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| Bottom two photos by Ellie. Other photos by me. |
I wish I had more good photos of my friends and family. But it's hard to photograph people, right? Most of the time, they don't want you to take photos of them... they protest or get all uncomfortable and awkward. They flash that fake smile or turn away. I know -- because I'm one of the worst culprits at all the above tactics. And even if I have a willing and natural acting model -- I'm just lacking skills, I suppose. Many of my photos end up out of focus, with weird lighting or shadows, from an unflattering angle, etc...
This is definitely something I want to work on and improve. Any tips? I'm all ears.
9 comments:
I've always thought that candid photos are the best way to capture the people you love. Then you don't have to worry about awkward poses or fake smiles. I try to shoot people at eye level or from slightly above -- shooting up is never attractive! But your photos look great!
yay! :)
none of your pictures look bad, eva. especially the ones that you take of people. i think you have a pretty discerning eye, and you are also really good at putting up shots (online) that make the person look good too. i think we should be getting tips from you.
PJ - Those are good tips and reminders. Thanks!
Ellie - You're a natural photographer... Think you'll be able to take a class at the Y?
Amanda - Ah, you're too nice. I do have a lot of room for improvement, though. I see gorgeous images online all the time that I would love to emulate. But it's true that I try to be considerate and not post photos of anyone that I think they wouldn't like (although sometimes it's hard to tell which photos people will or won't like of themselves) simply because I know how it feels to be embarrassed by photos of yourself on the internet! But I do have a lot of room for improvement. I look at photos online all the time and and want to emulate all the gorgeous images I see out there.
I always shoot them at eye level make sure natural light is shining on their face. I NEVER use a flash and always point my focus at the eye (sometimes the tip of the nose works well)
In family situations, I just shoot a zillion photos and I always get a lucky couple that are natural.
your pics are great, btw!
Jennifer - Good points. I especially think that I just need to shoot a lot more... for practice, but also to make sure that I get a couple of good natural ones like you said.
I have the same problem-I feel like my portrait shots are not up to par. I am taking notes of the tips you are getting in hopes that they will help me too!
oh i've been working so hard on this these past couple of years. and because i use film or polaroid i've found that you it can be a little more awkward, because you only get one shot, and that shot is usually loud :) what i like to do is just wait. i'll just wait and wait, and since most people are used to me with a camera in my face, they'll just go back to being normal and unaffected, and then i might wait a little more and then SNAP. it's usually always worth the wait.
Claire - You take such beautiful photos of people. I love your tip about just being patient and waiting for the right moment. So simple...but hard to do!
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