There are very few rules to photography. The few rules there are can be
regularly broken resulting in good images. What I have attempted to give you
here is some quick tips to hopefully help you to improve your image taking.
1. Make it Personal
The image to the right here shows a little girl in what
is to her a very natural environment. Her
grandfather breeds and races pigeons and since she
could walk she has helped him in the daily jobs of
cleaning and feeding them etc. I always look to try
and capture images that tell stories and capture a little
bit of the true spirit of the person being photographed
making it so much more personal.
2. Have Fun
False smiles are hideous and
should be banned. Asking
someone to smile or say cheese
is a last resort. If you want
natural smiles and laughs you
need to create things for people to
smile or laugh about. The image
on the left is a great example how natural fun images can look. Personally I
much prefer something like this to a posed straightforward Victorian styled
portrait.
3. Always be Ready
The image to the right here
is one of my all time
favourites. I had been
photographing a family on
the beach during a portrait
shoot. The little girl
decided she wanted to
climb onto the pier.
Luckily I had my camera
out and managed to
capture a few frames as
she crawled along. Had I
attempted to set this image up there are a million things that would have got in
the way. As luck had it everything went right.
4. Get in close
Don't be afraid to get in close and
clip the tip of peoples heads out of
the frame. Very often it helps the
image, giving it a more dramatic
approach.
If your camera doesn't have a
zoom facility then move closer
physically.
5. Take Photographs Outside
You will get far far better images
of young children if you allow them
to play. As long as you pick a
safe area you can let them run
loose and do as they wish leaving
you free to concentrate on
capturing some magical moments.
In my portrait business I take 98%
of my images outside. I know this
works as I continually receive
more and more referral business
from happy clients.
6. Catch people unawares
The image on the left was part of a
portrait session I recently shot in
London. The girl had large ties to the
market and wanted some atmospheric
images. However her partner wasn't
keen to be photographed in public. I
solved the problem by using a long lens
and caught this totally natural image as
they were walking around the market.
7. Change the angle you are shooting from
The image on the right was taking lying
down in the sand on a beach. I always
have a change of clothes with me when I
am on a shoot because I always end up
covered in mud. Don't be afraid to lay on
the ground. You will be rewarded by the
images you take.
8. Capture natural reactions
Encourage people to react normally as they
would every day. One of the joys of my job is
taking images of new mums and their babies.
I know if I ask mum to get in close to the baby 9
times out of ten I will get a totally natural
reaction as the baby and mother react to each
other. All that is needed is for me to them
judge the right time and capture the image.
I find if you ask people to get closer than they
would normally do it will cause them to laugh.
However this is not the case with teenagers as
they tend to hate each other so other methods
are often needed.
9. Consider your background very carefully
The background is as important as the
subject you are photographing. Ensure it is
pleasing to the eye without distracting away
from the image. Some colours are worth
avoiding. Red for example will trigger the
eye to look at it immediately and drag
attention away from the main subject.
People far cleverer than me have attempted
to explain why (something to do with it being
nature's danger colour). The best thing to do
when lining up your photograph is to avoid
red altogether.
10. Practise
You can read a million books and visit every website on the planet but I
believe there is no substitute to actually doing something and learning by
experience. I personally run training days for people who like yourself just
want to have a go at a new style of image making. The people who attend
have various skill levels but as I place the emphasis on being as low tech as
possible they are of use for everybody from the amateur through to the
seasoned professional. If you think this may be of interest to you the details
of the next training day are available from my website,
http://www.martinwilmottphotography.com. Also available from my site there
is a far more in-depth downloadable portrait course totally free.
11. Be different
Try and do something out of the ordinary. Use your imagination to create
images that stand out. If everyone else does a top ten do a top eleven, it will
bring more interest guaranteed because it is out of the ordinary.
I hope you have found these notes of interest and some use in your
photography. If you have a passion for people photography like me I'm sure
you'd enjoy the free online course I have written which is available from my
website.
I wish you luck on your future image making and hope we can talk at some
stage in the future.
Have Fun
Martin W.
Lifestyle Portraits & Weddings
www.martinwilmottphotography.com
info@martinwilmottphotography.com
+44 (0)1376 567995
