What the People in Your Portraits Are DYING to Tell You

The background story

A few days ago, I got a very kind email from a woman who shared an experience with me of hiring a portrait photographer and being disappointed with the photos she got from the shoot.  Her letter is applicable to you as a photographer no matter whether you shoot for clients, or whether you just shoot your family and friends.  The email was heartbreaking to read, so I want to share a short portion of the email with all of you so you can prevent this terrible mistake that thousands of beginning portrait photographers make every single day.

Here's the email, but make sure to have tissues on hand before you read it.  I changed it slightly for anonymity purposes.  :

“A few years ago, my husband and I were struggling financially.  I was dying to have professional pictures of my little baby taken, but I wasn't sure how I could possibly afford it.  I saved up some money, a LOT of money, so that one of the nearby, ‘Mom gone photographers,' could capture the precious images of my 2 week old baby girl, ‘just like the ones in the magazines.'

Her website had beautiful photos on it, and she was recommended by a neighbor…so I paid the $150 sitting fee, and reluctantly agreed to the $300 minimum purchase.

Sadly…. when the proofs were uploaded….I cried. They were nothing like I had imagined they would be, and none of the poses or shots that I had told her I wanted to capture, were there.”

Heartbreaking, isn't it?  Any photographer who has any pride in their work should be riveted to this article so they can avoid making a client go through this.

What are your clients DYING to tell you?

Your photography clients are dying to tell you that they want portraits that communicate.  They want lifestyle portraits.  If all they wanted was a portrait of their kid sitting on a black stool in front of a grey tie-dyed background, they would have gone to Walmart.  When clients go to a professional photographer, they want to receive a portrait that exemplifies what they love about the person you photographed.

The mother who takes her son to a photographer for senior portraits wants the photographer to take a picture–one instant in time–that shows who their son is.  The family that hires a photographer to take pictures of their family wants the photographer to capture an image–an instant in time–that shows the love that the family members have for each other.  Your neighbor who wants you to take pictures of their baby wants you to capture an image–an instant in time–that shows the tiny cute little baby in such a way that it makes anyone love the baby like the parents do.

Your clients are DYING to tell you that they want portraits that communicate.  They don't have the words to explain this, so they tell you they want a “unique portrait” or “something different” or they say they want a “really cute picture of their baby”, but what they really mean is that they want a photo that reflects how they feel about the subject, or themselves.

Three keys to shooting communicative portraits

In general terms, the type of photography I am advocating in this article is a lifestyle portrait or any other photo that communicates something about the person.  I do not pretend that more formal portraits have no place in photography, but I would say that most clients I have worked with want something more.

Key #1: Know your subject.  Not surprisingly, the key to taking portraits that communicate is to get to know your subject before the shoot.  I usually see beginning professional photographers skip this step.  They book a shoot and then show up to take the person's picture.  Most experienced professionals go one step further.  One crucial step that sets their work apart from the amateurs–the client meeting.  Either face to face or over the phone, the photographer discusses the shoot with the client for 20 minutes before the day of the shoot.  This time is critical because it allows the photographer to assess what type of portrait the client will like, what their personality is, and what the photos will be used for.

Skip the client meeting at your peril.  It takes more of your time, but I guarantee it will dramatically improve your shoots.  If you are pressed for time (who isn't?) you can develop your own system to get the information you need about a client without spending the time to meet.  A simple online survey could be enough to help.

By the end of a client meeting, you should know (1) what the client loves, (2) the client's personality, (3) how the pictures will be used, (4) and what type of portrait the client appreciates.

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Key #2: Shoot in a setting conducive to the client's tastes.  Most photographers have a bad habit of repeatedly shooting in the same locations.  They simply find a nice park or garden and then shoot every client there until they think of a new spot.  But what if your senior portrait client LOVES karate?  Since we are no longer going to stick her in a dress and force her to pose in front of a rose bush, you will need to find a location that matches the shot.

If the client loves karate, you could take dramatic portraits of the high school senior doing jump kicks at a freeway underpass.  If your client is a mother who wants portraits of her baby, you could set up a warm studio with all the perfect props to bring out the cuteness of the little baby.  If your client is an engaged couple who works 12 hour days in New York City, you might want to have them dress up in business clothes and do more of an urban shot of them walking around the city together.

Your clients are not numbers.  They are people.  They want to be photographed in a setting that is attractive and familiar to them.

Key #3: Expression is king.  Sometimes it isn't the location or the props that communicates–it is the personality.  Suppose a mother comes to you and asks you to take pictures of her daughter.  In the client meeting, you notice that the 9 year old girl is adorably sassy and “grown up.”  You might not have to travel to any creative location to capture this unique aspect of her personality.  You just need to know how to work with her during the shoot to make the personality come out.  For instance, you could ask her if she wants to do some ridiculous, made-up pose.  If the pose is silly and she is a sassy little girl, don't you think her expression will be perfect when she answers the question?  Be ready to snap the photos FAST!

The more you practice taking portraits, the more you will see that expressions are easy to capture if you are creative in how you approach the situation.

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