Portrait photography tip: Give compliments
Thursday 10 February 2022, 17:17 by Elja Trum | 3,643 views | 1 commentThis article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.
It is difficult to stand in front of the camera. The person in front of your camera can quickly start to feel insecure. You can see that in the photos, so you want to prevent it. A good way to help someone feel confident is by giving compliments.
That does not mean you should overdo it, of course, but it helps a lot if you regularly let them know that things are going well and that they look good in the photos.
When you look at the display on your camera to decide whether your photo has worked, do not make any negative comments. Not even if that is because you are not yet happy with your exposure.
We photographers have a tendency to focus too much on exposure, the background, the pose and things like that. You sometimes forget that what you say can also be taken the wrong way. So always keep communicating with your model.
Preferably, say something positive, such as 'nice' or 'very good'. Then simply adjust your light and take a new photo. Especially with the first photos, it is reassuring for the model to know that they are doing well.
Really happy with a photo? Make sure you show it to the model as well.
About the author
Elja Trum is the founder of Photofacts and online photography course website Photofacts Academy. He has been writing about photography since 2006. Elja is also the author of (Dutch) books on composition, black-and-white photography, flash photography and portrait photography.
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1 comment
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Donald Willemsen
wrote on Tuesday 15 February 2022 at 11:06
| reply
To me, it is self-evident to compliment the model. That is part of it if you want to have a good relationship with your model, which will result in good photos. Just out of respect for the model.
Translated from Dutch.
We are not used to giving compliments. You notice that in employment relationships too. Who regularly gets a compliment from their boss for their work?
Apparently, tearing someone or something down or stomping it into the ground is much easier.
I am a big supporter of a positive approach, because that almost always produces a satisfying result. Let's be honest, as photographers, we also like getting compliments for our photos, don't we?
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Would you like to take better photos and keep up with what is happening in photography? Photofacts publishes articles that teach you something about photography — from a product announcement to a practical shooting tip or a look at a website. Photofacts covers photography every day and is a hobby project of Elja Trum's that got out of hand. The articles are written by a team of volunteer authors. If you would enjoy writing one or more articles for Photofacts, do get in touch.More about PhotofactsPhotofacts is made possible in part by
