My Fear of People Photography

[Sabaki]

look into this: https://www.flickr.com/groups/100strangers/

For him, it was less about photography and more about getting out of his shell. It can be whatever it needs to be for you.

This is the crux of the matter right now, getting out of my shell! Really enjoyed your reply, thank you

The senior photographer was very conscientious and technically-minded. He took great care to set up the lights and took portraits that emphasized the light and modeling of the face.

Being less experienced, I was more concerned with just making sure the exposure was in the right neighborhood and the person looked decent. So, I usually just set up a single umbrella and shot away, all the while talking to the person to find out their backstory and put them at ease.

Invariably, the subjects loved the pictures I took. His, not so much. I figured out that while he was technically a better photographer he treated the subjects as little more than objects and never established any rapport with them. People liked my photographs because they had a good time while I was taking them. They didn't care about the technical details and even if the pictures were less than perfect, it didn't matter because they were predisposed to like them, since they liked me.

This is absolutely gold! I'm going to focus on this quite a bit and although I want to do well with the settings etc, I want to be a photographer who can translate a mood in my images.

Much of what photographers fear with portraiture is what you've expressed... The "f'ing" up. When you approach people on the street the first thing you encounter is fear of rejection. Then you become less sensitized to that and start to worry about f'ing up the tech details (focus, DOF, composition, checking the settings, etc...) Both of these aspects are usually overcome relatively easily with practice. The next big hurdle is evaluating the environment you have to work with, where the light is coming from, backgrounds, etc...

All of these aspects become second thoughts though, you become proficient and soon your working at a higher level. This is where I find stranger photography to be indispensable... you'll find that the best portraits you get are when you and your subject are completely comfortable. You don't think about the camera or the settings or the lens. With practice comes ease and confidence, and this is where your subjects will appreciate you as a seasoned photographer. You can talk with your subjects, really talk... laugh... offer posing suggestions and get your subject to let their guard down a bit... show you who they really are.

Stranger photography does all this and if you can succeed in talking a complete stranger into a 2-3 minute portrait session on the street your skills as a portrait photographer will soar. As for royally f'ing up... it's going to happen. So what, they are strangers. Thank them for their time, shake hands and part ways. I give out my business card if they ask but no pressure. The big question is can you recover, learn and move on to the next one. When your shooting strangers that could be minutes away or next week... it's up to you.

This speaks directly to me and directly to the crap that passes through my mind when I think about doing people photography.
I'm going to throw my 24-70 onto my 6D, leave all my other kit at home and venture out to places with loads of people and just try my hand taking their images.

I think this may be the start of something

People ask me the best way to photograph people. I say make it fun for them with good appropriate humour, skilled, genuinely interested (in them) conversation, and to look for the glow and shoot that. Shoot the magic moments that could go on and on or be here-and-gone in a heartbeat. I once shot a CEO level executive who had a long-held consideration that she was un-photogenic. We were flowing along nicely and she was relaxed and enjoying the process. She wept when I showed her the shots which communicated her professionalism, credibility and the human spirit. She went on to tell me that on her wedding day 25 years ago, the photographer was irritated with her and kept saying he was going to be hard-pressed to get a decent shot of her. What a mongrel photographer! So in its subtle way, a successful shoot can be life changing for your subject.

A local photographer once told me that the best people photographers have the ability to make Mother Theresa feel comfortable while being naked in front of a lens.

You guys are really incredible! I really appreciate all the knowledge you've sent my way. A million thank yous everyone

 

[pj1974]

This is a great thread... some real valuable gems of information and experience. I can particularly recommend what unfocused and pw have written / shared.

My experience is different in part, and similar in other parts. I do quite a lot of event photography, though that's not my 'preferred' genre (my passion is in nature: landscape, macro and wildlife).

Won't add much more than to endorse the importance of positive interactions with people. I do and have done a lot of children and camp photography - and where possible, make a point of allowing the children / people at camps or other events / occasions) - to get to know me / be more familiar with me, before I even bring my camera out.

Capturing the 'individual' is so important (much more so than getting a 100% technically perfect photo at the expense of a stressed subject!)

Regards

Paul

 

[Sabaki]

This is a great thread... some real valuable gems of information and experience. I can particularly recommend what unfocused and pw have written / shared.

My experience is different in part, and similar in other parts. I do quite a lot of event photography, though that's not my 'preferred' genre (my passion is in nature: landscape, macro and wildlife).

Won't add much more than to endorse the importance of positive interactions with people. I do and have done a lot of children and camp photography - and where possible, make a point of allowing the children / people at camps or other events / occasions) - to get to know me / be more familiar with me, before I even bring my camera out.

Capturing the 'individual' is so important (much more so than getting a 100% technically perfect photo at the expense of a stressed subject!)

Regards

Paul

Thanks for the feedback Paul

How do you find shooting kids as opposed to adults and pro models versus non pros? Do you alter your approach and expectationsat all?

P.S. I'm also a 'Paul' from 1974, second name John! Nice to meet ya ;D

 

[drmikeinpdx]

Lots of wisdom in this thread! I'm struggling to find something to contribute.... OK, here's some portrait advice that some will disagree with.

Sharpness is not required for most portrait photography. It's fine for portraits of weather-beaten street people, but most subjects (especially paying clients) don't want to look like that.

You don't need the sharpest L lens or a high-megapixel body. You need people skills and lighting skills.

The best equipment is that with which you are familiar enough to get consistent results without having to devote most of your attention to the camera.

 

[distant.star]

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You may not like this, but the only thing in this thread worth a damn is what unfocused had to say.

Portrait work is about connecting with people. If you can do that, you can do portraits. If you don't like people or aren't interested in them, give it up before you even try.

Peter Hurley is one of the best guys in the business. He knows it's all about psychology (at least once you've gotten the photographic technical aspects mastered). You're not taking a picture of a face, you're taking a picture of the person inside that head -- the heart and soul of that person. As the photographer, the guy running the camera, you have to make that heart and soul visible -- it's there, but it has to be coaxed out because people are never, ever comfortable in front of the camera!

Spend 40 minutes with this video. Hurley has a lot of training videos, but this interview gets him at his most honest and most insightful...

https://youtu.be/_uW_s0DgoJc

 

[pwp]

.
You may not like this, but the only thing in this thread worth a damn is what unfocused had to say....

Really!? I'm sure everyone will be super quick to agree with you. ???

-pw

 

[unfocused]

.
You may not like this, but the only thing in this thread worth a damn is what unfocused had to say....

Really!? I'm sure everyone will be super quick to agree with you. ???

-pw

I know someone who might agree with that. (Actually, I think I'll copy that quote and insert it into a bunch of other threads.)

 

[RobertG.]

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...
Portrait work is about connecting with people. ....

The first sentence of your post is pretty offensive. It speaks of your ignorance. Hopefully you are not wasting time reading any post here... The rest of what you said is what others had said before.

All of the 2nd page of this thread speaks about psychology. How to connect to the people. How to convince them. How to act in front of them. Portrait photography is a service and an experience. It's not about a technical perfect photo but about taking photos of people showing their emotions and their personality. It's not about taking photos of a face or face + body. The person should not smile into "the camera". They should not smile for "the photographer". They should smile for you and with you. You just happen to have a camera in hand. Make a connection, provoke the right emotions and share the same emotions, if necessary. You want to capture confidence and professionalism? Provoke these feelings during your conversation. And while doing so, snap some photos. Of course you need to know the technical aspects, so that you can fully focus on the person.

 

[Besisika]

.
You may not like this, but the only thing in this thread worth a damn is what unfocused had to say.

Portrait work is about connecting with people. If you can do that, you can do portraits. If you don't like people or aren't interested in them, give it up before you even try.

Peter Hurley is one of the best guys in the business. He knows it's all about psychology (at least once you've gotten the photographic technical aspects mastered). You're not taking a picture of a face, you're taking a picture of the person inside that head -- the heart and soul of that person. As the photographer, the guy running the camera, you have to make that heart and soul visible -- it's there, but it has to be coaxed out because people are never, ever comfortable in front of the camera!

Spend 40 minutes with this video. Hurley has a lot of training videos, but this interview gets him at his most honest and most insightful...

https://youtu.be/_uW_s0DgoJc

Indeed, I don't like it. And you might actually insulted some portrait photographers with that.
Let me see if I can express myself in a term that you could understand.

Someone said once, the worst enemy of great is good.
Indeed, Hurley is a great photographer. Sad thing is that you used his great name to defend yours.
Not sure if that is fair with respect to him, as clearly you are not him.
What he is saying is that expression is what separates the man (like himself) from the boys (like myself).

Many photographers are satisfied in achieving a "perfection" according to his standard on one aspect of photography and use that as his "signature". These are "good" photographers.
Some, will try, or die trying, to achieve perfection on all aspects of photography. These are the masters.

Photography is most and foremost about lighting. Everything else is secondary.
Lighting is the foundation of portrait, no exception. Not sure if you paid attention but Hurley's lighting is actually quite advanced and "expensive".
Without good lighting, your good expression is nothing. By telling that light doesn't matter you insult all people who spent years studying things like open shade, natural reflection, golden hour, etc..
In movie making they have to hire one important guy (if not the most important) that they call a DP whose job mainly is about lighting and camera. The expression is up to the actors and the director. Why would they spend that money if the DP is not important? Remember, movie is a set of 24 frames of stills per second.
You want to do portrait, master your lighting first. Then work on composition, depth and dimension, staging if needed, posing and then expression.
Please don't run if don't even know yet how to stand up.

You said that "Portrait work is about connecting with people". That is totally wrong.
Portrait is about bringing the best of your subject. If the subject is shy and closed, why would you misrepresent his story by telling the whole planet that is opened? If he is a sad person, why would you make him a happy one? If you expand your vision a little bit then you would have known that portrait is not always a single photos, it could be a part of a photo story (like wedding), could be environmental, and of course could be a part of a movie.
What you represent on your portrait should represent the truthfulness of the story you are saying starting from lighting all the way to expression, otherwise it would be disconnected from reality and would create a lack of continuity in your story.

Someone posted a photo earlier. That is a good photo, not a great photo. At least in my eyes. Lighting is just horrible. Expression is great though, she was happy with you.

 

[Pookie]

Someone posted a photo earlier. That is a good photo, not a great photo. At least in my eyes. Lighting is just horrible. Expression is great though, she was happy with you.

That's why I call these types of images gifts... It's something your subject gives you when your working with a comfortable person. It doesn't have to be a smile either. It is a great moment of time to capture though and a really huge part of the equation.

What I find odd about distant's comments is the lack of context in his observations of this thread. Prob did not read the thread and just bombed with a crappy comment. Had he actually read other's and the OP's comments he would see he was making the same point everyone else has.

It isn't about the light, or the composition, or the interest of the subject, or personal interaction, or etc... It's about all of that and then some luck or serendipity. That's why anyone can take a good portrait with a little practice. Not everyone can take a great portrait. It really takes work to make it all come together all at once. I've been taking portraits for more than I care to admit and although I feel I do well, I am my worst critic. The point I'm trying to make is this... Portraiture is an easy undertaking that you'll always have to work if you want better than average (for you or your subject).

Part of this that no one here has mentioned but is indispensable... research. When you really delve into what makes the greats great you find every single photographer struggles with these very topics. How to improve, insecurities, perfectionism... regrets. Pick your favorites and read what they have said. I like Friedlander, Frank, Erwitt, Lebowitz, Heisler, this list could go on and on. My personal favorite though is Avedon. Neurotic, ego-maniac, brilliant master. Watch Richard Avedon: Darkness and Light and you'll see a brief glimpse into a portrait photographers inner mind and his stellar work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1f3egvLwVE

 

[Sabaki]

Firstly, a big thank you to everyone who took the time to impart their wisdom on me as it encouraged me to go out and shoot people!

I went with a group of fellow enthusiasts who came along with camera gear, a makeup box and some props and we took some pics for about 2 hours.

Most of my experience this morning was putting the theory I spent hours researching into practice. Balancing ambient and flash, interacting with the model, composition etc

I made plenty of mistakes, only came away with maybe 4 decent images but it was very much about taking that first, giant leap towards comfort shooting people!

P.S. I now need to go out and purchase a few pieces of kit, namely a light stand and eventually a large aperture prime.

P.P.S. An interesting learn was that utilizing the flip down diffuser on my 600 RT-EX actually fixes the zoom to 14mm! Took me an hour and a half to figure that out ;D

Anyways, for those who offered me advise and those in a similar frame of mind as me, I thought I'd give you guys some progress

 

[kaihp]

Firstly, a big thank you to everyone who took the time to impart their wisdom on me as it encouraged me to go out and shoot people!
...
Anyways, for those who offered me advise and those in a similar frame of mind as me, I thought I'd give you guys some progress

Good to hear your feedback Sabaki!
Learning is improving.

 

[vlad]

Some great advice here already, I just wanted to add one thing that helped me in building rapport. In fact, when I was practicing with my now-wife, she pointed this out.

As you're getting started, especially when throwing in new variables like strobes, it's likely you will get a lot of "misses". Whatever you do, resist the urge to cringe, mutter, or otherwise display your frustration during the shoot. This is a recipe for disaster, as your subjects will begin to feel more self-conscious, believing that they are at least partially responsible for the "bad" shots.

Even if your flash is misfiring every time, you tweaked your settings so much you forgot what you were trying to do, and you're losing the light - don't lose face. Continue with positive reinforcement, try to capture the emotion even if the shot isn't coming out the way you want, and if things are really dire, just say you want to try something different and switch it up.

 

[slclick]

How about NOT doing people? I'm in the very same boat as OP. Happy with macro, landscape, all sorts of technical imaging. Plenty of published images, incl. temp and permanent museum exhibits. But people? No thanks, I find it creepy. I also don't like to be photographed.

Unless there's a reason, I would not bother. Play to your strengths. There are so many ways of challenging yourself, but retain the fun in the activity: z-stacking, focus trapping, HDR, stitching, astro, LF, etc.

It also saves me some cash, as I otherwise would have to get the Otus 85

Play to your strengths is excellent advice. I might add, go out on a few limbs to test the waters and see if they are right for you, never hurts and you might find a new niche, if not, you still have what you have. Digital over film makes trying new things very easy at least financially.