We talked about how I could make people feel more comfortable while photographing them. “You should ask people questions”, she said. When photographing people while they speak, you get all kinds of funny expressions. If you ask they about something they can’t answer right away, you get thoughtful faces. Asking them about life and love, expressions range from sorrow to sheer delight. It’s easier to capture a piece of their soul. It’s soooooo much better than just asking people to smile.
Con’grats! Thanks for capturing my wife in this sacred moment. Wise as always!
You’re welcome, love! She is a joy!
Making people comfortable while taking their picture – tough one. I sometimes use a cheap trick: Fuzz about people, make them feel special. Approach your subject, and ask permission to touch them, fuzz with their hair, going; “yes thats nice, lovely, hmm hmm beautiful” – without really doing or rearranging anything – just fuzzing about them. That gets them going – Hmm this might not be so bad after all. And when you turn your back to them and grab your camera, the next time to look at them through the viewfinder it’s sometimes like a different person walked on the set :-)
Yeah, it’s really tough! Those are good advice! Thank you! I just generally suck at naturally approaching people like that, so it’s something that I need to practice. Anyhow, I also thought I’d try to find my own angle on how to approach people to create a real connection. To create trust. To make them feel safe and relaxed. To make them feel good about themselves. For me it’s super tricky and I need more time and practice to get it right. Actually, I’d love to follow someone professional for a day, just to see how they interact with their subjects :-).