Of all that amount of photos that clutter your hard drive, surely many, many of them are portraits. It doesn’t matter what your specialty really is, it doesn’t even matter if you have it or not. You have passed through the portrait for sure at some point, probably your loved ones have already suffered the consequences of your terrible photographic passion and have been photographed thousands of times. Probably also, at this point, they run away just hearing the little noise that the lens cap makes when you leave it on the table 😉
So the opportunities are shrinking and you have to make the most of them. Because yes, you have a lot of portraits, but honestly, while you probably appreciate the person in them, how many of those portraits are worth it? How many of them are you satisfied with? How many of them convey what you intended? Ah, it’s just that taking portraits is not easy at all, no matter how much it is what we usually have at hand.
In a portrait you “face” neither more nor less than a person, full of gestures, personality, expressions, looks, poses, etc. And beyond the settings, the composition, the background, the light, etc., the most important thing is what you make your model look like. transmit. And surely more than once or twice your models, already fed up or intimidated by the camera, come out with the face of having swallowed a lemon. And I don’t think you want them to convey the horror and acidity of swallowing a lemon, do you? 😉
Let’s see some tips to achieve natural transmission in our portraits:
- break the ice
- Relax…
- take care of posture
- Lead the session
- distract him
- Get him to interact with other people
- Fluency
- try to make him smile
- The look
- Help yourself with a good location
- The optics
1. Break the ice
It doesn’t matter if you’re shooting your brother or an unknown model for a job. This point is essential, because no matter how much or little trust you have with the person you are photographing and no matter how much or little they are used to being in front of a lens, there are always a few moments of discomfort when we are exposed to the lens behind the camera. which one you know there is an eye that analyzes you.
- Speech With your models, ask them questions, let them explain things they feel comfortable with, be friendly and cordial, and little by little you will notice how the atmosphere relaxes (it will also help you, because I am sure you are also a little nervous 😉 )
- do a few test shots to warm up engines, to get used to it, and for your model to do it too. In short, don’t be in a hurry and take your time
2. Relax…
If you want your models to appear natural on camera, you have to make them feel relaxed.
- Give him something to do with his hands. Sounds like strange advice? Well, it works. Isn’t it true that when you’re nervous, you never know what to do with your hands? Some of us hide them in our pockets, others bite their nails, others hide them under their sleeves… If you want your portrayed to relax, make the hands have a place or something to be with.
3. Take care of posture
The comfort of your model is essential, you cannot pretend that they feel comfortable and relaxed doing a handstand on the little finger of the hand 😉 , so looking for physically comfortable positions or that invite you to be relaxed, will help your model feel comfortable and show up natural in your photos.
- Slightly leaning against a wall with hands in pockets.
- Sitting: If you had to do a job interview, how would you prefer it to be, standing in front of your interviewer, or sitting on a chair (and possibly with a table in between so you can place your hands somewhere)? Don’t you feel much more comfortable seated what standing? Well, if your model feels uncomfortable, feel it 😉
- With a slightly tilted face, like when you call someone on the street and they turn around quickly… That moment» 😉
- From “front profile”; or what is the same, placed in front of the camera but with the face slightly in profile and the gaze not directly at the camera. If you get your model to be relaxed, this pose is very natural.
I’m sure these two articles will also help you:
4. Lead the session
Do not be afraid to cordially ask for everything you need. Many times it is worse that you leave the session to chance, without giving a minimum of indications, because if your model doesn’t know what to do he will get nervous and inevitably you will have him chewing lemon in a few photos 😉 Remember that if you have broken the ice and your model feels comfortable, everything will flow naturally.
5. Distract him
If you want them to act natural in front of your camera, the best way to do it is to try forget about her. For this, we have already commented that it is important to break the ice, talk to them, give them something to think about, somewhere pleasant to look at, etc.
- Try to photograph him while doing some activity that he likes (painting, playing the piano, cooking, etc.) This way he will focus on something pleasant and forget about your camera.
- Don’t limit yourself to static scenes, ask him to move, walk, jump… movement is dynamic and natural and also distracts the attention of your camera 😉
6. Get him to interact with other people
Another way to show ourselves as we are is through relationship with others. If you have a couple of boyfriends, or a couple of friends, a mother with her daughter, etc., try to let that flow between them. complicity that unites them He tries to give them some basic instructions and then just waits for the complicity of their relationship to flow, always being very attentive to the expressions and gestures that derive from it. These types of images usually give great results, since the models are relaxed, natural, spontaneous and very expressive.
7. Fluency
Prepare the session in advance to anticipate everything you may need and have it at hand. so you won’t have what to interrupt session constantly. If the session flows naturally, if you don’t stop every two minutes to make an adjustment or to go find something you are missing, to look at the screen, adjust the light, etc., the session will be more dynamic and natural and you won’t break the atmosphere of comfort that you have been creating little by little.
8. Try to make him smile
There are few things more enjoyable than getting a portrait with a beautiful natural smile. If you connect with your model, it feels comfortable, and you connect, surely you will catch some wonderful smile. Hey, and if on top of that you’re funny and you manage to get a laugh out of him, all the better 😉
9. The look
There are many types of looks and these do not have to always be direct looks at the camera. Especially if your model is shy and/or uncomfortable, try other poses or indirect looks.
- Remember to always focus on the eyes.
10. Help yourself with a good location
The place where you decide to do your photo session is loaded with a message and can help you make the session flow comfortably and naturally, or it can ruin it completely. If you are with someone outgoing and shameless, a photo looking spellbound at the sea in the distance may not be the most representative image of him. Or, on the contrary, someone extremely shy, will not feel very comfortable allowing himself to be photographed in the middle of a crowded promenade.
11. optics
Cameras are intimidating, it happens to all of us, and the closer we get to them, the worse. The best focal lengths for portraiture are those that are approximately between 70mm and 200mm. The more shy your model is, the more they will appreciate that you don’t get too close and the more you will favor the naturalness and spontaneity of the moment.
I leave you with many tips, but the most important thing is that you ensure that the atmosphere of the session is relaxed, that you and your model feel comfortable and, above all, that you have a good time. All that is breathed in the images, believe me 🙂
I hope it has been useful to you. If so, please share it with someone else you think might be interested 🙂 Thanks and see you next time.