Photographing People- A Guide to Connecting With Your Models

If someone would have told me in my high school photo class that I would be photographing people, I would have laughed…and hard. I can remember when I first began learning how to develop film and take photos in photo class back in high school. My only photographic interest was to capture scenic images.  Mainly because, back then, I was shy and I really didn’t want to be hassled with dealing with people and trying to pose them. Well, some twenty-five years later, I think my mind was changed somewhere along the way; I find photographing people to not only be interesting, but rewarding.

I’m fascinated by people and their stories. It’s this fascination that draws me to them. I believe, in order to truly capture the true essence of a person, you need to like people. You really need to be able to connect with your subject; to draw out their personality and make them feel at ease in front of the camera.

In this featured article, I lay out some rather, basic, yet very important principles in dealing with people and using these skills to master photography with them.

Connecting with people.

You have to truly connect with people, as a photographer, if you expect to capture their personalities. I have met photographers who do not enjoy working with people, yet they continue to photograph them. My take on this is that if you don’t like dealing with people, then you are sure to have a difficult time connecting with them and your photos of them will prove it.

The first step in connecting with your subject is to show a genuine like in them; they need to feel important.

Some ways I connect with people are to take an interest in them. I ask them what they do for a living, their personal interests, hobbies, goals and dreams. When I talk to them, I learn more about the person I’m photographing and this allows them to express themselves and let their personalities come to life.

Talking to my models helps take their mind and focus off of me and relaxes them so that they don’t feel pressured to “pose” for the shot, but rather express themselves naturally.

Building trust and rapport

The quickest way to get your model to relax and ready for photos is to build trust and rapport. In all actuality, trust is the foundation of rapport. Talking to you your subject, connecting with them, talking them through the photo shoot with praise and positive talk, such as “you’re looking good”, or “great pose” helps build trust between you the photographer and your model.

Building rapport with the subject is quite easy too, but you must first develop trust with them. Again, connecting and finding some commonality between you and them helps build rapport and in turn trust. I try to find things in common with my models, talk them about the common interests and then as we chat, I’m clicking away. Once the session is over, they are often surprised as to how smoothly and quickly the photo shoot went. The result is some very nice, relaxed images that bring out their personalities.

Anticipating human behavior

Have you ever wondered how photographer capture those spontaneous moments when people are caught laughing, expressing odd expressions, or reacting to an event? While luck may play a very small part, the majority of it comes from anticipating human behavior. If you are a people person, truly like them, are able to connect with your models, then anticipating their behavior will come naturally. You have to be observant and almost a student of human behavior to begin to anticipate their emotions. The photo to the left of the two ladies was captured because a conversation was taking place between the two ladies and a third one (of camera) when the third lady made a comment that prompted the other two to break out in laughter. After listening to the conversation, I anticipated such a reaction and trained my camera on the two laughing ladies until they reacted to what was said with laughter.

Had I not anticipated their behavior, I would have missed this photo opportunity all together. That’s why it’s important to connect with people, observe their behavior, and capture them.

Dealing with difficult people

As a photographer, you’re going to have your share of difficult people you will deal with. From the bride who wants everything perfect, to a mom complaining that she’s too fat during a family portrait session, to a man who doesn’t want to have his photo taken during an engagement shoot. If you haven’t already encountered it, chances are, you will. Here are some tips in dealing with difficult people during a photo shoot.

• Simply remind them, calmly though, that taking photos is a creative process and that you need to have their full cooperation or you can not guarantee that the photos will turn out as good as they should. I recall a time when a gentleman was down and out right rude toward me and his fiancé during an engagement shoot. I stopped him, politely, and explained to him that I would not be able to photograph his wedding or continue on with the engagement shoot if he continues with his rant. I told him that I would gladly refund his retainer and he can find another photographer that was better suited to deal with more harsh individuals. I think he got the picture since he clammed up rather quickly and I did not encounter any further problems from him.
• When I get a very demanding individual, often a bride, I do remind them that as much as they are interviewing me to be their photographer, I am doing the same to assess if they would be a good fit for me as well. Most of the time, this stops any issues or demanding behavior. For those that are not deterred by it, I simply excuse myself and tell them that I will refer them to a a few photographers that would best serve their needs. Sometimes, it’s better to take the loss, because you’re probably not going to make the person happy in the long run.
• There are some people who refuse to be photographed. Why they hire you to begin with is beyond me, but there’s alwyas someone in a crowed. Your best approach in dealing with them is to gain their trust through rapport very quickly, engage them in conversation as you capture them.
  Others may not be so easy to work with, For them, I would recommend using a zoom lens, like a 200mm, and just hide in the crowed and capture them as they mingle. You would find this scenario typically at a wedding or event function. People hiring you for a portrait session often want their photos taken.
  

  ©Alyn Stafford. Unpredictable Children

• When dealing with children, your best approach is to work around their schedule. It’s almost a hit an miss with kids. Therefore, you should engage them in activity, let them play as you stay at a distance and photograph them. Using a zoom lens in this situation works best. Some children like their photo’s taken while others will shy away from the camera. Forcing a child to have their photo taken can be a recipe for disaster. However, it can also make a very interesting photo as the on to the right where this young girl refused to take a photo and I captured her protesting. I would say, I prefer this photo over a posed one; her personality was very evident here.

The bottom line is that if you have any intention on being successful as a people photographer, you will need to truly like people as well as connect with them. Engaging your models in conversation, getting to know them will help build rapport and trust with your models. And in turn, it will yield some great, natural photos that bring out the personalities of your subjects.

2 Responses to “Photographing People- A Guide to Connecting With Your Models”

1. Jocuri Smith says:

   October 8, 2010 at 6:52 am

   “I’d like to say that you always offer valid information and I have been an fascinated reader of your site for quite some time. I wanted to say thank you really for all the good work you do!”

   Reply
   • Alyn says:

     November 15, 2010 at 10:44 pm

     Hey, You’re welcome Jocuri! And thanks for stopping by to read the blog posting on photographing people.

     Reply