After a somewhat long absence from people photography I recently returned and discovered how much I love it. After 11 years on the entertainment cast of the Minnesota Renaissance Festival it was time to move on so I decided this would be my last year on cast. When you’re on cast you have to be in character whenever you’re on the street and you have little time for anything else. We entertained thousands of people every weekend and I had some great times but I wanted my summers and falls back. Fest runs from mid-August through the first weekend of October and that’s prime time for enjoying summer fun and fall colors up north where I love to shoot so I made the decision to give it up. As sort of a going away present for me and my fellow performers I wanted to catch some portraits of the cast as they performed. I didn’t want the usual “staged” look you so often see but something that expressed their emotions as they worked and not just a forced smile.
I started carrying around my camera more often and catching performers on the street with little or no notice of my intent. I thought I got some really great shots as did others who saw my work. I was quite flattered by the responses I got as I always am. It’s hard to take compliments on my work, especially because I enjoy doing it so much that it doesn’t often seem like work. (Not always because some shots are a LOT of work!) At last count I had over 130 portraits done and I’ve probably got another 100 or so to work through. I think I shot well over 900 images of just people this season. Of course only a fraction of those will work for me but it’s still a lot of pictures!
Where my rambling is leading to is this; we’ve all had the “Olan Mills” style portraits done and if you’re like me, you never liked them. I actually worked briefly for Olan Mills in Dallas back around 1981 but they were more interested in the photographers selling pictures than producing quality portraits so we soon parted ways. I later moved here to Minnesota and take a job shooting thousands of portraits for a company called United Church Directories (UCD) and though they didn’t make the photographers doing the sales it was still like a nightmarish cattle call with people and families being herded in and out for a quick couple of shots. I hated it for the obvious reasons but it did teach me how to organize a large-scale shoot and how to meet a complete stranger and get them comfortable enough with you to get a decent shot all in 15 minutes or less. Well, most of them felt comfortable. Some people just do not like having their photo taken and it shows!
What seems too often missing from portraits is a lack of creativity. Granted, things have loosened up since the Victorian-era stiffness but we still see a lot of “lifeless” photos being produced and there’s no need for it. It takes about as much effort to get a good shot as a stiff, posed one so why not get the better results? Over the years I’ve learned a few things that have helped me and there are many more tips available from other shooters but here’s a few that might help you along:
Relax Your Subject
Help your subject feel more comfortable with you. If they don’t trust you then you won’t get a relaxed subject and it shows. Take at least 15 minutes to discuss the shoot and what they want or what you’re looking for in the shot. Listen to their ideas, what they don’t like about other shots they’ve had done. This also allows you to plan ways to best feature your subject.
Keep It Simple
Look for simple, natural backgrounds that are not distracting. Don’t get too elaborate with lighting schemes, sets or props. Look for natural, existing light that compliments your subject and locations that are complimentary to what you want to portray. Some of the best shots are done with daylight from a nearby window and a simple reflector to lighten shadows and give more depth.
Alter Your Perspective
Most portraits are taken with the camera at or around the eye level of the subject. While this is acceptable completely changing the angle that you shoot from can give your portrait real impact. Shoot from a high or low angle for a different take on things. Either way you’ll be seeing your subject from an angle that is bound to create interest.
Play with Eye Contact
It is amazing how much the direction of your subject’s eyes can impact an image. Most portraits have the subject looking down the lens – something that can create a real sense of connection between a subject and those viewing the image. But try other ideas such as:
- Looking off camera – have your subject focus their attention on something unseen and outside the field of view of your camera. This creates a feeling intrigue and interest as the viewer is sort of a voyeur, wondering what the subject sees. This intrigue is particularly drawn about when the subject is showing some kind of emotion like laughter or surprise. Be aware that when you have a subject looking out of frame that you can also draw the eye of the viewer to the edge of the image – taking them away from the subject, the point of interest in your shot!
_ - Looking within the frame – have your subject looking within the frame. A child looking at a toy, a mother at her new baby, couples at each other or something similar. When your subject looks at something inside the frame you create a second point of interest and a relationship between the two. It also helps create ‘story’ within the image.
Break the Rules of Composition
There are a lot of ‘rules’ out there when it comes to composition and we’ve always had a love hate relationship with them. I believe that while they are useful to know and employ that they are also useful to know so you can purposely break them leading to eye catching results.
The Rule of Thirds is one you can effectively break – placing your subject dead center can sometimes create a powerful image. Creative placement with your subject right on the edge of a shot can create interesting images. I’ve often placed a walking subject on the right side of the shot to imply movement as if they’re about to walk out of the photo.
Experiment with Lighting
There are almost unlimited possibilities when it comes to using light in portraits. Side-lighting can create mood. Backlighting and silhouetting hides your subject’s features leading to mystery or intrigue. Introducing interesting light and shadow patterns into an image using natural objects like trees or patterns from materials like window blinds or stained glass windows adds interest and color.
Shoot Candidly
Photograph your subject at work, with family or doing something that they love like fishing or a hobby. This puts them at ease and allows some nice, relaxed shots with them acting naturally. Try shooting from a distance with a longer lens to remove yourself from their immediate vicinity. This works really well when shooting children!
Introduce a Prop
The addition of some type of prop like a musical instrument or flower adds interest. Just be sure it is something the subject is comfortable with and that won’t take emphasis away from your subject but adds a sense of story and place to the image.
Get Close Up!
Get a telephoto or zoom lens and get in close so that you can just photograph a part of your subject. Photographing a person’s hands, eyes, mouth or even just their lower body can leave a lot to the imagination. Oftentimes it’s what gets left out of an image that says more than what is included!
Obscure Part of your Subject
A variation on the idea of zooming in on one part of the body is to obscure parts of your subject’s face or body. Accomplish this with clothing, objects, their hands or just by framing part of them out of the image. This leaves a little to the imagination of the viewer but also puts their focus on the area of the photography you want them to see.
Take a Series of Shots
Take a series or “burst” of more than one shot at a time. This creates a series of images that can be presented together instead of just one static image. This works well when you’re photographing children – or really any active subject that is changing their position or pose quickly. We’ve all seen the pro photographer’s do it shooting models and it may seem clichéd but that’s because it works!
I hope you take a little knowledge away from these tips. Even old pros sometimes forget little things that help add interest to a shot and newbies to photography can always use ideas! -Enjoy!
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