Tips?

Does anyone have any tips regarding getting your clients to loosen up and have fun with the session? Has anyone else noticed that pained expression in many studio portraits that says, "I may be smiling on the outside, but I'm grimacing on the inside"? I hate that!

Here are a few tips:

1) Make sure you know your equipment and lighting inside and out. That way you can concentrate on building rapport with your subject rather than worrying about lighting, fstops and such.

2) Know in advance some poses and props you want to use. Have an idea of what you want the picture to look like before they arrive. That way you have something to start from, get a few shots under you and their belt, and then improvise later.

3) Talk with your subject before they arrive about what kind of pictures they want. Think of a theme, a mood, what they want the pictures to say. This way everyone is on the same page when they arrive. This is not always "doable" but helps if you can do it in advance.

4) Tell them you can take plenty of pictures and toss away any they don't like and just keep the ones they do like.

5) Invite them to bring music on an iPod or music player to play while doing the photo shoot. That way they listen to music THEY like rather than music YOU like.

6) Be friendly and chat with them while doing the shoot. Tell them how great they look. I normally shoot 6-7 frames and then break, chat with them a minute while I move some lights, then a few more frames. We also then go to the monitor and view the pics so they can get an idea of how things are looking. This helps build their confidence.

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James Pratt
www.advridermag.com
www.-james-pratt.com
www.motorcyclestock.com