Ok so you’ve selected your location, chosen what you’re wearing and you’re all dressed up and have landed up at the shoot.
Earlier posts in this series:
1. Portrait Photography 101: Part One – How to Pick a Location
2. Portrait Photography 101: Part Two – What to Wear
3. Portrait Photography 101: Part Three – Casual Make up for Photoshoots
In this post, I’ll be sharing tips on posture, and do’s and don’t during a shoot in order to get the best out of your session. The aim of doing a casual portrait photography session is to get gorgeous, effortless looking images – get the best angles, and the most beautiful smiles on camera. It’s particularly geared at shoots for individuals. While most of these tips apply even in group settings, but you’d have lesser control over your own posture as you’d also be interacting with others in the group. Separate post on that one!
My casual photography sessions are 90% of the time outdoors. That’s also where the best light is, so there’s no doubt that I’d always recommend you to opt for an outdoor photography session rather than an indoor (or worse – a studio session). I don’t ‘pose’ people the way in which studio photographers pose them. I don’t go and physically adjust someone’s chin, their elbows, the positioning of their arms till that person is so stiff that they lose that genuine smile and stress lines start appearing on their face.
I do, however, give some simple tips to make sure that the photos of my clients are taken from their best angle and are most flattering. While these tips can be person-specific and therefore each tip may not work for every person, by and large, I’ve put down the ones which are applicable to most people – especially women.
1. Turn inwards
Great so you’re in the middle of your casual shoot and you’re confused about how to position yourself. A good idea always – when in doubt, turn inwards, and turn head out. This is one of the most flattering angles for most women to be photographed at.
2. Be aware, not super-conscious
Casual portrait photography is all about creating gorgeous, effortless images. Every person has certain not-so-flattering features (yes, even movie stars and models do – except those are painstakingly photoshopped and airbrushed). Being aware helps in not accentuating those features. This does not mean trying to consciously avoid them – but rather just not letting that feature become more powerful than it should. For example, if you feel you have a large forehead (like me), then tilting your head down a little bit helps downplay that feature (years of practise, trust me!). Being aware will help you avoid those features from featuring predominantly in your photographs.
3. Smile with your eyes
Now this one is very important for your casual photoshoot! You say, but hey, smile is a feature of the lips. Yes, but when you smile genuinely, your eyes sparkle, there are happy lines around them and you exude warmth. That’s the kind of photograph we want to create – not the stiff, awkward looking ones in studios.
4. Listen to the Photographer
Your photographer has probably directed and shot several casual photography sessions and is likely to have a good idea about what works. They’ll be giving you some tips and directions during the shoot – they have handled many, many people – so trust them! That is key.
5. Wear something you are confident and comfortable in
The point of a casual photoshoot is to get photographs that you look amazing in, which you can use for a variety of purposes (eg. profile on company website, matrimonial, facebook, social media etc.). The focus here is YOU. Your clothes should not be overpowering you or making you conscious of your body. If you think you look fat in something, chances are you’re not going to be comfortable moving around in it during the shoot, or you’ll keep adjusting it at corners. Discomfort shows on your face. So please wear something comfortable (bonus if you wear something that you feel is flattering on you). Remember, the focus here is you and not your clothes.
6. Try variety in expression
In casual photography sessions for individuals, your expressions can tend to get a little repetitive as you tend to use only your practised, awesome smile. Yes, use that one for most of the shots, but do get a few in with a slightly different expression as well. Try a couple of candids – speak to your photographer beforehand to discuss the kind of shots you’d like. That’ll help them plan your session better.
7. Don’t look down at the ground too much
When you look at the ground too much, you end up creating artificial double chins. There.
8.Roll your shoulders back
Slouching shoulders create an illusion of added bulk at the torso, so roll your shoulders back for that slender profile.
Click here if you’d like to book a casual photography session with us.
