It’s just a quick session where you pose, a photographer snaps away and you end up with stunning photographs, right? Wrong. To get the ultimate image—whether it’s for headshots, relationship photography or your family shoot—you need many different factors working together.
The end result? That picture perfect image that you’ll be proud to display on your wall for years to come. And much of it has to do with relationships.
I want to discuss the most important ones. When you understand their roles it will be easier using it to your benefit during the photography session.
The Photographer and the Camera
Human relationships are about getting to know one another. In exactly the same way a photographer should know his or her camera:
- Knowing exactly how the buttons respond enables you to have perfectly timed shots
- When you master all the device’s functions you can focus energy on being more creative, without letting technical aspects get in the way
- Feeling comfortable with the weight in your hands should inspire you to try unique angles
If you’re a photographer it’s worth keeping your camera a little longer before upgrading. And if you’re vetting photographers, don’t simply be awed by someone’s state of the art equipment. Do they know yet how to use it properly?
The Photographer and the Subject
Here it’s all about two parties feeling at ease with each other. Discomfort is a natural feeling for some when in the presence of unfamiliar individuals. And when a subject feels uncomfortable it will show in his or her face in the photo.
It takes great skill from a photographer to elicit the right emotions from subjects, making it a worthwhile investment to use experts rather than rookie photographers.
If there’s time to build rapport before the session it will greatly enhance the images. The subject will look at ease and may even have fun.
The Subject and the Camera
The subject also needs to get used to the camera. Instead of the photographer’s face, it may be the daunting big lens that makes some people nervous.
If you’re a photographer let the subject view the images you take. They’ll relax as they find the device more familiar. And if you’re the subject, ask if you can view images. After all, it’s about you, right?
The Subjects Themselves
If you’re planning a group or couple session it will add more chemistry to the images, but it also requires more dynamics to work together:
- Make sure people’s clothing don’t clash in terms of color
- Know that what people feel for each other will show up in the pictures (it’s very difficult to fake emotions)
The Background and Foreground
Here you can work with contrast or similarities. It’s a photographer’s responsibility to ensure the setting enhances the subject of the image.
No, this doesn’t mean a lot of work for everyone. Simply being aware of these relationship will help your next images be that much better. Go find that perfect shot now.
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