Photographer: How to Communicate

The success or failure of any photo-shoot is knotted up in one simple truth -- that communication is key.

Here are a few tips about communication that I would give to any photographer.

Comfort. As a photographer it is very easy to get distracted by lighting, aperture, and everything else...and live through the lens--make sure to remember to look up from the camera. Get to know your client or model. Set aside 10-15 minutes to simply talk to your client/model before you actually start shooting. Small talk. Ask them questions.Get to know their interests, get to know about their family...get to know them. When you become quick friends, people relax and the posing becomes so much more natural and beautiful. This will also make my next bullet point so much more easier as well...

Touching. Make sure to ask! if it is alright before you touch anyone. Sometimes your client/model will get into a great pose, but just something small needs to be tweaked to make it perfect and it would be easier to psychically nudge them into place than try to explain it. And in these cases, a lot of times photographers will forget that clients/models aren't just objects or dolls to be placed however. I am guilty of this myself. They are people, and have personal space and boundaries. So, always ask! before touching. Otherwise, things can get very awkward and uncomfortable very fast, ruining the rest of the shoot.

Setting Up a Language. Creating key words or a simplified language for positioning clients is helpful for both you and your client/model. Before any shoot, I explain and show to the client/model my basic positioning keywords which are: Forward, 3/4 Right, 3/4 Left, Profile Right, Profile Left. So when I say Head-Forward, that means look strait forward. When I say, Right Leg at Profile Right, that means for them to take their right leg and turn their toe outward to the side. From these basic positions I can then tweak them right into whatever pose looks best. This method saves time and keeps things very simple and less confusing.

Reference Sheet. This should be a must! When on set, as a photographer, having a printed reference sheet with 10-20 desired poses is not only helpful to you, but also to the client/model. With a reference sheet, you will never be at a lost for ideas and your client/model will be able to literally see what poses you have in mind. This is why, before any shoot I spend a lot of time on pinterest and google finding poses that I like and creating a whole sheet. Then I like to print a hard copy, as well as, e-mail myself a copy in case something should happen to the printed copy.

By example. Something I always appreciated most as a model, is a photographer that would put down the camera and show me what pose they actually wanted. Having a clear vision and being able to physically show a desired pose is extremely helpful. Nobody is a mind reader. Show them.