Whether you’re a hobbyist photographer, or a professional who specializes in portraiture – the secret for taking amazing portraits, is by helping your subjects to feel comfortable, and confident in front of the camera.

As the photographer, you naturally want to ensure that your photos, and subjects, look their absolute best. But how can you pull this off without micromanaging everything the client wears and does? Obviously, it’s important to find a balance between guiding the subjects, and nitpicking every detail of their wardrobe!

image by Oliver Symens

One secret for striking a healthy balance is to remember that your clients most likely know what they want – they just don’t know how to achieve it. As the photographer, you naturally have an eye for what looks good, and what doesn’t, and should help to guide them towards looking their absolute best.

If you’re prepping for a photoshoot – or looking for tips on photographing people – there are a few ways that you can help your subjects to feel comfortable, relaxed, and amazing.

Remember, how they feel will show through into the photos, so your main goal is keeping them comfortable and happy!

Communication

Communication is one of the most important elements to a successful photoshoot. Often though, this part is the most difficult; especially for photographers who are new to portrait photography, and who don’t have experience photographing strangers. The good news is that communication gets easier with practice, and after the first couple of shoots you will most likely find that you’re far less nervous, and much more prepared.

It’s important to start communicating before the camera comes out. Spend a good few minutes having a conversation with your clients, and getting to know each other before the photoshoot. This will help to break the ice and help you and your clients to feel more at ease during the shoot.

It’s also a good idea to ask some casual questions to flush out ideas, and find out what your clients’ expectations are and what they hope to capture in the shoot. Maybe it’s a special occasion that they are looking to commemorate, or maybe they’re celebrating a recent milestone. Other reasons could include professional family photos, professional portraits, modeling pictures, or maybe even just for fun! Whatever their reasons, discussing their ideas, and putting your ideas out there will help to keep everyone on the same page. It will help them know what to expect, and clarify in your mind, what – exactly – they hope to achieve in the shoot.

Along the lines of establishing expectations, it’s also worth discussing the feel of the photos. While some clients won’t have a preference, some have very clear standards on what they hope their photos will look like. Are your clients hoping for vintage-style photographs to commemorate a trip down memory lane? Bright, spunky summertime photos with lots of bright colors? Professional photos for their portfolio? Subdued tones and muted colors? Talk with your client and make sure you uncover what they are hoping for. This will help to prevent disappointment!

Communication will help to build trust between you and your client, and trust can go a long way towards helping everyone to feel relaxed – resulting in natural looking photographs. Don’t underestimate the power of communication!

What to Wear?

Oftentimes, what people think looks good on them, and what actually looks good are two entirely different things. Of course, no one wants to offend clients by insulting their choice of outfit, so make things easy for yourself. Before the shoot, give your client some basic advice to stick to things that fit well, colors that look best on them, and things that they are (relatively) comfortable in.

Also, it’s worth mentioning that shirts with slogans and splashy logos should be avoided.

• Matching Outfits

  If it’s a multiple person shoot, the temptation may be for everyone to match. But it’s important to remember that wearing colors and patterns that go well together, is not the same as wearing the exact same outfit. The key is coordinated –but not over the top matching.

• Comfort

  Your client’s outfit of choice (or choices) must be comfortable. While this doesn’t mean that your clients should choose sweatpants and t-shirts, it does mean that they should be confident and comfortable with their choice of clothes! If your client is uncomfortable with their clothing choices, or chooses something that is too tight or doesn’t fit well, the photographs will convey this feeling.

• Multiple Options

  It’s a good idea for clients to bring multiple outfits if possible. This will help them to get the most out of the photoshoot. Since it’s difficult to know what will photograph well, and what won’t having clients bring a few different options is always a safe bet. Different changes of clothing can also add an entirely new look to the photoshoot allowing you to change things up once you get going. It is recommended that you start out with something a little more calm and then spruce things up towards the end once your clients have had time to shake lose the nerves they may have. Also, try to keep hats off until towards the end of the photoshoot as hats can mess up hair.

Timing

When it comes to shooting portraits, especially with families with young children – timing, as you might have guessed, is everything. If you have a photoshoot with a family, or young children, consider timing the session to avoid mealtimes, nap times, or bed times. No one is at their best when they are hungry or tired, and kids especially will have a harder time pushing through the shoot if they’re tired. Many people make a day out of a photoshoot, opting to go out to dinner after the shoot – if this is the case, advise your clients to eat a healthy snack before coming (or pack a few snacks yourself!) to avoid the mid-shoot blues.

Appearance

Generally, your clients won’t ask for tips on posing before a shoot. But unless they are professional models, there’s a good chance that they will have absolutely no idea on how to pose for photoshoots!

This is where your skills as not just a photographer -but as a conceptual artist – will come into play. Your job is to help your clients to pose, and direct them where to stand – otherwise your portraits will simply consist of the typical photos: people standing in front of something smiling cheese-style. Do some research ahead of time to look at different poses, and take the time to print out down different poses that you want to try with your clients to bring along to the shoot.

To Conclude

Finally, remember that photoshoots should be fun for all! Be laid back and personable with your clients, get to know them and help them to feel as comfortable as possible. During the shoot, offer encouragement, show them (don’t tell them) which poses you want them to try, make lighthearted conversation, and most importantly, get them interacting with you and each other.

If they’re having fun, it will show through on their faces and translate into beautiful photos. If you can help them to relax and genuinely enjoy themselves, you will have it made!