4 Tips for Helping People Feel Comfortable During Their Portrait Session

By: Mat Coker

Sooner or later, almost everyone has to sit alone in front of a camera for a grad portrait or professional headshot. It is almost always an uncomfortable experience for portrait clients. But it’s easy to forget this as photographers.
When I great people for their portraits they often confess things like, “I’m terrible with photos,” “I feel sick,” or “I hate my face.”
Perhaps because I’m so empathetic, I’ve developed a knack for making the most nervous and hopeless people shockingly excited about their photos.
In this article, I’ll show you how I do it so that you can make even your most uncomfortable portrait clients happy with their experience.

I am personally drawn to black and white portraits.

1. Simple Light Setup

Since everyday life already throws you a heavy load of distractions and difficulties, I always encourage photographers to keep their projects as simple (but meaningful) as possible.
No matter how you choose to light your portrait subject, I recommend you do it as simply as possible. The point is to put all your focus on the person you’re photographing, not on equipment.
I either use natural light (a window and a reflector), or a one light setup inspired by Zack Arias.

Window Light

The benefit to natural light is that there are no flashes of light or large umbrellas to make the person feel as though they are at a high-pressure professional photo session. Your subject’s imagination is filled with the photo shoots they’ve seen on TV and you should relieve that pressure for them.

This is my natural light setup.

This is a portrait taken with that window light studio setup.

Using natural light and a silent shutter with a mirrorless camera allows the photography part to be as invisible as possible.

One Speedlight

My one light setup includes a speedlight with a 60-inch umbrella and a reflector.

This is my one light setup. It’s one speedlight with a 60-inch umbrella.

This photo was taken with that one light setup.

Once set up, you should forget about your gear (the window, speedlight, and the camera) and focus 100% on your subject.

2. How to Focus

This isn’t about your camera, but focusing on your subject in order to make the best portraits possible.
If you are at all self-conscious as a photographer, it is absolutely critical that you do not focus on yourself.
Perhaps you’re nervous because of a lack of confidence, or because you’re worried they’ll hate their photos. Forget all that and just focus on your subject.

Small talk

“A portrait is not made in the camera but on either side of it.” — Edward Steichen

You can use small talk to distract the subject from their own nervousness and self-consciousness in 

front of the camera. Talk about their business, their kids, or the last trip they went on. Anything that 

will distract them from being camera shy.

Warm up

Feel free to warm up with some “test shots,” even if you don’t really need them. Have your subject sit in front of the camera for a few shots where you’re doing nothing but “testing the light.”
Direct them a little bit, but nothing too serious. I sometimes transition into the real photos by saying something funny like, “Okay the light is perfect, now let me see a cheesy smile.” It can often lead to some laughter and the first candid photo.

Candid portraits are the most joyful part of a portrait session for me. You don’t have to be a comedian 

to make people laugh. Just connect over something in your life and laughter will eventually flow.

I’ll often try to match the expression with the clothes my subject is wearing. I think a softer expression 

is more suitable for formal wear. But I’ll try everything at the moment and decide what looks best later.

Candid portraits

“There is one thing the photograph must contain, the humanity of the moment.” — Robert Frank

Yes, even a professional headshot session should include some informal candid photos. Candids are real, and even if you’re after a posed photo, candids are the path to discovering who they are when their guard is down.

When people can laugh together there begins to be a comfortable connection.

We often laugh because of the tension created by a joke. But even real-life discomfort or tension 

can lead to the eventual release through laughter.

3. Finding Soul

“Look and think before opening the shutter. The heart and mind are the true lens of the camera.” — Yousuf Karsh

I don’t care whether I’m photographing real estate agents, future lawyers, high school grads, or “mompreneurs.” I treat everybody like an executive, valedictorian, or royalty during their portrait session.
We’re all much deeper than our occupation, even though it may be a deep expression of who we are. Fill your sessions with lightheartedness and true human connection. When you look through your photos later, you should be able to see the moment that your subject finally became relaxed.
Once relaxed, you’ll find the “real” person that was trapped below the surface of fake smiles and self-consciousness.
It may take you 10 minutes or more to get there, but it is the point in the session that you can move through your creative vision with your subject. You can show them how to squinch (Peter Hurley’s famous technique with the eyes), strike more advanced poses, or move in for close-ups.

Once I know I have made the portrait that the subject needs, I move on and try other things. I love 

this very soft expression and the way that her hair creates a frame around her. This won’t likely 

appear on her business card, but I think it’s a wonderful portrait.

4. Completely Candid

“It’s one thing to make a picture of what a person looks like, it’s another thing to make a portrait of who they are.” — Paul Caponigro

Being inspired by photojournalism and the idea of capturing truly raw, candid, spontaneous photos, I decided to try a portrait session with no posing. All there would be was conversation and pictures.
Here are some of the results, which I love.

This photo is all about the eyes, and whatever is going through her mind makes me want to laugh!

A completely candid photo portrait session means taking a lot of photos. Some of them looked 

posed, but it was a matter of quickly noticing something that looked right and capturing it before

the moment passed.

I used a window as a natural light source. There were moments of silence during our conversation 

when she just looked out the window. Those were wonderful chances.

Leave room for surprises in your portrait sessions. You may find yourself thinking, “Did this client

dare to bring their kids to a portrait session?” True, they’ll tear your studio to pieces and distract her 

from her professional portrait session. But along with a little chaos comes life and surprisingly human 

moments. In the middle of it all, her son came up to be nursed. Maybe this is what Robert Frank meant 

about the “humanity of the moment.”

The portrait session was supposed to have been for her. But who she is on her own isn’t who she is 

completely. We’re all much deeper than ourselves and are who we are partly because of the people 

around us.

Perhaps you know your subject has reached their maximum level of comfort when they can nurse 

their baby even while the camera is still clicking. I’m thrilled to photograph people one on one and 

make portraits that they’ll use as authors or business people. But I’m even more thrilled when those 

portraits become intensely human moments.

 Get Comfy

The next time you greet a nervous portrait client, remember that the experience has been hyped up in their mind. Distract them from their discomfort with small talk, warm them up with “no pressure” test photos, and make laughter a part of your session.
Include the candid photos when you deliver their photos. Even if they don’t use them for business purposes, they may be the photos they (and you) love most.
I’d love to hear what else you do to help people get comfortable in front of your camera. Let me know in the comments below.

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How To Photograph Shy Adults

By: Annie Tao

Some people are not as comfortable in front of the camera as others. Perhaps they are shy, or perhaps they believe they have physical “imperfections”, so they aren’t at ease when it comes to having their photo taken. (I put quotes around that term because often these are not imperfections at all, but rather, beautiful parts of their body that they over-think.)
Unless they are a professional model, most people fall into this category to some degree. If they don’t feel comfortable, it will show in the photos. Luckily, there are things you can do that may help.

Give your subject something to do

Holding a pose will often garner an awkward expression. Thus, photograph them as they move. People are much more comfortable when they are in motion, than when they are still.
They don’t have to do anything overly complicated. The movements can be subtle, like looking up from a head-down position or fixing something, like part of their clothes.

Do your social psychology homework

Photographing people is part technical and part psychology.
For most people, you cannot start shooting the second your subject arrives and expect them to look natural, so communicate with them before the shoot if they are shy or concerned. Children aren’t the only ones who need time to warm up!
Make sure your subjects know how the shoot will go and what they need to do to prepare for it. If they are concerned about something, address it as quickly as possible. The longer a concern goes unresolved, the more it will grow.
Perhaps they have a scar on their arm they feel self-conscious about. Once you know that, you can address it, like letting them know you will try your best to avoid shooting it. Maybe they aren’t sure what to wear that will flatter their curvy body, so you can give them clothing suggestions or reassure them that you will use certain angles and lighting to accommodate this. Or maybe they are just plain shy, in which case, you want to make sure you talk to them! Let them know a little about you. Talk about common interests.
Making your subjects feel at ease is a very important and integral part of portrait photography.

Avoid silence

When you have a shy or uncertain subject, being silent for a length of time can be unnerving for them.
Talk to them during the shoot, but be careful not to bark orders at them (ie. “Sit there, look here, put your hand like this, move your body like that!”) because that will achieve the opposite of what you want.
Rather, tell them what they are doing right, so they know to keep doing that, and explain what you are doing before you do it.
The entire shoot doesn’t have to be instructional or too commentated, but a little bit of talking will make your subject feel more confident and “safe”. With these feelings, personalities and natural expressions will surface.

If you are photographing children, you’ll want to read: How to Photograph Shy Children as well.
Do you have any other tips for working with people? Please share in the comments below.

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How to Make $500 a Month From Your Photography Hobby with Microstock

By: James Wheeler 

I am an amateur photographer, but I make around $500 in revenue from my photos each month. Photography is a hobby for me, but it can be an expensive hobby at times. This money pays for photography software, computer hardware, and lenses, so the hobby I love doesn’t cost a dime. This article will discuss how I did this with microstock, and provide tips on how you can do the same.

Making your first buck

In 2010, I wanted to improve my photography so I purchased an entry-level DSLR and started to actively study how to become a better photographer, mainly from resources on the internet. As I tried different techniques, compositions, and camera settings, I posted my photos to sites like Flickr, Facebook, and 500px. In the beginning, I didn’t get very many views or likes but still enjoyed posting and learning from other photographer’s photos on those sites.
After shooting, learning, and posting for two and a half years, a design company saw a photo of mine on Flickr and asked if they could purchase a commercial license. I did a couple of quick searches about licensing and pricing on the internet, then sold my first commercial license for $75. This is the first photo I ever licensed.

Pay for your hobby

Before this first sale, I hadn’t considered selling licenses to my photos. However, I had gotten to the point where I wanted to upgrade my entry level DSLR and lenses to a full frame system but couldn’t justify the cost for my hobby. However, I could justify the cost to myself (and my wife) if the money for the upgrade came from licensing my existing photos.

Microstock

So, I started researching photo licensing and learned about microstock sites. These sites are websites that act as an intermediary between buyers of photo licenses and photographers. They are called “micro” because they typically sell photo licenses for less than where professional photographers have historically set their prices.
As a result, there is a lot of negative information about microstock sites on the Internet. Despite this negative information I decided to try posting my photos on Shutterstock, one of the most popular microstock sites. At the time, I had only made one sale ever so I felt that getting a small payment for each sale was better than no payment at all.
The first month I made less than $10 with 55 photos accepted by Shutterstock. However, I kept uploading my photos when I had time. A monthly later I had 100 photos on the site. In my third month, I checked my stats one morning and found I made $56 dollars from selling extended licenses from these two photos.

A work in progress – keep at it

This was a bit of beginner’s luck because after that I didn’t have a day with more than $50 in sales for many more months. But it kept me motivated to continue uploading my photos to Shutterstock and even upload to multiple other microstock sites as well.
I also started uploading my better photos to art-on-demand sites like Fine Art America. These sites allow you to upload your photos, set a price, and create a storefront for anyone to purchase prints of your photos. When someone purchases the art, these sites handle the payment, printing, and shipping of the photo and send you money from the sale.
Lastly, I upgraded my photo blog to sell licenses directly from my website. Despite the fact that my photos are available on all the popular microstock sites, stock photo buyers continue to see my photos on social media and purchase licenses directly from my website.

Realistic numbers – don’t expect to get rich

Two years after my first photo license sale, my monthly revenue from photos was about $500 a month. This $500 is an average, with my biggest month was $1400, while some months have been lower. Now that my photos have been posted, they can continue to get sales indefinitely. In 2016, I did not have much time for photography and only posted eight photos over the course of the year. However, I still averaged $460 a month in revenue from the photos I had posted in previous years.
These revenue numbers are for all the photos I have posted online. I only post my best photos from each day out shooting. My current online portfolio of all my photos is around 700 total. Microstock sites don’t accept all of my images, so on some of the sites, I only have 300 photos accepted and up for sale there. Doing the math, my photos earn less than $1 a month on average (per photo). And in reality, it is even less because I have one photo that has earned over $4000 over the years, while others have gotten no sales.

However, I am fine with this because I take the photos I want to take and then post to stock sites to see if they sell. Photography is still a hobby and the pleasure it gives me comes first, making money is secondary. Often, the photos I like best are not the best sellers on microstock sites. For example, I prefer the photo of me and my shadow below because I really enjoyed making it, but the snapshot I took of a split trail while on a hike, sells much better.

What sites work best

Although I have posted a portion of my collection to over 20 sites over the years, all of these sites can be categorized into one of two types; microstock and art-on-demand. 75% of my photography revenue has come from microstock sites, while only 8% came from art-on-demand sites. The remaining 17% is through direct sales from my photography website.
I have tried a number of art-on-demand sites over the years but currently only post to Fine Art America because it is the only site where my images consistently sell. I have also tried many microstock sites. Typically, if I hear of a new one, I will upload 100 of my best photos to begin. If I start to get sales, then I will upload the rest of my collection. Here are my top five microstock sites based on earnings. I currently only post to these five sites as I have found the other ones aren’t worth the time it takes to post the photos.

• Shutterstock
• 500px
• Fotolia / Adobe Stock
• 123RF
• Big Stock Photo (Owned by Shutterstock)

Last tips for you

If you are an amateur photographer who wants to make additional revenue from photo licenses, here are the steps you can take:

• Post your photos to social sites. My favorite is 500px, but I have also started posting to Instagram, and I still post to Flickr, which was my favorite a couple of years ago.
• Setup your own photography blog. My blog does not get as many photo views as my social sites, but all my social sites link back to my photo blog. It makes it easy for potential buyers to purchase licences if they see them on social media. I used Squarespace for my blog because it was easy to set up in one day.
• Upload photos to Shutterstock. Most microstock photographers who post their revenue on the web list Shutterstock as a top earner. So it is likely that if your photos will sell, they will sell on Shutterstock more than other sites, making it a good place to start.
• Upload photos to other stock sites. Once you see some success on Shutterstock then go ahead and post your top photos to other microstock sites.

It has been seven years since I decided to take photography seriously and I have improved a lot over the years. However, I still have a lot to learn, but these days the software, courses, and gear that help me make photos are all paid for by revenue from the sale of photo licenses, rather than out of the family budget from my day job.  Share this article.

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Tips to Avoid Becoming one of ‘Those’ Photographers

By: Kav Dadfar 

What type of photographer are you? A lazy one? A complacent one? Or maybe you are over confident? Here are eight types of photographers that you should avoid becoming.

#1 – The Jack of All Trades Photographer

It always makes me chuckle to myself when I ask someone what type of photography they do or want to get into, and they reply with a long list that covers every branch of photography. Think about it, if you wanted to get your teeth looked at, you would go to a dentist, not an optician or a chiropractor. Even general practice doctors who have a wide knowledge of most ailments would still refer you to see a specialist. This carries across every industry including photography.
You won’t find any photographer who is an expert in every genre of photography as there is just too much to learn, experience and practice at in anyone’s lifetime. While it’s important to have an understanding of how to photograph anything well, even the greatest photographers will specialize in a few genres.
For example, as a travel photographer, I need to be able to photograph food as that is a big part of any destination, or possibly the local wildlife. But I’m not a wildlife or food photographer. When you are at the start of your photography journey it is important to try as many different genres as you can until you find your passion and see where your skills lie. But once you do, try to focus your time and energy to being able to do that brilliantly, rather than doing everything in a mediocre fashion.

#2 – Mr. Latest Gear

You have all seen them. You probably actually know someone who has all the latest camera equipment along with a host of lenses, accessories, and possibly the clothing to go with it. But does it make a difference to their photos?
There is no doubt that better and more expensive cameras give you better quality photos and allow you more control. But a poorly composed photo which doesn’t have an interesting subject will be a bad photo regardless of the camera that captured it. So, instead of fretting over whether you have the latest camera equipment, concentrate on improving your skills as a photographer and not as a collector of equipment.

#3 – The Whirlwind

One of the things I find most astonishing and frustrating when I’m at a location is watching other photographers turn up (usually with the latest gear), take a few photos quickly, and then move on to the next viewpoint or location. I even remember seeing one such photographer hold the camera up and take a photo while looking in a different direction! Why even bother?
Even if you are pressed for time, often the best way to capture a great photo from any location is to pause for a few minutes. Just look at and think about the scene, the composition, the light and even the settings that you may need on your camera. Once you have surveyed the scene or the subject then go ahead and take the photo.
Not only will this give you much better photos in the long run, but it’ll save you having to rush around snapping away and hoping that you get lucky with a few shots.

#4 – Lazy One

Every photographer has been guilty of being lazy at some point in their career. Whether that is in the effort needed to take a photo (like having to hike somewhere, or wait for the light to change), in the process of taking the photo (“I’ll just put it on auto”) or in the post-production stage.
But often, your best photos end up being the ones that require the most effort. So don’t be the “lazy one”. In those situations where you are feeling lazy try and just push through it because the effort will likely be worth it in the end.

#5 – The Safe One

One of the great benefits of digital photography is that you are able to take risks with your photos as it doesn’t end also meaning that you are wasting precious film and money. Nowadays you can take a photo and if you don’t like it, you can just delete it and try again. But for many people, this is a benefit that is often overlooked. Most photographers (pros and amateurs) still work at achieving the “conventional” photo for that particular subject.
For example, go to any landmark and you will usually see hordes of people all standing at the typical “viewpoint” photographing at eye level. While I would always advise any photographer to capture these shots as well, the key is to not settle for the standard photo and try a few that are completely different. The worst thing that could happen is that the shots don’t work and you delete them. However, once in a while you might find an interesting new technique or skill that gives you something different.

#6 – The Too Arrogant Photographer

While I think it’s important for every photographer to be confident in themselves and their work, there is a big difference between being confident and being too arrogant. Photography is subjective and everyone will have different views, but listening to people who are knowledgeable or that you respect can help you really improve your work.
So don’t be arrogant, listen to the advice you are given. If one person tells you that a photo doesn’t work it could just be personal opinion, but if 10 people tell you the same thing maybe you should take notice. Often you will learn more from the poor photos you have taken, than the good ones.

#7 – The Freebie

Digital photography has revolutionized the photography industry for the better. But one aspect that it has had a detrimental effect on is the fees and payments that photographers now receive for their work. It’s no secret that fees and prices have been falling for a few years for photographers and big stock agencies such as Getty and Shutter Stock haven’t helped with the prices at which they sell photos.
But for most photographers the main aspect that irks them the most is the phrase, “We don’t have a budget to pay you, but we’ll credit you on the site/publication”. This would be the same as you getting a builder to work on your house but instead of paying them for the work you put a sign on your lawn saying, “The work was done by Mr. X”. You won’t find any builders who would agree to that deal, so why do photographers do it?
Exposure is usually the answer. But all this does is create a vicious cycle whereby you might receive exposure from that one client, but other potential clients will want the same deal which means all photographers end up suffering. If you don’t respect your work enough for people to pay you for it, then others won’t respect your work enough to pay for it either.

#8 – Mr. Rude

Like all professions, there are probably a handful of people who feel that just because they are taking a photo it gives them the rights to the land. Everyone has to get out of the way or stop what they are doing so that they capture the shot they want. Well, if you are one of these types of photographers then you should take a good look at yourself – because it doesn’t work that way.
Being a photographer doesn’t give you any more rights anywhere than the average tourist or spectator. It also doesn’t give you a right to demand people to give up their time to model for you. Unless you have hired the venue or that person to model for you then you just have to work your way around other people. If you don’t want people to be in your way, get up early in the morning when you can often get the place to yourself. If you want a clean and unobstructed view of something then be patient and wait for a gap in the flow of traffic. This extends to respecting other photographers too. Just because someone is a professional photographer doesn’t mean they have more of a right than an amateur one.
Show other tourists and spectators the same curtesy and respect that you would want to receive.

While not everyone will fall into each of these, most photographers at some point have been guilty of one or more of these traits. The important thing is so evaluate yourself and make changes as needed to make sure you don’t repeat them.
Are you any of those photographers? Or can you think of any others? Share your thoughts and experiences below.

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Quick Tips for Getting Into Stock Photography

By: Kjell Leknes 

Getting accepted as a stock photographer can be a difficult and frustrating process. Especially when your best photos get rejected by photo reviewers. After helping many photographers trying to become accepted as Shutterstock contributors, I have discovered how the process can instead become a fun and educational experience.

Why become a stock photographer?

Earning money on your digital photography work is a great way to earn an extra income. But it is often not the main motivation for why many people try to become contributors. Being accepted, and being able to call yourself a stock photographer, means something. Similar to how many people develop their skills so they one day can become a professional in their field, being able to call yourself a stock photographer will for many mean more than saying you’re a professional photographer.
When someone presents themselves as a professional photographer, people tend to have different views of what that means. Some associate a professional photographer with someone that makes high quality photos. Others may think of the person they hired to photograph their wedding. Or perhaps someone that has their photos sold in a gallery. Some may think a professional photographer is only someone that has a diploma, or someone that works full-time and earns their main income from their photography.
Being able to say you’re a stock photographer says something about the level you have reached. Why? Because the stock photography industry is well known for its high quality requirements.
Furthermore, the best part of being a stock photographer is knowing your work is being purchased, appreciated, and used all around the world. With modern tools like Google image Search, you can back trace and find were and how your most popular photos are being used.

Are you qualified?

If you know how to make a manual exposure, get the focusing correct and have a good eye for correct white balance, you’re most likely qualified to become a stock photographer.

Expect to get rejected

It might take a few attempts. But once you’re accepted, as many existing stock photographers can testify, it made them an even better photographer. A rejection of your initial submission might feel like a disappointment at first. But take advantage of the feedback and suggestions provided. Your initial submission will most likely be more strictly evaluated than the general submissions you’ll make in the future after getting accepted.

Find the motivation to learn

Try to see your first submission as a homework assignment for reading the stock agency’s submission guidelines. Like any course or workshop, your first homework assignment is not expected to be flawless. There will most likely be room for improvement. With this attitude, learning about stock photography can be an educational, fun, and even motivating experience.

The first batch of photos is the hardest

For example, when signing up to one of the most popular stock photography sites like Shutterstock, you are asked to submit 10 samples of your best work. Seven of these must pass the strict inspection of their reviewers. But if rejected, you’re provided with great feedback to help you improve your photography.

It gets easier after getting accepted

As any existing stock photographer can testify, your initial batch of submitted work is much more strictly evaluated than the general submissions you will make in the future after getting accepted.

You’re closer to getting accepted than you might think

A submission that is not approved is often not completely rejected either. Many rejected photos can have only one minor issue that can sometimes even be fixed with a little editing. Even though it may feel like your entire batch of submitted work was rejected, you might only be a few adjustments away from getting accepted.

Try again. Many existing stock photographers did.

Many existing stock photographers did not get accepted on their first attempt. For every initial submission that is not approved, take good use of the feedback that is required. See it as a free portfolio review from experts in the field. Be inquisitive, study the material and try again!

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