Getting comfortable with people

[lblongs]

I am embarking on my portfolio building this winter and coming spring and am stuck on the issue of posing people, etc. I do natural light photography, so no studio, etc which means I lean toward less formal posing, etc. So far I have only done children and a co-workers family Christmas car. Chilren are definitely an entirely different realm than older teens and adults.

When seeing things like couples engagement shoots or family shoots, I often wonder who is more in control of the posing, etc when some of all of it looks so candid and natural? How much time should I spend saying things like "okay, now do -blank-, or act like you are doing -blank- ? I am sure at some point the client just needs/wants to be directed and runs out of things to do just being natural. I love the shots of couples strolling hand in hand down an urban street, playing footsie at a cafe table, etc.........Is the photographer telling them what to do the whole time? What about a family playing in the leaves at a park.......? Do you see what I am asking?

Sorry for my ramblings. At least with kids it's our job to run after them with the camera - I got that part down pat.

[prabbit237]

Originally Posted by lblongs

When seeing things like couples engagement shoots or family shoots, I often wonder who is more in control of the posing, etc when some of all of it looks so candid and natural? ...At least with kids it's our job to run after them with the camera - I got that part down pat.

I'm still pretty new to this myself but I've found that, often, it seems to work out about the same for any ages: chase them with the camera and take lots of pictures and then throw out the bad ones. If you want natural/candid poses, don't try to pose them. Just tell them to be themselves and do what they'd like to do and "chase them around."

Now if yer looking for a specific pose/effect, then maybe give some suggestions. But, IMHO, the best poses are the ones that aren't posed. The best smiles are where they're actually laughing AT something and not just trying to give a huge toothy grin (i.e. stand behind the camera and make jokes or act a fool to make them laugh. I once got the 5yo daughter to stand behind me and make faces at her mother.) The best gazes are where they aren't staring right down the barrel of the camera (tell them to just look off to one side slightly.) Etc.

[x_eternity_x]

I've found that it's a bit of a mixture--and it depends a lot on the people you are photographing. Some people are natural models, and you don't need to tell them anything, whereas others need a lot of work. With a natural model it's a lot easier, because you can generally tell them how you want them to pose and they can make it look natural. Harder cases often require more coaching and more time in front of the camera--you'd be surprised at how much people open up after a few minutes of being photographed. Sometimes this will take as long as half an hour, but if you keep it up and are engaging, it'll happen. Also, telling the model how good they look or how great the pictures are can sometimes help them loosen up faster.

In engagement-photo style shoots I tend to like to direct in broader strokes--give the couple an action to do and shoot while they do it. For example, you might tell them to walk to that tree holding hands, or sit in a certain spot and look at each other, or things like that. Giving directions will help your subjects feel like you know what you are doing and will normally free them up a bit, but keeping the directions a bit more vague will allow their personalities to shine through. Of course, sometimes in the middle of a shoot I'll pose them much more specifically, but by and large I keep the directions pretty simple. Different couples will require different amounts of direction, as some will come in who already know a lot of what they want, but by and large most people are looking for the photographer to direct them.

One thing I've found useful, particularly in shorter shoots, is a tip somebody gave me to try and be funny. Typically I get my best expressions if I can get my subjects to start laughing at something. This also loosens them up very fast, and if you can elicit some laughter at the beginning and keep the mood light, your whole shoot will look better because of it.

[CaptainNH]

I find the key thing is to spend a little time getting to know your clients/models before getting into a shoot.

Rather than launching straight into snapping away, sit down and have a coffee with them for 1/2 hour - be friendly, smile and let them get to know what you're looking to get out of a shoot.

The time spent chatting will save you more time during the shoot.