7 Easy Tips for Amazing People Photography
-
Loading... - louis hannah
- 17 Aug 2022
- 68 Views
- 0 Like
- 0 Comment
People photography can be hard. Posing, keeping the subject relaxed, choosing the right settings – it’s enough to make anyone’s brain hurt! Fortunately, I’m a veteran portrait shooter, and in this article, I share my absolute best tips for how to photograph people like a pro.
Below, you’ll discover:
· How to pick the perfect camera settings
· An easy way to jumpstart your compositions
· How to get people photos that look genuine
· Much more!
Ready to level up your people photography skills? Then let’s do this!
1. Be realistic
If you’re just starting out photographing people, don’t expect too much of yourself or over-promise your abilities.
As long as you’re knowledgeable about camera settings, lighting, composition/posing, and editing, you’ll get some good images, and your clients will likely be pleased. But don’t claim that you’ll be able to produce dozens of high-quality shots; if you do, you risk frustrating your clients instead.
And if you have absolutely zero practice photographing in a certain situation, tell your client. If you’ve been asked to shoot a wedding, for instance, explain your lack of experience – just in case things go sideways. If you’re doing a family session but you’ve never worked with young kids, be honest.
If your client is a good fit, they’ll understand and will be forgiving of any mishaps during the session. (On the other hand, if your client isn’t pleased, perhaps they’d be better off with someone more experienced!)
2. Simplify everything
When you’re just starting out with people photography, you may be tempted to use sophisticated poses, add lots of props, go crazy with lighting patterns, and so on. It’s what the pros do, right?
But here’s the truth:
You can produce stunning shots of people without making things overly complex. And if you add in too much complexity, you risk losing control over the session, which is never a good thing.
So do yourself a favor and keep things simple. Look for flat, one-color backgrounds that’ll make your subject stand out. Memorize a handful of basic poses (and carry pictures for reference on your phone as a backup). Shoot with natural light during the golden hours. And test out a handful of settings beforehand so you know exactly what to do in the heat of the moment. (For specific settings recommendations, see my next tip!)
Also, make sure you position your subjects in front of simple scenes. Avoid horizon lines that run through your subjects’ heads, avoid street signs sprouting out of bodies, and avoid eye-catching splashes of color that’ll only serve to distract the viewer.
