7 tips for portrait directing in shoots
Portrait Directing Workshop in Helsinki 23.2.2018 - Memorable points for photographers.
I participated at the end of February inFIMAGE's organized Portrait Directing workshop by Marja Salo & Joonas Josefsson in Helsinki.
The workshop covered through discussion and practical exercises topics such as presence, director/photographer expression, making contact, building trust, and directing the subject – all important skills for a photographer.
If and when the course is organized again, I warmly recommend participating if the topic interests you.
Seven points from the workshop stuck with me regarding the shooting situation, preparing for it, and communicating with the subject, which I thought I'd highlight here. Some may be obvious, but important nonetheless and good to keep in mind.
- If you're in a hurry and for some reason stressed, don't bring it up, as it easily locks up the situation. Always through the positive.
- Remember to compliment the subject enough! The subject doesn't know how they look on the camera display.
- Narrate and verbalize the image goal and tell it to the subject.
- Give the subject thoughts for their head. Changes the expression.
- Give the subject direction and motivation. For example, don't just say walk, but say go look out the window.
- Don't say NO to the subject. Rather something like, what if we tried it this way instead.
- Give the subject something to do.