rinzlerb
Established
I’m finding over the last few years as I’ve gotten more serious about photography, my family likes my pictures less. I have less patience, or interest really, in the nice posed shots of everyone well lit, smiling, and looking at the camera. I’ve found handing the camera to Aunt Betty usually produces better results than I do. Group shots are especially difficult! Remembering to check that each person is visible, that there’s not something weird sticking out of someone’s head, no one clutching someone else in some inappropriate way... and then you add twitchy uncooperative children, tense awkward overly-self-conscious grandma, weird uncle Egbert…I could go on and on.
I go into the process with so little optimism that my poor results seem like a fore drawn conclusion. When I’m careful, I make so many adjustments to people that all spontaneity disappears and everyone gets irritable. I strongly prefer candid shots, and I’ve had reasonable success with the children, but the female members of my family really want nice, posed pictures of them dressed up, made up, hair done, big smiles...you get the idea. I like these pictures too—they really do become important to the family over time. My best group pictures happen after the posed shot, like this one, when I keep watching and taking pictures.
Maybe I should just accept this, but I’ve learned new respect for photographers who can consistently execute standard flattering posed shots. It’s much more high craft than art, but no less valuable, probably more valuable to the family narrative over time. In fact, there are pictures we have where we all look great and I clearly remember taking the picture as a terrible ordeal. Over time the image in the picture eclipses the bad feelings and becomes more important—that in spite of challenges we managed to organize ourselves, be together, and look that way at that time. The real masters seem to be the wedding and event photographers who have their craft and equipment totally down, see the problems right away, keep everyone happy, and don’t miss the right moment. Handling the people and keeping them relaxed while working very fast seems like the special magic. I’d be interested in hearing any ideas from the forum. Maybe, like most other things, it’s lots of practice and trying hard. Please...talk among yourselves.
I go into the process with so little optimism that my poor results seem like a fore drawn conclusion. When I’m careful, I make so many adjustments to people that all spontaneity disappears and everyone gets irritable. I strongly prefer candid shots, and I’ve had reasonable success with the children, but the female members of my family really want nice, posed pictures of them dressed up, made up, hair done, big smiles...you get the idea. I like these pictures too—they really do become important to the family over time. My best group pictures happen after the posed shot, like this one, when I keep watching and taking pictures.
Maybe I should just accept this, but I’ve learned new respect for photographers who can consistently execute standard flattering posed shots. It’s much more high craft than art, but no less valuable, probably more valuable to the family narrative over time. In fact, there are pictures we have where we all look great and I clearly remember taking the picture as a terrible ordeal. Over time the image in the picture eclipses the bad feelings and becomes more important—that in spite of challenges we managed to organize ourselves, be together, and look that way at that time. The real masters seem to be the wedding and event photographers who have their craft and equipment totally down, see the problems right away, keep everyone happy, and don’t miss the right moment. Handling the people and keeping them relaxed while working very fast seems like the special magic. I’d be interested in hearing any ideas from the forum. Maybe, like most other things, it’s lots of practice and trying hard. Please...talk among yourselves.
