Some one asked if I could extend the One-Day Private Photography Lesson Sale, which started on Sunday, November 2, at 3:00 p.m. and was scheduled to end on Monday, November 3, at 3:00 p.m.—It’s extended, but it’ll be done by midnight tonight.
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I’ve been working with a photographer for a while now—private lessons, lots of practice, and a lot of real-world experiments.
He has a home studio, and recently, he wanted to make portraits of his guests at two Halloween parties he was throwing at his home.
Before the first party, I went to his location to help him set up the best lighting and studio conditions possible, ensuring the work went smoothly.
After reviewing the photos from the first party, he felt the portraits looked boxed in—too stiff and too tight, all because of the studio conditions we created to keep things consistent.
It’s that visual consistency from picture to picture that gives us, as viewers and photographers, the sense that the work is visually redundant.
We can also say it has a “boxed” or “cookie-cutter”
approach to production, so, of course, it looks that way.
But, in the type of work that was being done, there’s no getting around that; however, the difficulty is more complex than that.
The difficulty with portraits is we’ve all been trained to be directed, and on top of that, we wanna look good in the picture-it’s that whole “Say cheese!” approach to portraiture.
It’s the direction from the photographer and the desire of the people being photographed to look good that kills the portrait.
Why?
Because of our direction and the subject's awareness of the camera, we stop allowing the subject, and the subject stops themselves, from being who they are; the subject reinforces this by their desire to look their best in the portrait.
Of course, that’s understandable, but I think people look their best when they’re themselves, and they look themselves when they're relaxed, and the only time that happens is when they forget for a brief moment that they’re being photographed.
For the second party, I suggested that he encourage his guests to interact with each other, because doing this would help them forget about the photographer.
The idea was simple: when people forget about the camera, they relax enough and reveal themselves through their body language.
The series of portraits made during the next party seemed more spontaneous and less “boxed”.
Even though a portrait is always a kind of box, the only way to break out of it is to make a photograph of people when they’re relaxed
enough, because they forget about the photographer.
For a brief, unguarded moment, they are who they are, and that’s when we’ve gotta make the picture.
I was taught that it’s one thing to make a photograph that shows what someone looks like; it’s another thing to make a photograph that shows what someone is like.
If we want portraits that express the uniqueness of each person, we’ve gotta get our subjects to forget about us—even for a moment.
But we’ve gotta be ready in terms of our camera operation, composition, and lighting to photograph that unguarded moment when it
happens.
That’s why it’s so important that we understand photography and know how to operate our cameras effectively, efficiently, and with intent.
Helping you make thoughtful, skillful photographs—whether portraits or anything else—is what I’m here to help you do.
The Photography Basics/Introduction to Photography class, will help you be a better photographer.
But if the group schedules don’t work for you,
you can schedule
private photography lessons for a more personalized approach.
Or join my Online Learning Platform; you’ll have a bunch of photography lessons at your disposal anytime and anywhere you
want.
However you choose to learn with me, I’ll help you be a better photographer-study and practice photography with me.
If you’ve got questions or want to talk about the best way for you to learn photography with me, don’t hesitate to reach out.
There’s more ways to study and practice with me
below.
