Expression

Facial expression is the most important element in a portrait.  It is concentrated not just in the eyes but in all the facial features.

You can watch and wait for an expression from your subject or you can encourage them to produce one you  may have in mind.  It is important to build a rapport with the person to achieve this.  Ways in which you can do this are by getting out from behind the camera to allow eye contact.  To do this you can shoot tethered (if you have enough money for the software) or by using a tripod.  Both leave you free to talk to your client/model/subject and both put them more at ease.  When people are less self-conscious and relaxed they are more likely to give you the best expressions.

At this point in time I'm not sure which is easier - shooting a complete stranger or a friend or family member. To date I have shot strangers in previous jobs but they were simply quick head and shoulders shots where they could spend 5 minutes of their time for you to photograph them.  I found that difficult because of the time constraints but also because when you turned up they had little to no time for chit chat.  However you should at least always try!

Shooting family members is not as easy as it seems either.  I've been asking my family to pose for me for the last few weeks and have had little to no takers.  My poor husband has been the subject of all the exercises for this first section of the course.  I have managed to line up my sister to pose for assignment one so that is a result.

There is one advantage to shooting someone you know quite well and shooting them a lot - you get to practice. And with practice comes confidence.  I need to build my confidence in taking pictures of people and I need to make them feel confident in my abilities to photograph them.

Here is a shot of my mum who kindly took ten minutes out of her busy life to pose for me.  She hates having her picture taken so she was a bit of a challenge.  At first she was quite rigid and not at all relaxed.  However as I kept talking to her she began to ease up.  The more I pressed the shutter the more she realised that she couldn't just stay still and it would be all over in one exposure.  And it was when this happened that she chilled a little and began to see it as fun.  And then  she gave me this look....