Here's this week's photo tip…
Lori Allen
Director, AWAI Travel Division
P.S. Next month we're voting for the Photo Challenge Grand Prize
Photo. If your shot wins the overall grand prize, you'll take home
$2,000 cash... just in time for holiday shopping season.
This week is your last chance to enter... and your chances of winning
will be higher if your photo follows the monthly theme. Find out more
about this month's theme, called "How We Work," at:
http://www.thephotographerslife.com .
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September 24, 2008
The Right Way to Travel, Weekly Photo Tip
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HOW TO BUILD A RAPPORT WITH YOUR MODEL
By Shelly Perry in Portland, OR.
I always tell people who want to break into people photography that
the best models are friends and family. I believe this is true if for
no other reason than friends and family want you to succeed as much as
you do... and they're usually willing to help you to that end.
There's another advantage to photographing people you know...
generally, they'll be more natural and at ease when working with you,
and that helps you produce better people shots.
I photograph people I know as often as possible. For example, just
this week, I'm headed out to Texas to meet the newest member of my
family... and you can bet I'll have my camera along to capture the
ever-growing story of our family and perhaps get a few stock-worthy
shots, as well.
While I'm at it, I'll set up a time to shoot with one of the models
from our Ultimate Photography Workshop in Austin last January. I've
shot with him twice now, and in doing so, have built a rapport and a
working relationship with him. I believe that the rapport I've built
comes through in my photos of him. (See two examples here:
http://tinyurl.com/peoplephotos .)
My point is that it's important to relate to your subject. When you
branch out beyond friends and family -- to models or even strangers on
the street -- it's important to establish a rapport with your
subjects.
Here are three ways to build a rapport with a stranger that you'd like
to photograph:
** Introduce yourself. Make eye contact and shake hands. Tell the
person who you are and what you're up to.
** Make conversation. Don't be afraid to open up and chat for a while.
Learn something about the person in front of you, and share something
about yourself. This will help your model open up and feel more
comfortable being photographed by you.
** Ask permission to take a photo. You don't want to make the person
smile at you and "say cheese," but you do want to make sure that he or
she feels as comfortable with you as possible. Then you'll be more
likely to get a natural shot... and a model release, too. Don't
forget that you can offer something in return. Say, in exchange for a
model release, you can trade e-mail addresses and agree to send your
model your best shots from the session.
Here's a photo from this month's Photo Challenge
(http://tinyurl.com/peoplephotos) that's a good example of a
successful photographer-model rapport. It looks like a candid shot,
and yet the "model" is looking right into the camera, she doesn't look
uncomfortable or nervous about it, and she's not smiling or trying to
"say cheese." She looks natural, which tells me the photographer did a
good job of building a rapport with her on-the-spot.
Remember: This is the last week for you to enter this month's Photo
Challenge and be in the running for the $2,000 grand prize!
If you haven't entered this month's challenge yet, be sure you do so
(following the theme "How We Work") before September 29. Only one
photo per person, per month.
[Ed. Note: Shelly's highest-selling stock photos are people shots...
and many of them are photos of her own family. It just goes to show
you don't have to go very far to find a stock photo opportunity. All
it takes is knowing how to get started, what kinds of photos sell
best, and where to sell them.
At The Ultimate Money-Making Photo Workshop in Austin last January,
Shelly and other professional photographers, editors, designers, and
industry professionals shared all the secrets to quickly breaking into
this market -- and getting paid to have a lot of fun.
You can hear all of their secrets and download their presentations in
just minutes now... Find out more here:
http://www.thephotographerslife.com/phr/letushelp .]
ENTER TO WIN!
This month's photo challenge theme is How We Work. If you have a
picture to submit, log on to our website and click on the Enter to Win
tab. (Note: First-time users need to register on the "register" link
on the right side bar first. Once you have a username and password,
click "Enter to Win" to upload your photo. Only one photo per
applicant will be considered. No purchase necessary to register.)
Photos are due by 8:00 a.m. EST, Monday, September 29, 2008.
[ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Shelly Perry from Portland, Oregon, specializes in
people photography, what she calls documentary or lifestyle portraits.
She is known especially for her imaging of children. Shelly's concern
for people is reflected both in her sense of purpose and the images
she produces. Her images have been seen all over the globe on music
CD covers, books, magazines, catalogues, web sites, ad campaigns and
even on TV. Her work has also appeared in several local exhibits and
gallery shows.]
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