What’s Your Preference?

SJH Foto · #1 (**permalink**) 05-03-2008, 02:28 AM

Hello all! While I think that we have extensively discussed how to set your camera correctly to take a good portrait, I don't think we talked much about how to get people to relax. That can be just as tricky because people want to see themselves at their best. In my experience the majority of clients will buy a slightly incorrectly exposed, focused, etc picture over one where they look either goofy or in a "staged" smile.

While a lot of the pictures taken on this forum were studio shots like my first picture, I also like to use natural environments for shots, or in room or areas that people feel tell their story. Remember, the more relaxed a person is, the more natural they will look. In the second picture, I just had the two joke around, and play so I had a feel for what they were like naturally. The blond grabbed a stick and pretended that it was a fishing pole. When the brunette hugged her, I made a joke (to keep them relaxed), told them to look up, and took the shot.

In picture #3 "Faces", I had the girls lie on a bench opposite from each other and stood on the bench above them. They were nervous, so I said that I was counting their nose hairs, which got them giggling, and I took a bunch of shots. Again, it's just a matter of making the experience fun and unintimidating for the clients.

In picture #4 "John", I told him a few stories while shooting and waiting until he had a suitable expression (he says, "He doesn't smile")

Sometimes, couples just want to have a natural snapshot-type picture that is well taken. In cases like that, go to a sit down diner, or some other natural place, keep the camera away during the meal, chat, and then after the food is consumed, just say "smile" I think the last picture shows how this can be done.

Once again, none of these pictures are mind-blowingly good, but they all have relaxed, happy subjects. And happy subjects mean paying clients (or satisfied friends).

Please tell me what you think-this is only my second "technique" posting, so I'd love your feedback.

Oh, and please go to www.sjhfoto.com to see more of my work.

Nicole · #2 (**permalink**) 05-03-2008, 02:34 AM

You may be interested in this thread (one of the popular ones last week): Getting your subject(s) to relax

Japaslavian · #3 (**permalink**) 05-03-2008, 02:37 AM

One way I've noticed that helps get a more natural expression is to have them look away from the camera for a few seconds, then slowly turn to face it again and give them very little time to get their expression. The longer they are in front of the camera, the more likely they are to start thinking about what they look like, then disaster.

SJH Foto · #4 (**permalink**) 05-03-2008, 03:04 AM

Sorry, I didn't see that someone else already put up a similar thread! But since there's is in the form of a question, and mine is an explanation of the answer, maybe it will work out.

RussHeath · #5 (**permalink**) 05-03-2008, 04:48 AM

Nice shots, and a good point about subject interaction. If they don't seem relaxed, they usually won't like the photo. My favorite is definitely the "faces" one. Good story to go along with it too!

SJH Foto · #6 (**permalink**) 05-04-2008, 05:52 AM

Thanks for the kind words! Anyone else have methods for calming your clients that they'd like to share? How about more outdoor portrait ideas?

Alex168 · #7 (**permalink**) 05-04-2008, 09:52 AM

This might sounds kind of unethycal, but giving them a drink to relax seems to have done the job for me quite some times,

i sometimes even hand the camera over to them to let them take pictures of me (only when i trust them) and that works quite often, i dont mind at all having my picture taken so its not really a problem for me. Also try to "teach" them a bit about portrait photography and then they do start to take some intrest in it they will sort of understand what your going for....

SJH Foto · #8 (**permalink**) 05-05-2008, 07:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alex168

This might sounds kind of unethycal, but giving them a drink to relax seems to have done the job for me quite some times,

i sometimes even hand the camera over to them to let them take pictures of me (only when i trust them) and that works quite often, i dont mind at all having my picture taken so its not really a problem for me. Also try to "teach" them a bit about portrait photography and then they do start to take some intrest in it they will sort of understand what your going for....

LOL! While your idea is a good one, most of my portrait subjects are minors (I do a lot of senior pictures for high school graduates), so if I were to give them a drink to relax, I'll be relaxing...in jail!

Ditto for the camera, I'm sorry but some of these kids drop their props (soccer ball, book etc) so much, that there's no way I'd give them my SLR! Maybe I could buy a few disposable cameras for them to play with...

Maybe teaching them will help. Hopefully, I don't bore them to death...I'm not a good speaker, and sometimes it's hard for me to get my listeners excited about a subject-hence my lack of posters on my tutorial forum threads.

Not to shoot down your ideas man. They really are good and can work well in certain circumstances.

Seltzer · #9 (**permalink**) 05-06-2008, 02:51 PM

"Clench your butt cheeks"
always a fav thing of mine to tell a subject, gets a chuckle best if you just completely deadpan it while giving them other instructions.