Advice for natural facial expressions?

[vihao]

<p>I'm having trouble getting natural facial expressions from my

subjects. I want to be able to capture the subtle nuances that

separate a lively look from a blank stare. The girl from my last

shoot looks wooden in many of the shots and I feel that I didn't do

enough to prevent that from happening. My model and I are friends so

we'd joke around and talk some, but once I bring the viewfinder up to

my eye her face goes stone cold.

 

<p>How do you get normal, everyday non-model subjects to loosen up

and pumped up(pref. without alcohol)? Play music? Tell jokes? Have

them think of something happy/sad/romantic/etc. for different moods?

What has worked for you?

 

<p>Aside from general poses I don't want to direct too much because I

find that it reduces the subject to a souless prop in print. I don't

want yearbook pictures. I can't create facial expressions for my

subjects, so how do I get them to form their own?

 

<p><a href="http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=349429">My

PN portfolio</a>

[yance_marti]

I see what you mean. Maybe by engaging in conversation, you are distracting her. Try getting her to play act a role. Most of the shots seem like you are trying to go after a mood like solitude or whatever. Try to picture what you want beforehand and try to get her involved with projecting that feeling. It may take some practice on both your ends but just have fun and experiment.

 

The best models I have worked with are people that can role play or act. I don't direct them unless I see something that is close to what I like. Some girls had little experience and even though they were pretty couldn't pose or act. It was very difficult getting something without really forcing them.

[neal_shields]

You can always jerk the cigar out of her mouth. I.E. famous picture of Winston Churchill.

 

Actually it sounds like you need a tripod and a bulb release so she doesn't know when you are going to snap the picture.

[vihao]

<p>Thanks for the advice. I'm basically a snapshooter who just recently got into studio photography. "Say cheese" doesn't cut it anymore. To date I've only used strobe and hot light set ups in a handful of separate occasions and each time with a different person. My subjects are friends and relatives whose backgrounds are academic rather than modeling. They are more accustomed to sitting in a lab than sitting before a camera.

 

<p>Any more advice out there?

[kenneth darling soerensen]

I read an advice (here on PN I think) saying that having the model close his/her eyes and relax and then taking the picture when he/she opened the eyes would give good looking eyes and a natural expression. Haven't had a chance to try it yet, though...

[preston_merchant]

Another option is to use real models, or people who are more comfortable in front of the camera, like actors. There is an art to being a photography subject, and not everyone can hit it all the time. You might also shoot your usual subjects again, now that they are more familiar with the drill.

 

You say, "once I bring the viewfinder up to my eye her face goes stone cold." It sounds more like an issue with the model, not the photographer.

[grant_.]

perhaps not thinking of people as subjects would be a good start...

[think27]

In a word.. Feedback. When I'm shooting.. I am talking and joking with the girls... Film is cheap so I keep shooting while I'm talking..

Some of what I'm saying to them is how beautiful they look and how great they look through the lens... When I see an expression I like -- I get visibly excited and enthused (and it is actually genuine) and say - wow.. that's great - this is terrific - you're a natural! These are going to be sooo good.. Give me another look like that...Yes, Yes,,,, you got it.. Give me one of those coy looks you give your boyfriend/fiancee/husband or whatever... Just eyeball him - right in the lens.. pretend he's right in there.. And I laugh and let them know how much fun it all is..and how happy I am to be working with them. They transform with confidence and fun.

[vihao]

<p>Thank you all for your advice. Kenneth, I've read the eye closing technique somewhere before and I may give it a try. It could work well with the role playing Yance suggested or boyfriend/husband/etc. imagination Mary mentioned in terms of clearing the model's eyes and mental focusing.

 

<p>Preston, getting actual models is a good idea too, but I want to be able to work with non-models. Do you have suggestions on how to get models for TFP shoots? I live in the northern VA area so there are a few colleges around me. Is craigslist a good place to post an ad?

[jay_de_fehr]

I'd go along with Mary's suggestion that you shoot more film. Expression is fleeting and unpredictable, so you're going to get a lot of shots you can't use, but that's the price you pay for a natural expression sometimes. I use either a WLF on my RB67, or shoot LF, so bringing the viewfinder to my eye and tipping my hand isn't as much of an issue for me. I think I'd try shooting more and shooting faster so as not to give my subject (yes, subject)time to freeze up. Check out Austin Powers' technique!

[Spearhead]

I have a very simple recipe. I get people talking about themselves. I don't talk to them except to find things they care about. Then I let them go. You'd be amazed at how quickly people forget about the camera.

<p>

One thing I do not do is talk about photographing them. I divert all questions about me, the camera, anything having to do with shooting. If I need them to move because of light or background, I do it gently and don't mention that it has to do with photographing them.

<p>

Because of this, I don't shoot that much film (or do digital snaps), less than a lot of other people photographers. I sometimes spend five or ten minutes talking before I start shooting and then shoot very quickly. Occasionally, I stop after one shot if I know I got what I wanted.

<p>

Here's an example. Many people think I posed this photograph, but it was completely natural. I got him talking about his family, and he lives far away from them and rarely sees them, and this poignant expression just happened.<p>

<center>

<img src="http://www.spirer.com/images/is3.jpg"><br>

<i>West Side Story, Copyright 2002 Jeff Spirer</i>

</center>

[joe heiliger houston, tx]

Stop posing your models, and start shooting people as they are interacting... with friends, the environment, their lovers, etc...

 

If you want to capture them with their subtleties, capture them while experiencing and showing emotion.

 

Joe

[think27]

Respect... Nice Shot Jeff..

[vihao]

<p>HAHA... Austin Powers... I love that photo shoot scene with Rebecca Romijn-Stamos and Kristen Johnston. <i>"Now, burrow, burrow! You're a lemur!</i>

[ian_greant]

Vihao,

 

Most people anticipate the shutter and tense up. Like many photogs once I got out from behind the camera it made all the difference.

 

As for how to get them to loosen up? Talk. In your own way. It'll be hard at first but eventually you'll get your own style. You might be more like Spirer and get them talking.. or you might be more like me and be the entertainment.. "ok now.. I want you to think of fuzzy yellow ducks!!

 

Also don't be afraid to direct. A lot of people like some guidance on how to pose.

 

The attached photo is from a makeshift studio at a recent party. The lighting setup was brutal but it was a lot of fun!

 

Shoot lots, throw away the bad ones!

Ian<div></div>

[erb_duchenne]

Tensing up is a rather involuntary reflex and the worst thing to do would be to command them to relax. I agree with getting out from behind the camera. If there's a difference between talking to her and aiming at her, then you probably have to make her feel like you're still talking to her rather than aiming at her.

 

I usually compose the shot, pop my head out from behind the camera, still holding it in place best I can, and continue to chat. When she's comfortable, loosened up, in the midst of chat or has the right expression, just qsueeze that trigger.

 

You might also joke about it, hold the camera at arms length, maybe even shoot yourself once or twice. The key is to loosen the tenseness in whatever creative way you can.

 

My problem is that I'm the one getting tense and sweaty. So I have to talk to and get to know my models first. :P

[wickedmartini]

I think patience is the key. If you are patient and provide the right environment it will happen...

 

Check out Leanne Newton's web site. I think she has a knack of catching people in their natural states...

 

http://www.leanne-newton-photography.com

 

mdd

[twmeyer]

If your subjects (yes, "<i>subjects</i>" grant) are "more accustomed to sitting in a lab than sitting before a camera" maybe you could replicate some of that experience for them... hand them a book, a test tube, light a burner, stack up some (small) equipment or familiar tools on the table in front of them. Maybe just a pencil and a piece of paper would help. <p>I've also found that building a comfortable set helps a person to relax. A comfortable couch, pillows, a table to lean on, or put the feet up on... Make an environment that you feel comfortable in, before your people (the <i>subject</i> of the photograph) show up.<p>Here's my two favorite takes on the term "subject" from M-W.com "(2) : an individual whose reactions or responses are studied (3) : a dead body for anatomical study and dissection.".<p> Leanne's <i>subjects</i> are usually professional models.<p>I like Mary's advice "And I laugh and let them know how much fun it all is..and how happy I am to be working with them." Here's the "trick"... enjoy the experience yourself. Since there's no pressure to meet a deadline, or please a client, just get into it yourself, eventually you'll get comfortable with the process and that goes a long way toward getting your "subjects" to be comfortable... t<div></div>

[leanne_newton]

Thanks Michael ! Tom, I photograph people, and so not all of the pictures you see on my website are professional models, and even professional models need a photographer to bring them out.

I ask people to give me their full attention, and to concentrate. Keeping them in the present helps me to communicate using gestures and the sound of the shutter...shooting at unexpected moments, causing them to laugh at what I just caught them doing...that's fun for both of us.

I used to talk a lot, and now I say very little...before, after or during the shoot. I find that keeps us from getting bored with each other ;)

I also think you have to be prepared to shoot a lot of film, but you also need to learn to know when it's not working. Then it's best to take a break and talk about it.

Often people don't feel comfortable, because you are not sharing the responsibility with them. You need to make them feel involved, I think.

[leanne_newton]

Don't be afraid of tension in the air, it can be a good thing...and a little personal charisma does no harm either.

[charles_twiss1]

Use a tripod! Don't bring the camera to your face. Focus etc and look over the camera, talking. joking etc with your subject while you're hitting the shutter. Camera height is important and also your height in relation to the lens. Don't let the subject look "over" or too far to one side of the camera.

[vihao]

<p>I think I'll try the tripod and shutter release cable approach next time. Previously I went hand held so that I could move around more easily. With the tripod I should frame for wider shots and crop later right?

 

<p>Leanne, your photographs are simply amazing. They're so expressive and sincere. Absolutely inspirational. What do you communicate with the models to achieve this? Is your feedback focused more on the model's physical or mental/emotional state?

 

<p>Tom, that's a great photo. It shows a lot of personality.

 

<p>So far my shots have been fairly bland. You see the girl, but that's about it. My best pictures have always been the unexpected shot taken when the subject is distracted, but I don't realize it until after I see the prints.

 

<p>To date, I've shot less than two dozen rolls of film for non-snapshot photography, so I'm very new to all of this. I've found a lot of useful technical information on this site, but not much in terms of the human element.

 

<p>Thank you all for your input.

[leanne_newton]

Thanks Vilhao. What Grant said works for me.

[leanne_newton]

Sorry about misspelling your name on my last post, Vihao.

[vihao]

<p>No worries, Leanne. If I got upset everytime my name was misspelled or mispronouced I'd be one angry person. One high school friend called me 'Vee-hal' for an entire year without me noticing. My government teacher used 'Vee-ho' until on day another friend shouted out "It's 'Vee-how', not 'Vee-ho', 'Vee-how'!" after an attendence call.

 

<p>I'm laid back about a lot of things and I get along very well with people - women in particular - but once I get behind that camera I get clinical. I think the tripod/shutter-release cable combo will help out a lot, as will the other suggestion on how to engage the subject.