Are Your Portraits Boring?

The reason that so many portraits lack impact is that nothing seems to be happening. The person is just standing there, staring at your digital camera. Often they look bored. Sometimes they even look scared. The ’startled rabbit syndrome’ is often much in evidence. Rarely does the person actually look as if they’re having a good time.

So one of the key things you need to do is elicit some kind of expression. Your first thought might be to go for a smile, and your first inclination to ask the person to say ‘cheese’. But this really doesn’t work-what you’ll end up with will be a cheesy grin, so try instead just chatting to your sitter.

Ask them about their interests and what’s been going on in their lives. Share some gossip. Find out their news. As your rapport with them builds so they’ll fee! less self-conscious and start to feel more at ease. The aim is to elicit a variety of expressions that encompass the full range of human experience. As you talk you can start to notice the many fleeting micro-expressions that pass across their face.

Some of the best expressions are when people seem far away, having a daydream, lost in their thoughts. So get them thinking about something that’s important to them – a goal they have, a magical holiday they went on, and be ready to record their wistful, pensive expression.

For something more animated, get them to play up for the camera – suggest they do silly things, like screwing up their ejyes or pulling a silly face. If they really get into it they’ll only be able to do it for so long before they coliapse into a fit of giggles. Do that and you get a range of unusual expressions and a wonderful smile at the end. Ask them to act out different emotions: first miserable, then happy, then mysterious, then angry

Tagged with: Cheese • Cheesy Grin • Daydream • digital camera • Digital Photography • Emotions • Expressions • Human Experience • Portraits • Silly Face • Smile

Filed under: Photography Tips

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!

Possibly related posts