I'm looking for resources to help learn how to better photograph people

Aze · Oct 5, 2012

Or succinctly, I want to shoot peeps better.

Anyway, I'm really enjoying shooting people but I suck at it. Living in FL you can only take so many pictures of palm trees and beaches. So people are great. Are there any must have books, sites, blogs I should check out regarding posing, lighting, any portraiture tips?

note: "how to shoot people better" is a loaded Google search string and I'm not comfortable with suspicious black vans.

ronlane · Oct 5, 2012

Try Photographing people better. Probably safe and no black vans (I think they drive the grey scale ones).

2WheelPhoto · Oct 5, 2012

Aze said:
Or succinctly, I want to shoot peeps better.

Anyway, I'm really enjoying shooting people but I suck at it. Living in FL you can only take so many pictures of palm trees and beaches. So people are great. Are there any must have books, sites, blogs I should check out regarding posing, lighting, any portraiture tips?

note: "how to shoot people better" is a loaded Google search string and I'm not comfortable with suspicious black vans.

I'm attending this USF certification program. In regards to people, studio lighting and studio lighting advanced classes have helped me tremendously. And Photography i not my career.

Continuing Education > Professional and Workforce Development > Photography

Derrel · Oct 5, 2012

Stop thinking,and saying, that you "suck at it" for starters. Then, get off the computer and go down to the local library and get a book or two on photographing people. I can guarantee you that the librarians have actually picked out at least THREE books on how to do people photography of various types...librarians spend their careers selecting and buying books for people...people like you who are "not yet as good as they would like to eventually be" at various things...for people who suck at things...there is the Tampa Bay Bridge.

Light Guru · Oct 5, 2012

Try using this to shoot people.

http://paradoxoff.com/gun-camera.html

molested_cow · Oct 5, 2012

That's why I left Florida for good.

You need to travel. Travel to places where there are actually real "street scenes". Even small towns with "downtown" streets are good. You want to be in places where the people are authentic, not some tourist towns like every Floridan town where everything you shoot is either fake or cost money to shoot.

Alligators look like any other alligators after the first time.

2WheelPhoto · Oct 5, 2012

Derrel said:
Stop thinking,and saying, that you "suck at it" for starters. Then, get off the computer and go down to the local library and get a book or two on photographing people. I can guarantee you that the librarians have actually picked out at least THREE books on how to do people photography of various types...librarians spend their careers selecting and buying books for people...people like you who are "not yet as good as they would like to eventually be" at various things...for people who suck at things...there is the Tampa Bay Bridge.

No one sux bad enough to jump off our skyway bridge, but unfortunately people do on a regular basis. A lot of times FL highway patrolmen take their breaks parked up there to help prevent it.

I would throw my camera off before I jumped

Big Mike · Oct 5, 2012

Like you said, 'shooting people better' is a loaded topic. Maybe narrow down your area of focus (pun intended).

For example, good portraits come from good lighting. So if you learn how to use/control/create good lighting, that will help you shoot better portraits.
Having you subject be comfortable in front of you camera is very important. Practice you people skills.
Posing is a subtle art. Learn how to pose people to look their best...learn to watch for things that don't look good in a photo and correct them before taking the photo.

Derrel · Oct 5, 2012

You'd let a poor, innocent Nikon drown before you?? That is awful!

Big Mike · Oct 5, 2012

Derrel said:
You'd let a poor, innocent Nikon drown before you?? That is awful!

I would think that a Nikon would float....what with all that hot air coming out from behind them.

tirediron · Oct 5, 2012

Big Mike said:
Derrel said:

You'd let a poor, innocent Nikon drown before you?? That is awful!

Click to expand...

I would think that a Nikon would float....what with all that hot air coming out from behind them.

Someone best be glad that he's on the OTHER side of the Rocky Mountains!

tirediron · Oct 5, 2012

OP: It's simple. Two things: Learn and practice. Read, then do. Head over to YouTube; there a literally thousands of vides on this very topic (try the word 'portrait' in your search strings vice 'people') and then set up an account on Model Mayhem, and start practicing!