The answers I got back was issues like lightning, poses, communication, self confidence, giving directions, styling and getting tack sharp eyes. So I will share a few simple tips on how to improve in some of these areas in this blogpost.
Lightning
As I´m a natural light photographer, I can only give tips on that. Though I´m currently learning everything I can about professional lightning gear I don´t feel competent enough to guide in this area yet.
Shooting with natural light can be huge challenge and there is a lot to say about this subject, so because it´s Summer in many parts of the world at the moment, I will talk about shooting outside when the sun is high on the sky. The trick is to place your subject in open shadow - find a place where there is no direct sunlight, but not a dark shadow either. It´s means to place your subject on the lightest spot in a shadow. In the picture below my client is under a large tree which you can´t see in the picture. If you then combine open shadow with a reflector to light up the subjects face, it will give you great light to work in. If it´s a close up face shot, I will ask the subject to hold the reflector straight out from under their chest. This will make dark shadows under the eyes go away - perfect!
In the picture above I also used open shadow - but this time the model is inside close to a large open glass door. I´m placing myself outside the door where the light also is coming from. I placed a reflector on the floor right under her.
Try and experiment with this challenge during summer. Find shadows to shoot in - but make sure it´s a light shadow and not a dark shadow. If you are in a place with no shadows - like on a beach, bring an umbrella and let your model hold it. If it´s a headshot the umbrella does not even have to be in the picture.
Posing and giving directions
Perhaps you are like most photographers, a bit shy about directing people. You don´t want to sound like your giving orders, but at the same time you want the picture you have in your head to happen in front of you. And it can be really difficult to come up with some good posing ideas and the poses you planned before the shoot at home, you can´t remember when you are on location shooting...right :-)
The key to this solution is planning and keeping it simple. When you plan a shoot decide for only 3-5 poses to use. I call these the "safe" poses. Poses you know will work and remember. Find pictures from magazines or blogs with poses you like. When you look at a pose in a picture I want you to imitate it right there and then. Get off your butt and place yourself in the pose - do it several times until you are very familiar with the pose. The mind and body learns much better by doing and this will make it easy to guide your subject on the day of the shoot. Practice 3-5 poses - know them well. When you guide your subject do it by showing them with your own body what you want them to do.
If you use this trick you will end up with at least 3-5 pictures with great poses - then you are safe and the rest of the time you can play with spontaneous ideas. As you get more experienced you will get to know more poses.
Never give critique to a model/client, like "no not like that" or "no that does not work" actually never say anything negative on a shoot. If you have problems with something not working, with your light, the pose, the location ect. never let your model know. Just move on with a smile on your face saying "hey I have an idea, let´s try this instead". Your model/subject needs to know they can feel safe and trust you - then you will get good photographs.
Give lots of compliments to your model/subject - there are always many nice things you can say and it will make her feel welcome and relaxed. She wants do her best and needs to know from you that she is doing a good job.
Styling a shoot
The key to getting a great styled image is planning. Sometimes great photos just kind of happens, but the fact is, that the best photos often has a lot of planning beforehand. You need to consider location - inside outside, lightning style, poses, theme, hair, make up, clothes and props. Don´t plan this when your model/subject arrives. Take a few hours to think about your shoot and ask yourself what is the outcome you want. The more you plan the better your end result will be. When a client book a shoot with me I ask for a everyday picture of her, because I wish to see what type she is - not every girl fits every location or every outfit, right. When I see her and know what her wishes for our shoot is, I start planning and customize her shoot. For inspiration and planning I often create a style board/ mood board and scout for the perfect location and props.
Getting tack sharp eyes
The most important thing in a portrait is the eyes - never compromise here - go for tack sharp eyes.
I personally shoot with a tripod to get sharp eyes and if you shoot free hand go for a fast shutter speed.
Most auto focus features work great and many photographers use auto focus. However, it is good practice to know how to use the manual functions of your camera. Using manual focus ensures that you are focusing on the right thing. It gives you more control over how your camera functions.
Prime lenses (not zoom) are known to be faster and creates tack sharp photos. I know I said it a million times but I love the 50 mm. f 1/4. Other great choices are 35 mm and 85 mm. At the moment my favorite lens is the 85mm 1.2 L on a tripod - works everytime :-)
And a few words about self confidence...
I used to use a lot of energy trying to be perfect and I was tired all the time, I was bored and I was unhappy...I am so glad that time is over...I realised, that no matter what we do, or what we look like, or how and where we live...we are all perfect in our own unique way...isn´t that just beautiful :-)
Weird, odd, childish, crazy, strange, out of her mind....yes that would be me! I am not embarresed to admit it anymore and I do not try to hide it...lol.. These states of mind are good resources for being a creative artist. Aiming to be perfect can block your creative flow. I used to fokus on the outcome of my creative projects to be perfect, wich really made me scared of making mistakes and it broke down my motivation and my creativity. Now I choose to let go of my own expectations and I get into the process instead - playful and relaxed. It´s not about perfection - it´s about playing and having fun with your model/subject. I try to see where the proces takes me, instead of forcing the process to go in a certain direction controlled by my perfectionist mind. Remember that the search for perfection will be hard on your self confidence.
1. It helps me get ideas, be creative, visiualize and think outside the box.
2. I dare follow my inner voice and my intuition, even though it´s seems wrong sometimes. It turns out it is (almost) always right.
3. It helps me feel free of feeling insecure, I can relax and have fun where ever I am.
4. I can do many stupid things and laugh about them afterwards, learning from them without blaming myself anything.
5. It helps me take chances...if I fail, I can always just blame it on me being out of my mind :-)
Remind yourself that it´s amazing to make mistakes, it´s wonderful to make really crappy photos, because that is when you learn the most... when you view it like that, it keeps you motivated to learn more and to do better the next time.
That´s all for today lovelies - I hope you enjoyed my tips.
Have a wonderful and amazing weekend.
xoxo, Christina
