Portrait Questions!

[JonathanBlu]

I've been practicing taking portrait shots, using my girlfriend as a test subject and one of the biggest problems I'm having is directing her on how she should pose, where she should be, etc... Any advice on communicating with models would be greatly appreciated!

Here's what I think is the best picture from the last set I took, in fact probably the only halfway decent picture...

Also, are the any books or websites you would recommend that could tell me a little more about portrait photography?

 

[mblanton]

Before I answer let me say hi, and it's cool meeting someone from Buffalo (I was born there, and my parents lived there for 13 years).

Ok, if your going to be using your girlfriend as your subject the first thing you need to do is relax her...put on some of her favorite music and catch her in a playful mood. Body movements are straight forward: head left, head right, chin up, chin down, big smile, closed lips, etc. Emotions are harder to capture unless there happening in real time. Play off her strengths....her hair, eyes, lips, etc. Don't try to over complicate things in the beginning. Take her outside, focus on her eyes, and throw the apeture wide open...you'll be amazed at what will happen.

You can certainly google portrait photography and find more information than you can read in a day.

Good luck and hope to see more of your work in the future.

Mike