Reply #12 - March 31, 2007, 07:49:07 AM
Do you ever make an effort to convince someone that they have no reason to be self consious?
As a newer photographer I tried to manipulate and control the shooting environment, subject expressions and clothing etc to some degree. I no longer do. They have hired me for my style which is evident by the work they see on my website. Their requests (like don't take pictures of us looking at the camera) suit my shooting style perfectly. I want their personality and experience to come through in my images. I certainly make an effort to get people to relax and forget about themselves and their self consiousness when we are shooting and I have good success with that. You must remember that as a photographer I capture the moment - - - but it is the moment out of thousands of moments that I don't capture, that I want to document. So I in a sense am manipulating and controlling what the end product will be and find moments or expressions that reflect the sense I have of their real personalities, likes and dislikes. Again this is a FEEL thing for me - - - it just feels right. In this wedding there would have been many opportunities to get all kinds of shots with the couple looking at me. As a matter of fact we joked about it and I'd tease them and say "oops I'm going to have to delete that one" or I'd apologize when I asked them to look at the camera for a moment. On more than one ocassion I pushed my boundaries a little and got a stern refusal (example when they were signing - out of habit). So there were many shots with them looking at me in this wedding. I didn't include many of them in the final selection.
What you should remember when making observations on these images is that my clients are to a large degree very successful, confident self made professionals in a variety of fields. In this case - you don't beome a Bay Street Laywer (that it the district in Toronto where Canadas top lawyers practice) without being a very confident and strong and determined person. So it is kind of relative to inborn insecurites that we all possess regardless of our success - - - and I believe that it is these qualities that make us unique - - - and many times SOFT and APPEALING when someone in the type of position this bride was in professionally would not necessarily b that way. When I am shooting, I treat them as if they were just my friend for the day - someone they can confide in - none of us are anything special. As a result I feel I document and capture the true unmanipulated person.
« Last Edit: March 31, 2007, 07:56:28 AM by robertwatcher »
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