in the timer mode--at least that's the way my Canon Rebel works. I use it to do my self-portraits and to do still life set ups.

[cherubb2]

Just have adults say 'money' you'll always get a smile! As for kids....lots of shots and engage in conversation, play ball, act silly, put a frog on your head....what ever works....and in the case of my very stubborn 3 yr old grandson...the serious pictures will have to do as long as they connect with the camera they are adorable too.

[Zane]

Why do so many moms have the "fake camera smile?" My mom - no matter what event, the mood, whatever - will always frown. She hates the camera, and only recently has started to relax and leave on her normal face.

There have been a lot of good tips here. I am normally shy and quiet in social situations, so engaging people in conversation can be difficult. When I go into journalism mode though, conversation becomes much easier. Asking questions seems to work great - especially if your subject is getting these pictures for a specific reason. I had to do head shots for an actress - she is an older lady who had been out of the theatre while she raised her kids and recently landed her "comeback" role. She was very nervous about her appearance, but once I got her talking about the play and her role, she loosened up.

Then I showed her some photos about 10 minutes in to shooting and she liked a few, and relaxed even more. I think the trick is getting the subject in on the process - rather than place them like a still-life banana.

[smenzel]

Years ago, I knew a woman whose son would become the ideal subject once he saw the camera flash. All of her friends (with cameras) got really good at hitting the flash button on the camera so as not to waste the first exposure.

About the same time I had an opportunity to do a few sit down portraits. I did these outdoors with fill flash etc. Knowing that I would end up spending too much time futzing with the camera, I bribed a friend to come along to talk to the subject. The friend did a great job of setting the subject at ease and the portraits were quite successful.

[Mr Guy]

My wife has two camera faces, and neither is the one I want. The first is the fake smile everyone knows and loves, but I can't win for losing: Once I get her to relax and start laughing, her "laughing face" is completely scrunched up and her face starts turning red!

I have no idea how I don't notice it the rest of the time, but for some reason, her laughing is just a series of scary gargoyle poses strung together into something that's beautiful when it's not frozen in 1/300th of a second!

[Mstee4eva]

This is a great thread, lots of ideas thanx for starting it! ';0)...

[moi]

Originally Posted by slleali

My mother is coming to meet her great-grandson this weekend and it is driving me nuts because she hates her pictures so much. The last time she was here she wouldn't even let me take a photo of her with a granddaughter who was graduating. She has the fakiest looks in the world! I have to get her to relax and not think about the photo. It's really a tie though, because she and my husband both won't stop talking long enough and their mouths are generally open in the photo. I hope something here will help me with this problem...Thanks for the suggestions.

One thing you could try is to explain that the grand daughter will really appreciate having lovely photographic memories of her grandmother so perhaps she could make an effort for the future??

[SJH Foto]

I'm sorry-I didn't see this thread before, but I just put up a thread explaining how I did it along with five pictures that are good visual aids.