It still often puzzles and amazes me that what I do for a job is take pictures of people. And after taking probably hundreds of thousands of photos of people getting married, people in love, new parents, old friends, mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers, best friends, new friends, strangers in crowds, models, actors, performers, artists and my own beloved family in over fifteen years of living and working as a photographer, I think I have finally learned a few simple things about what makes a good picture that are worth sharing:
1. Care about your subject: yes, you can. You may not have the same rapport with each and every one of your subjects, but the best photographs, like the best meals, are made with love in your heart. You need to have a genuine, unaffected, real care of the person or people you are photographing. This is not to say you need to know them very well (I often meet and shoot my clients on the same day, sometimes within minutes of our first encounter). But you need to put yourself into their minds, try to feel what they are feeling with you there sticking a camera in their face, try to empathize with how they may feel insecure about how they look and accommodate them. Help them. Guide them to their best showing. They will appreciate you for your thoughtfulness and leadership. And you will have a better photograph as a result.
2. Pay attention to details: this is true for anyone trying to master a craft. Assuming you know how your camera works, and have a familiarity with the technical aspects of what you are doing, your mental energy should be focused on details in the shot your subjects are not necessarily aware of. This includes the obvious, like backdrop and setting, but also the little details like a stray button undone, or a misplaced lock of hair. If you have the luxury of time during your shoot, pause before pressing the button and scan the scene for details you may have missed. Of course you can do all kinds of repair work in Photoshop, but I think you take better photos and are a better photographer if you actually try to get it right in real life instead of relying on software skills.
3. See the beauty in others: let’s face it, not everyone is a supermodel. Even supermodels aren’t always supermodels (see this post) and even Cindy Crawford has famously said she wishes she looked like Cindy Crawford. I believe that everyone has inner beauty that can be revealed through an insightful and thoughtful portrait. It may sound like a cliché, and perhaps it even is, but it doesn’t matter. Look for and find what makes the person you are photographing beautiful. If you can’t see it, you can’t show it.
Thank you to all my readers and clients this past year and all the best for 2014.
