"First Timer", Photographing a Friend

[shazamphoenix]

Hi! First, a bit of an intro: I'm 19, and still a bit new to photography (been really shooting for about...a year and a half, two years now). I have a Nikon D40X which has served me really really well (the only thing I'd like is autobracketing so I could experiment with HDR ) and only one lens, the fancypants Nikkor 18-200mm VR behemoth, which is a sweetheart but really heavy after a while.

My question is this: A good friend of mine wants me to take some pictures of her...not for any purpose really, I think they're just to make her look good on Facebook or something :P I'm quite good with my camera, meaning I know how to take relatively good pictures with it, but I'm lacking...the photographer's authority, for lack of better words. How should I direct her? She's my friend, so the issue of "being comfortable" around me shouldn't come up, but does that change when she's in front of a lens? Any tips for a first-time people photographer?

Sorry for the long post, and thanks!

[OsmosisStudios]

I often have the same problem. I just got used to it over time, but it rears its head again at times.

Youre in control: youre telling her how to sit and so on. She still has to tell you when something doesnt feel "natural", though. Those shots will look weird, I promise.