The best photographic portraits show off their subjects’ personalities. Getting this right can be tricky and will take the knowledge and practice of posing and giving clear direction. Learning how to direct your clients will help them shine through their photographs and should be one of the goals for your photography business.
4 Tips for Better Direction
Whether you’re photographing a high school senior or an entire family, knowing how to pose your clients is crucial. The best poses consider photographic composition, body lines, natural movement, and flattering angles. Even shy subjects can show their true selves with clear direction and the right poses. Creating a timeless portrait where your clients look amazing and relaxed will leave clients gushing about you. It’s an excellent example of how to promote your photography business without spending money on advertising.
1. Communicate Effectively
Your portrait subject or subjects will most likely feel anxious at the start of your session. Clear and considerate communication throughout the process is crucial. As you're the one looking through the viewfinder, it is important to be able to make or ask for adjustments as you see fit.
Ensure you start with consent for adjustments. At the start of the session, say something like, “I’m all set to start. You look amazing! As I take some pictures, do you mind if I adjust your hair, jewelry, or clothing if necessary?” 99% of the time, clients will agree.
If you sense any trepidation, grab a mirror so they can make the tweaks themselves. Whichever method they choose, this short conversation will help ease anxiety by communicating what could come up and setting the session's tone.
Remember, with adjustments or directions, specificity is key. "Move your arm" will create confusion. "Move your right arm six inches to the left and place it on top of your right thigh" is much more helpful. If you'd like your client to smile, telling them to smile might get you a stiff, fake expression, while making a joke or telling a funny story can bring it out naturally.
2. Keep Things Light and Loose
Portrait sessions should be friendly, fun interactions. Building a good connection with your subject or the family you photograph will bring out the best in them. Helping your clients relax and open up leads to better photographs.
When directing your clients into specific poses, it is always important to check in and ensure they feel comfortable. Just because a pose works well for some people doesn't mean everyone will feel confident. Keeping your subjects comfortable will help build trust and allow them to relax during the portrait session.
Keeping the body loose is crucial for creating natural portraits. To help your clients not tighten or stiffen up, try to keep the light and casual conversation flowing. Ask them questions about their lives, what they have planned for the rest of the day, if they have anything coming up that they're excited about, etc.
3. Praise, Don’t Criticize
Keeping things positive is the best way to bring out natural confidence in your subjects. A little praise goes a long way. Everyone loves a compliment, and hyping up your clients during a portrait session will bring more smiles and make your job a whole lot easier.
Sometimes, a pose may not be the most flattering for a specific client. There’s no need to say anything about this if you notice it through your lens. Instead, stay calm and gently guide them into a new pose or position.
At the end of the session, throw out compliments and high fives all around and share with your clients how excited you are for them to see the results. Excitement is contagious, and when your clients leave feeling great, they’re more likely to talk you up to their friends and family. Word-of-mouth advertising is one of the easiest and most effective methods for getting photography clients.
4. Practice Mirroring
Sometimes, the easiest way to direct your clients into positions and poses is through mirroring. If your subject feels anxious or uncomfortable, it may be because they don’t know what to do. Show them with your own body language what you’d like them to mirror back to you.
Mirroring allows your subjects to relax, removes the pressure they may feel about what to do with their hands or body, and allows them to tap into and understand the movement you’d like to achieve. Allowing your subjects to see you making more subtle, harder-to-describe gestures will make it much easier for them to repeat.
If you work with an assistant, use them to mirror poses with you for couples or family groups to follow. If you photograph children, you can make mirroring into a fun game that is guaranteed to bring on more smiles.
Being able to give easy-to-follow posing directions may not be something you consider right away when starting a photography business. Still, it is a necessary skill for every portrait photographer to learn. Directing a photography session is a little like being a movie director.
Key Takeaways
In order to bring out the personality in your subjects and allow them to shine, it’s crucial to practice clear communication, make your clients feel comfortable and relaxed, keep up the compliments and never criticize, and learn how to mirror the gestures and movements you’d like your clients to repeat back for you.
