Gaining energy into you people pictures

Lytro Illum Light Field Digital

07/20/2006 04:28:44 AM · #1

I met a fellow photographer named Marco, an Italian. His day job is as a top children's heart surgeon. His passion for photographing people takes him all over the world, seeking out that special face, interesting enough to be captured on film/file.

During this brief encounter in my brother's hairdressing salon Marco asked me if I would visit his photographic society to discuss the possibility of me giving a talk about my fashion photography.

I said to Marco, "Whatever will I talk about?" Well, he said, there is something very magical in the expressions of your models and in the atmosphere of your pictures that I would love to have in mine, He asked me how do you achieve this. I said, "No, I can't, because I don't know myself."

You have to find out he said because this is what you should talk about. We spent the next couple of hours discussing photography and the feelings and techniques of managing your subjects whilst shooting.

During my visit to his camera club, we arranged for my talk to be done nearly 9 months later, so I had time to think about my talk and to get myself prepared.

For days, I looked at my work and examined myself whilst shooting my assignments. It was maybe 6 months later whilst photographing a bridal-wear collection for one of my clients that something clicked. I had decided that I would like to start shooting with wider lenses to change the style of my bridal-wear pictures. I shoot for so many bridal-wear designers, so I have to make them look and feel different to the each other. It also helps to use a short zoom, because during most of my shoots, I can take a variety of images from full length to portrait shots from the same distance, so my client gets much more usage out of the shots.

While moving in closer to my model, I noticed a big difference in the expressions in her face and her body language - they changed, as I got closer. I experimented more and began to play with this for the rest of this shoot. Not only could I see better, it also created a much better flow of the energy and communication between my model and myself.

For years, I have been shooting fashion pictures using medium-length telephotos, at times so far away that my models could not hear me directing them. An amazing thing had happened. I could see and control so much more in my pictures. Not to say that I will never use long lenses, just that I prefer the new results that I am getting with wide lenses. In fact, most of my recent projects I have shot with a wide zoom.

I find that by doing the poses and expressions in my face that I want, my models seem to mirror mine. If I act daft, they act daft. If I laugh, they laugh. If I pull a sad face, they pull a sad face - which always makes them smile :-)

Since this experiment, I have been adapting my directions to my models in much the same way, obviously changing my energy levels to match the levels I want in my pictures. If I want a nice soft and gentle feel, I express this in my voice and my manor and my body. If I want high energy, I do high energy. If I want my model to leap, I will leap.

Think about this as if you were a conductor. The next time you attend a concert, watch him or her, and watch the orchestra. They mirror him - fast tempo, slow tempo, and medium tempo. You can do the same with your models. Fashion pictures for me have RHYTHM and TEMPO.

If you want to express high energy or tempo in a picture, the shoot has to be high energy or tempo, or visa- versa. I look at pictures and sometimes wonder how boring the shoot must have been. I love to change the tempo up and down whilst I'm shooting, I would hate it if anyone viewing my pictures did not feel this energy.

This is why I strive to make my shoots exciting for myself, my model, the other members of my team, and, most important, for my clients. As a photographer, you are the conductor, your models are your orchestra, and your clients or viewers of the pictures are the audience. So you have to direct and entertain. Your performance will reflect in your pictures.

Try a little experiment. The next time you have people over to your house or you get a moment with some people at work, pick a volunteer. Face each other, one or two feet apart, don't speak, and don't look at each other. In fact, do your best to imagine they are not there. Stay like this for 30 seconds and remember how this feels. Stay in this position but hold each other's hands, look into each other's eyes, smile at each other, don't speak. Instead of imagining they are not there, do the opposite. Try and send them all of your good energy. Stay like this for 30 seconds. Remember how this feels, and compare the feelings. Ask your friend or colleague and the others to explain how it felt for them.
The next time you are shooting pictures, remember all of these feelings.

yakatme

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED

07/20/2006 06:45:35 AM · #2

Thanks for taking the time to write this long post and for providing these tips. I've been asked by a friend to be the photographer at his cousin's wedding.

I expected to use a wide angle for a few shots, but imagined that I would mostly be in the distance with a telephoto getting candid shots.

Thanks to your post, I'll be using the wide angle lens a lot more to control, and get the expressions that will make for much better pictures and wedding album.

rjkstesch

Nikon D700

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

07/20/2006 08:34:56 AM · #3

Bruce,

Thanks for the insight. I like knowing intellectually and not just intuitively what makes a shoot work. It allows me to be able to consciously go after that effect time after time. It also allows me to think of ways to enhance the energy and effect.

Becky

Prof_Fate

07/20/2006 08:46:33 AM · #4

I have been told that the photogs expression is reflected by the model, and your post will help me to 'act out' a bit more - i thought it wold feel weird to do so, but to think of myself as a 'conductor' will do the trick i think.

I'll know tonight - I have a couple coming over for engagement pics.

pcody

Canon PowerShot G6

Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8

07/20/2006 09:32:12 AM · #5

Thanks for posting.
Your pictures are beautiful.
edit spelling 2x. keyboard seems to be missing letters

Message edited by author 2006-07-20 09:33:22.

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6

07/20/2006 10:36:57 AM · #6

Hi Guys

Thanks for spending the time reading my article. I love to exchange ideas thoughts tips etc.

I also like it when I teach the feed back and satisfaction is incredible.

Happy shooting every one.

Bon Lumier

:-)

acrotide

Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT

07/20/2006 10:40:10 AM · #7

Great stuff, Bruce. This is the kind of thing you could never learn in a photography course. Makes me think more about the process as opposed to just the result. Thanks for sharing :)

07/20/2006 12:10:57 PM · #8

Your welcome

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6

07/20/2006 12:23:01 PM · #9

It would be good to hear other photographers method/techniques that they use to get the best out of their models/subjects.

Philos

Canon EOS-30D

07/20/2006 06:33:55 PM · #10

Good tips Bruce.
you keep on posting, and I keep on reading.
Thanks for the (long) post.

Sunniee

Canon EOS-40D

07/20/2006 06:56:41 PM · #11

Great info Bruce! Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience!

wavelength

Nikon D300

Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D

07/20/2006 07:05:48 PM · #12

This is kind of an odd way of looking at things, and something that may take some practice for me. I usually have never even considered what my actual expression is vs. what I see on someone else, and that will be top of my mind when shooting people, whether it be simple family photographs, or models/clients. Very, very interesting read, thanks Bruce. Lovely work on your site too.

07/26/2006 12:12:04 PM · #13

I look at so many other photographers work, 2 things are apparent DOMINANT INPUT or NO IMPUT.

I believe in putting some thing of myself in every shot that I take. I want to instill emotion, the feeling of movement, energy life and all of these as naturaly as I can, almost always my images are faked life but of real life. Hard to explain. I dont want my images to look like I have diminated my model or had no imput to how they behave move look etc on the shots. I hate POSE it stinks of boring.

Is there any one else that feels the same about shooting.

Message edited by ClubJuggle - Commercial advertising.

08/02/2006 03:10:25 AM · #14

If there are any USA photographers interested, there is a Photo Summit in Seattle mid september.

I will be there.

//www.betterphoto.com/summit.asp

08/09/2006 06:00:42 AM · #15

Has a`ny one else got any stories to tell explaining how they put energy into their shots.

Bruce

Fisher Price Kid-Tough Digital

08/13/2006 07:51:50 PM · #16

Guess not.

LalliSig

08/13/2006 08:20:00 PM · #17

Excellent post Bruce, I hadnÂ´t really thought of it before you put it down in this post but I have been doing exactly what you say in my shoots, subconciously, at some level and I didnÂ´t really realize it till just now when I read this.

When shooting weddings, I go to super exctatic cheerful dorky mode to get people to lighten up and smile and when shooting serious expressions, I am serious and somber, when I want quiet reflection, I am silent as the grave and wait for the right moment, right look and so forth. Excellent tips, IÂ´ll take them to heart.

Message edited by author 2006-08-13 20:20:57.

08/14/2006 07:39:02 PM · #18

Hey Larus

Thats great to hear.

Do you find it works for you. I guess so.

Bruce

Coley

Nikon D810

Fisher Price Kid-Tough Digital

08/14/2006 08:04:14 PM · #19

Excellent post Bruce enjoyed reading. I don't often use my wide angle for portrait work but your ideas have got me thinking. I like the idea of closeness with the models.
Thanks again

Coley

LalliSig

08/14/2006 08:16:38 PM · #20

Originally posted by BruceSmith:

Hey Larus

Thats great to hear.

Do you find it works for you. I guess so.

Bruce

Oh most definately! I was very aware of this today, I was shooting photos for a local fitness center, I was shooting in the middle of an aerobics class to get high energy shots and I was directing them the whole time. I acted like an aerobics instructor the whole time, was very high energy, moving all the time, hyperactive and the whole time yelling at them but at the same time smiling and being upbeat. Was going "Only five more pushups and then we do 15 situps, slowly this time so I can get the moment!!!"

Worked like a charm :P

Olympus 50mm f/1.8 MF Normal Zuiko

09/24/2006 11:34:07 AM · #21

Thats sounds like a ball of fun. Would be cool to see the pictures.

Any one else tried this when shooting. If not you should makes for excelant images.

Bruce

//www.brucesmithphotographer.com/workshops/index.php

emorgan49

Olympus E-5

09/24/2006 11:44:46 AM · #22

Not so amny responses to this thread, but look at all the views! 831 people ( or some combination of dublicates) have read this and presumably thought about it.

Bear_Music

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

09/24/2006 12:07:14 PM · #23

These shots here are actually an example of exactly the same thing. I was flat on my back on the dance floor here and nothing was happening until I started exhorting people and acting strange, waving my free arm and so forth, then they started reacting and I got these gleeful expressions:

Robt.

Nusbaum

Fujifilm X-T1

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM

09/24/2006 12:49:32 PM · #24

Bruce, I have been looking at a couple of your workshops online and was very surprised and pleased to find your profle and post here on DPC.

You post was very well timed for me as I was struggling to assess why some of my photo sessions have gone well and created what I think are fairly interesting images while others have resulted in boring images that never really capture the viewer's interest. In my more successful images I had creative models that could take the concept for the project and translate it into poses and expression. With less experienced models my results are much weaker, which clearly fits into you problem statement of NO INPUT. I guess the challenge now is to find the right balance of input and the creativity to support it.

Thanks for the post!