the psychology of portrait photography
Today, I’d like to share a few tips for taking better portraits (as mentioned last Friday, the Monday videos are on hold for a bit). Looking back at the many entries on prophotolife, I was surprised to see that the psychology of making portraits hasn’t received it’s own post. This is a huge topic (a personal favorite) and one of the reasons that photography will never shake my interest.
There are many different kinds of portraits (business, formal, classic, casual, studio, outdoor) and they may involve varying technical considerations. Learning the technical aspects of portraiture is essential for professional quality, no doubt, but that’s only half of the equation. The other half deals with the psychology involved. This is, after all, an interaction between two people (photographer and subject). The better the subject feels about the portrait shoot, the better the results should be.
Consistently creating quality portraits requires an understanding of people, a natural curiosity and the ability to listen and observe. How do you develop this? One way is to shoot many, many portraits. Another way, one that helped me a great deal, was working in retail sales when I was younger. Yep, selling cameras over the counter helped me a lot in “qualifying customers”.
What do I mean by “qualifying customers”? In sales it means observing and asking questions so you can find out exactly what the customer is looking for (and then helping them to get it). This all sounds like professional sales mumbo-jumbo but, believe me, this applies to portraits, whether they’re for a paying customer or your own grandmother.
This is a real generalization but, to make a point, there’s a philosophy on portraits that I share with new photo assistants and interns straightaway. If given just ten minutes to photograph someone, I’d rather spend eight minutes talking to them and two minutes photographing them, rather than two minutes talking and eight minutes spent doing photography. Why? Because it allows time to observe thing like their physical attributes and physical and verbal messages.
It’s important to talk with the subject and look for obvious physical attributes that they may want to accentuate or hide. How are their hair, teeth/smile, chin, nose, skin? Are there qualities that they obviously want to show off or hide? This is the time to come up with a plan. If they are self-conscious about their teeth it’s not wise to continually ask for “big smiles” during the portrait session. If they have invested in a perfect smile I’m sure to compliment them on it, which leads to bigger, more sincere smiles.
This is really just common sense but I’ve seen photographers get so wrapped up in other things (like beautiful settings or technical details) that they sometimes overlook the obvious until reviewing images afterward. Slow yourself down a bit and take time to look and observe before you ever pick up the camera.
Does the subject seem self-conscious about acne or poor skin? Then I casually mention that they’ll be given a selection of images to choose from and then their picks are fully retouched to eliminate imperfections. It puts them at ease before they muster up the courage to ask. It eliminates a concern in the back of their mind and it helps them let go of it (again, before we ever pick up the camera).
Also, what are the most important things about this portrait to the subject? Why, to look great, I’m sure you’re saying. In the case of a business portrait they may be more concerned with getting done really quickly. I observe that, am sympathetic and move things along faster for them. They’re always thankful and remember me as a good photographer to work with.
In other cases, the subject may love the camera and want to feel like a superstar. That takes a very different kind of approach, where you’re called upon to keep the energy level up. I plan on giving them a little extra time so they get the full “experience” they’re looking for. It goes a long way.
The big thing, I think, is trying to put yourself in the shoes of the portrait subject. What do they like about themselves? What can we bring out that is beautiful that they may not see? Are there things we should downplay or minimize? What can we do to help them enjoy this experience?
Yes, there are specific tricks and tips for portraiture. In my opinion one of the biggest tricks isn’t really a trick at all…it’s a basic understanding of how people think and feel and how that relates to a portrait.
For further reading, Amazon has a helpful selection of books on all aspects of portrait photography
Hi,
nice post and very usefull indeed. But the problems work the other way around as well. I’m sure its mostly a lack in experience combined with my preference of working without humans in front of my lens, but when I do portraits I’m always afraid to ruin them. Therefore the subject would hate me for the images
Yet it never happened, but in portraits there is a lot of psychology involved, on both sides.
cu
Roman
I fully agree!
My teacher used to tell me: ‘portrait photography is 25% photography and 75% handling people’
cheers
yz
Great topic! I spent a lot of time “inside the heads” of people in my first career and that experience certainly helps in photography. People want portraits to be perfect whether they are in them or having there children & pets photographed.
If you can balance giving folks what they want / need with getting what you need (income to survive) I think things just work themselves out pretty much after that.
I’ve had people reluctant to get portraits made of their dogs because they have “tear tracks,” a scratch on their face, or stitches after knee surgery. Once I tell them I can take care of whatever the little problem is, they warm up to the idea.
While doing a church directory photo shoot, one older gentleman was concerned about a spot on his forehead where he had a biopsy. I told him I’d retouch it out and when he saw the final picture, he went on and on about how nice it looked without “that thing on my forehead.”
Best,
Jim
Jim,
Great post, and a topic I’ve been exploring at length myself lately. There are a lot more aspects to good portraiture than just camera technique. I think this is where it all comes together in terms of total control: you have control over the camera, the subject, the setting, the lighting, the pose, the composition, and what the image says in the end. There are few other genres (with the exception of commercial ads) where you have this level of control. But given that much control, it also means we have to master each one of these aspects in order to create consistent and great results. It’s a tall order, never to be totally perfected, never free of new challenges, and never boring.
BTW: Regarding books on Amazon, there’s a wide range on the subject, and having explored some recently, I find some good and many poor. Would be great if you wouldn’t mind sharing which you found helpful and worth buying. A great way to do is to create a Listmania of the books you like. You can add a comment to each of them in the list. And you can then still provide a link to the whole list with your associates tag (full disclosure: that’s my day job).
Jan
Thanks for this post. When I take pictures, mostly of family, I do try to get natural smiles and laughs out of them, but I never would have put much thought to it the way you have. After looking at your portraits and the portraits of others, portrait photography is appealing to me. I’d probably shoot for business portraits mostly.
Is there a single book that provides an overall summary of the psychology aspect of portrait photography to get one’s feet wet that you’d recommend?
Great post, thanks Jim. These are always so timely. In the last few weeks, to get some more experience in portraiture, I volunteered to do portraits for my daughters’ choir and the company I work for in my day job. Nothing like practice…
I find the psychology fascinating and quite a challenge. It’s really tough to read someone in such a short time, especially in my case with coworkers standing about. Who wants to go into self image in front of friends?
It seems like there’s two parts to it (probably more, but two that I see now). One is just figuring out what they’re concerned about and second, what you’re going to do about it. Crooked noses, eyes that aren’t exactly the same size, tummies, hips… I still need to figure all that out.
This is something I really love about photography, that there’s just so many layers. Every time I feel like I’m getting the hang of something I just need to look a little further. It really is fantastic to have sites like this to help us along, thanks.
I totally agree with 8 minutes talking and 2 minutes shooting philosophy. I’d rather get a sincere expression than a fake smile. Often times if a person doesn’t smile I let it go, because the smile that they do give me is not the real person. Also a lot a times I get the best frame at the very end, when the person thinks that the session is done, and they loosen up and just start chatting with you. Unfortunately too many times, especially doctors, just want to get in and get out.
Hey Jim,
nice post about the psychology involved. I must admit, that i haven’t shot so many portrait-sessions yet. But I also found the points you mentioned. Complimenting the person in front of you, creating a good mood, vibe with them and maybe some music in the background. Also being “the alpha-person” on the set and allowing them to relax helps tremendously
In general it’s good to know about the person in front of you. One book I can recommend is “The Art of SpeedReading People” by Paul D. Tieger & Barbara Barron-Tieger. It’s not photography-related, but I like it anyways
It’s about a system which helps you to identify key personality characteristics and how to use this to communicate more efficiently. A system a little like a quad-SWOT-analysis for personalities.
But most importantly you have to vibe with them and loosen them up
Best wishes from Hamburg,
Martin
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Thanks for the great post, this is all obvious — but only after I read it! The people side of taking portraits is certainly a very weak area for me and this give me good thoughts to get started with, but I know I have a long way to go on it.
I try to think of those areas were I am, or think I am, good with people (coz that’s not the general rule for me) — then what can I do to take what works in that situation and do it also while I am behind the camera?
Which then goes back to being 101% technically competent so that one doesn’t have to spend all your time fiddling with the camera but can talk to the people. I guess that goes for during shooting rather than before which you’re emphasizing.
On a tangent here but how do you stop people doing the “cheese smile”? Sometimes I get out the camera and it’s like they all go into facial rigor mortis with big artificial grins.
Any tricks for a “natural” smile — seems to be so fleeting.
I’m going to have to give the current crop of portrait books some scrutiny to see what’s really relevant to our conversations. There are two huge bookstores on the way home from the studio and this provides a great excuse to stop and explore! If anyone can recommend something I’m happy to run it in a post, too. “The Art of Speed Reading People” sounds really pertinent.
That’s interesting about the last frame working well for you, Mike. I also have a trick when I first start the shoot. Though everything is setup in advance, I say to the subject, “oh, I need to take a quick shot just to test my lighting”. They feel like it doesn’t count and they’re relaxed. So maybe I “check my lighting” for a few more frames.
Natural smiles are tough. I run people through a series of shots: serious, closed mouth smile, smile, big cheeky grin…just to see what they respond to. If there’s an opportunity to create a laugh then a natural smile might emerge for a second. It’s no guarantee but sometimes I have them turn their head away and then look at the camera and smile, or maybe close their eyes and open them and smile. It sounds silly but trying to break them out of their “smile routine” is sometimes worth it, as long as they’re willing to play along. I don’t know the definitive answer…it’s probably almost as unique as each and every subject.
Here’s one I’ll never understand: people who laugh readily when you meet them but don’t want to smile for the camera. Conversely, people who look dour in person but when they smile for the camera it just lights up the room. Photography is full of mystery, huh?
Jim,
If anyone can recommend something I’m happy to run it in a post, too.
Incidentally I wrote a post on my blog last Friday on my recent hunt on portrait photography books. But I’m always looking for more qualified recommendations, or validation on my picks.
book recommendations.
Cheers,
Jan
There is a lot of great material out there on working with people. Some of it goes pretty deep into psychobabble, while some more of it keeps things at a level that a non-psych major can grasp. Most of the best books for this type of thing are not portrait books at all, but a quick read lets one see the relevance quickly.
Dale Carnegie How to Win Friends and Influence People pops to mind immediately, as do How to Work a Room and Instant Rapport (but I can’t remember the names of the authors). I’ve got a whole bookcase full of this type of stuff. I’ll have to take a look to see what’s hiding in there.
Best,
jim
Jim,
I have definitely seen to many people be jovial before the shoot and in front of the camera they become stonefaced. I think a persons culture has to do a lot with that as well. I noticed that people from the Asia and the Middle East tend to be a lot more reserved in front of the camera, and sometime it can get pretty frustrating to get anything interesting out of them.
[...] some of his wisdom and experience into the discussion. Recently, he posted an article titled The Psychology of Portrait Photography, in which he discusses a lesser discussed aspect of portrait photography: The human aspects. A [...]
I had just been attempting headshots/portraits as of late.. So this article was very helpful. Thank you much – George
[...] zu verstehen, das andere. Viele Wertvolle Tipps zum Thema umgang mit Menschen beim Fotografieren erhältst Du bei prophotolife [...]
Jim,
I guess this is why I am attracted to portraiture more then landscape photography.
For me a personal favorite is photographing kids where it is almost impossible to take a picture is there is no trust and openness. Joking goofing around together and just talking a bit all helped me to get more comfortable and familiar with kids.
You have a really splendid series of portraits to illustrate this article. Your corporate portraits are really quite unique – as is the woman with the xray. Bravo!
The easiest way to get natural smiles with one person…
Tell them a joke (have a load of jokes ready!) or get them to “think of the vicar in his underwear”.
The easiest way to get natural smiles with two or more people…
Get set up and then say to them; “on my mark start tickling the person to your left/right… but stay looking at the camera … ready? 3-2-1 TICKLE!” It works for me every time. Especially good with kids.
Here’s an example….
http://www.flickr.com/photos/starfishphotos/2988273205/
Best wishes to all – great Website Jim.
One of the most famous portraitists of all time didn’t care if his subject smiled as long as emotion was displayed. It is said of his famous portrait of Winston Churchill (some claim it is the most reproduced portrait in history) that Mr. Karsch defiantly took Sir Winston’s cigar away from him then took the photo while Churchill was still reacting to the bold behavior. Apparently Karsch performed many such ‘violations’ of his subjects in order to get a phooto worthy reaction!
More about Yousuf Karsh:
http://peoplesrepulicofart.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/01/dont-say-cheese.html
thanks for mentioning his name
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