Bobby's Tips for Shooting People

• Find a subject that feels comfortable having you watch and photograph them – and someone you feel comfortable spending a lot of time shooting.

• Spend a lot of time with the subject to get them used to having you around, so that they will stop being consciousof the camera, and start to act natural in front of the camera. Also so you can start to determine the moments and message that you want to photograph and communicate about the person.
  

As you start shooting:

• Start shooting right away – maybe just for 5 or ten minutes, to loosen yourself up, and to get your subject to loosen up in front of the camera. These will probably not be keepers, but they may help you later to establish direction.
  

• Be sure to shoot some overall shots – stepping back and showing the subject as a small part of larger environment. Shoot him/her through doorway, or from outside looking in through window, etc. – to establish the place where you are shooting.
  

• Pay careful attention to the light. Try to find good light, coming from a side direction, rather than overhead (this is not always possible). Move yourself around to find the best angle for light – this will often be light coming from the side – sometimes even shooting towards the light creates more drama and sense of form/shape/mood. You can ask your subject to move too. Pay attention to color of light and brightness/darkness of the image. Color & brightness/darkness of light creates a sense of mood. You can set up lights and move lights around to get good light.
  

• Pay careful attention the framing, background, and perspective. Move around your subject, look at the background. Try zooming in and out to see what that does to the perspective, and the focus of background. Do you want distortion of wide angle? Do you want flatness of telephoto? Be sure your frame is tight. Try rotating the frame to vertical. Be sure there is nothing distracting or unessential in the background. Avoid busy frames with a lot of clashing colors, patterns, and values of light and darkness.
  

• Try shooting through things, under things, from behind things. Often photos that are framed by elements of the environment can give much stronger visual and contextual appeal.
  

• Pay careful attention for the moment. Be ready and shoot a lot. Try to capture essential moments that capture emotion and personality. Shoot a lot of pictures. Remember, just because the moment has emotion doesn’t mean your photo captures the emotion. Try to plan your photographing when actions are going on.
  

• Get them to interact with someone else or do something. Actions and activities are much more interesting to shoot than someone simply sitting, reading, watching TV or talking. Shoot the people they interact with too.
  

• Get close your subject (physically and emotionally). Robert Capa once said, “if your pictures aren’t good enough,you aren’t getting close enough.”
  

• Shoot lots of details. This will likely get your subject to loosen up and talk and offer more things to photograph. Start with details of their life: things that are important to them. This may be journals, tools, framed photos, diplomas, keepsakes, toys, clothes, furniture, etc. Then start shooting details of things that they are holding, using, wearing – showing these object in detail being held, worn, touched, etc. by the subject. Then move into shooting very tight details of their features: eyes, mouth, hands, clothes, hair, feet, body parts, etc – as much as you dare to shoot. You can make an entire essay of just chronicling their body! While you shoot details remember to pay attention to light, framing, perspective & background.
  

• Talk to your subject. Interacting with them & communicating with them might get them to loosen up and show more emotions. Ask them serious questions about their life. Listen. Be empathetic. Try listening without shooting to show them you care and understand. Eventually you can try shooting while their talking to you or someone else about their life (ask them if they are comfortable, tell them you are still listening) so that you can capture emotions they feel while they talk.
  

• Try to provoke a photograph (this can be really difficult!) Tell them what you want them to do while you shoot some shots. Pose some pictures to get posed portraits. Have them act out or pose particular ideas you have that express personality and things you have discovered about them. Notice props – maybe suggest props and actions. Tell them to interact with someone else, give them specific actions. But try to get them to do them naturally. You might also joke with them or ask them probing questions and while photographing.
  

• Decide what you want to say about your subject. Try to write down your “headline” or descriptive title of your photo-series. Then go back and shoot with this focus to your shooting – and then organize and edit your series based on this goal & message.