PHOTO DETAILS
Photo Lab: Richard Photo Lab, www.richardphotolab.com
contax 645, fuji 400

What’s the story?

The most important part of a portrait actually begins before you click the shutter button. It starts with the story of who you’re capturing, what they want portrayed, and why. Your work will be its best when you become dedicated to capturing your subject’s story. So, listen and get to know them first – without any cameras.

For this session, I captured a mother-daughter trio who took a special girls trip in celebration of the oldest daughter, Alessandra, graduating from high school before heading off to college in London. It was such an important milestone for Alessandra and a special memory for their family that they wanted to have a photo shoot to freeze the moment.

Prior to the session, talk through some who, what and why questions with your subject so you can draw out the best portraits possible. Remember – the story is what gives the fine art portrait its “soul.” Without soul, it is just a pretty picture without meaning.

What to have them wear and bring + choosing a location

To fine tune your session and map out what it will look like, create Pinterest and mood boards to develop your shoot. I love the design process of a session – from what to wear to the choice of the ideal location. These details help tell the story! The theme, their coloring and features, and choice of location will all assist in determining how they should dress. Everything from the shoes, to clothing, hair and make-up, will all tie together to tell their story.

You may even want to incorporate personal props that have symbolic meanings to your subject. It could be an instrument if they play music. Maybe their pet? A special car? Flowers? A painting? A movie? A song? You can draw from endless inspiration!

Although this family now lives in Washington, D.C., both sisters were born in Santa Monica. It was a place they remember fondly, so it was the perfect location for their Southern California portrait photography session. We knew we wanted to wake up early to walk around Santa Monica, the pier and the beach. For attire, we went with a more casual look in neutral colors as the girls would be riding bikes, frolicking on the beach and exploring the sights.

The art of non-posing

I am not a fan of posing. I don’t even like the term “posing.” And I don’t think it’s fun for clients either! The most natural looking and feeling portraits capture your subject’s authentic expressions and movements. Their unique body language. How they naturally walk, smile, move and interact.

I prefer to incorporate some form of action and capture the subject in the moment. I might have them walk to a certain place, twirl, take off their hat, interact with something they brought, etc. I like to think of things they normally would do. So, the actions will vary from person to person and what they’re looking to capture in their session.