I hope that I've placed this in the proper forum.

Greetings guys

I'm not sure what the response to this one is going to be, but I'll wait and see...

First impressions are so important in all facets of life. When you first meet a client for your initial consultation, do you not try to put your best foot forward by presenting yourself, your business, and your product in the best light possible? Of course you do. Does it not make sense to do the exact same thing when you're with that client on location, or in studio, for the actual session? Of course it does!

One part of presenting and carrying yourself properly involves not repeating errors that are so synonymous with the typical point and shoot generation of digital enthusiasts and camera phone shooters. Never tell a client to "smile", and God forbid you ever ask them to say "cheese". If you do, the client will transfer all of their previous negative photographic experiences onto you. Immediately, your rapport and credibility with your subject will be minimized, and may even be lost entirely.

Instead, catch them off guard, and in the process get a genuine reaction out of them by asking them, or telling them, something that they're not expecting to hear. In other words, keep them on their toes. Here's a suggestion: instead of "smile" as a direction, how about trying "mitochondria" or "broccoli". Seriously, anything is better than "smile" because you're a professional, and professionals know how to draw out the true personality of a person during a portrait session. Most important of all, remember that sometimes it's not in every person's nature to be comfortable with a smile. If you create a relaxed and enjoyable session, that lets the client open up and be themselves. Once you have accomplished that, great images are sure to be produced as a result.

By extension, you as well need to be yourself and be comfortable with who you are as a person and as a photographer. If you can master that, the rest will flow very easily.

As always, if you found this of interest, please feel free to visit my website. Normally, I'd post an image to accompany this, but I'm still on vacation away from my catalogue of images. It's on the site if you're interested.

Peace
Peter

peter anthony PHOTOGRAPHY - Home