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Four Tips for Shooting Awesome People Portraits

August 1, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Amiyrah_Chicago

Amiyrah of 4 Hats and Frugal

In between sessions at Viewfinder Day, Serena, Amiyrah and I went outside for a quick photo shoot. I love taking portraits and every time I do, I am reminded why I love photography so much. We spent about twenty minutes shooting pictures of each other and sharing tips. When shooting other people, here are a few basic tips for capturing your subject at their best:

  • Catch them laughing. Do this and you know you will have a great shot. People who are laughing tend to be more relaxed and their pictures always look better. Get them laughing and you will have a great shoot.
  • Let them “fall into” their poses naturally. I always ask the person I am photographing to stand comfortably. When they do this, the posing does not look forced. Have them extend or slightly alter the pose for the most flattering shot.
  • Shoot in all kinds of light. When you have challenging lighting situations, make it work for you. The sun was at 1 p.m. when the ladies and I went out to shoot pictures. Instead of shying away from it, we embraced it. I had them stand in the shade and lots of light was coming through the tree they were standing under. I had them turn and shift their faces until the light was more of a highlight/accent before taking the picture. This gave the pictures a natural, artistic flare.
  • Enjoy the process. When you are shooting with other people, enjoy the process of sharing something you all enjoy. Photowalks and group shoots are a great way to learn and share what you know. After seeing how images looked with the prime lenses I was using, Serena now knows the next lens she is going to purchase for her camera. Amiyrah did not bring her big camera, but she was still able to glean information that helped her shoot great self-portraits with her smartphone.
Serena_Chicago2

Serena of Thrift Diving

Never stop learning or practicing your craft. It does not take a three hour shoot to create some amazing portraits. And, if you are open to learning something new, you will. Keep shooting and don’t forget to enjoy the process while capturing your moments.

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Learning to Tell Better Stories: Viewfinder Day at BlogHer ’13

July 31, 2013 by 2 Comments

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This past weekend, I attended BlogHer as a speaker for the first Viewfinder Day. I was looking forward to sharing with the attendees and learning a few things myself. The day started with Secretary Kathleen Sebelius addressing us at the pre-conference breakfast before attendees broke up into three different tracks.

Todd and Diane

Kicking off Viewfinder Day, keynote speakers Diane Cu and Todd Porter of White on Rice Couple speak again and they brought it with an emotion evoking presentation about using pictures and video to tell better stories. Diane and Todd struck a cord when they shared some of their amazing photography and the stories behind them. Their videos were deeply moving and helped me see you can tell an amazing story with video and not say a single word.

Here are a few of my favorite takeaways from their talk:

  • Keep shooting and keep learning.
  • Never forget the story in everything you do.
  • Your voice is what sets you apart. No one can tell your story but you.
  • Tell a story with video. You don’t have to have a lot of equipment or a large crew.
  • Don’t be so wrapped up in the details.
  • Use the tools you have on you. It is not about having the best equipment. Capture the moment.

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After listening to Todd and Diane, my panel took the stage to address the attendees about Finding Your Photographic Voice. Christine Tremoulet started by sharing messages of being enough and embracing the beauty of oneself. I then shared ideas for shooting awesome self-portraits, shooting men and women and practical tips for improving their photography over the conference weekend. Jenika McDavitt broke down the psychological side of telling a better story. She shared tips about adding more details to our writing so the reader connects better with your story.

Video bloggers followed us and finally, the day ended with a post processing workshop. Tomorrow, I will share a few pictures from an impromptu photo session I had with a few amazing women.

 

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My Photography Manifesto

May 30, 2013 by 8 Comments

vintage brownie camera

 

The camera is a tool. It sees light. You see the subject.

The more you practice, the better your eye will develop.

Your vision is what makes your images unique. Trust what you see.

Imitation is flattering, but developing your own style is the most flattering thing you can do for yourself.

Equipment does not make you a better photographer. Telling stories with your images does.

Be your own zoom lens. Primes are the way to go.

When you think you are close enough to take someone’s portrait, take two steps forward. Get closer.

Shoot with film occassionally. It makes you slow down and practice the craft of photography.

Don’t miss the moment trying to compose the shot perfect. Capture the moment, damn it!

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The Rebirth of Slowing Down

April 15, 2013 by Leave a Comment

slowingdown

I was talking to my mom when I saw traffic slowing down across the street from my apartment. I was wondering what was going on, then I saw a woman whip her camera phone out and start shooting. A family of geese was crossing the street and taking their sweet time. Following behind the mother ( I assume it was the mother, I can not tell the sex of Canadian geese just by looking at them) were three extremely fluffy, yellow goslings and the father.

My oldest grabbed her camera and started shooting and I did the same. While this is not an unusual sight this time of year, it made me slow down after a long draining week and watch a bunch of feathered creatures move their family to a new location. Slowly.

First off, how often do we slow down to watch anything in nature? I used to take pictures of cloud formations daily. Have you done that? The sky never looks the same two days in a row. Plus, this simple act of mindfulness was a great way to slow down and appreciate the simplest thing in life.

Let’s try to never lose sight of those simple things. Today, take notice of what is going on around you. You are not too busy. Just do it and tell me in the comments what you noticed today.

 

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