Working with inexperienced models can be very challenging; but with a bit of effort and planing, you can end up with amazing photos that showcase your model’s unique personality. In this article I want to talk about finding a model, building a rapport with him/her and getting good photos that showcase your model’s personality and traits.
Finding a model
For the beginner photographer, finding and working with models can be a challenging prospect, especially when said model is inexperienced as well; but it doesn’t have to be, its just a mater of following a few simple guidelines and using a bit of common sense. Anyone can be a model for the beginner photographer: friends and family, a complete stranger and even yourself.
The most common type of models for beginning photographers are usually their own friends and family. Its easy to convince them to pose and the familiarity between them will make for great unscripted moments that will bring forward their personality and quirks, this is what we as photographers want; and with our friends and family, there are no shortage of opportunities: weddings, anniversaries, vacations, baby pictures and the list goes on. Take advantage of those moments and be on the lookout for unique moments, specially when they are unscripted.
Other times, you can get a person to model for you even if you don’t know that person. It is uncommon, but it happens; maybe a friend of a friend or if you’re really confident, a complete stranger. Working with friends of friends is a bit easier because there’s already a connection between the two, there’s a friend that can vouch for you. Its important to keep in mind however, that in these cases you must be as professional as possible, you don’t want to leave your model with a bad impression of yourself and the craft; be respectful, professional and nice.
If all else fails or if you just want to practice your skills, there’s always a model that will never deny you a picture; yourself. Self portraits can be an amazing way to practice your skill and take interesting photos; after all, who better than yourself to know what kind of shot you want to get! Its simple and easy; who knows? Great pictures might come out of it.
Building a rapport with your model
Building a rapport is extremely important, you want your models to feel at ease and comfortable; if they don’t, it will show on the final photo and no amount of Photoshop can fix that. How to make your models feel at ease will vary depending on your relationship to the model, the ambient surrounding the photo shoot and most importantly yourself, the photographer.
As we discussed earlier, beginner photographers will usually start practicing with their friends and family; there’s already a rapport, a familiarity that can allow you to photograph their personality and quirks. You already know how special they are and its easier to show that in your photos; beware however, that they are not paid professionals, so please do not annoy them constantly for photos and don’t follow them everywhere with a camera like a paparazzi. Let moments happen naturally; talk, laugh and be ready to take that one shot that showcases them as they are, the people you love and care for.
If your model is someone you’ve just met, a friend of a friend or a stranger; make sure to make them feel comfortable and at ease. It goes without saying that you should always behave like a professional; nobody likes a pervy photographer and it gives a bad impression of photographers in general. Talk to your model, ask about his/her likes, dislikes, preferences; know that person a bit, so when its time to pick up the camera, you can capture their personality. Something that is always good is to ask for your model’s favorite music and play it on the background; it will help them relax and feel at ease. Be respectful and kind, your model will appreciate it; also, don’t forget to show them your photos. You don’t need to show them every single frame; but showing them will allow them to see how the pictures are turning out and they may even suggest neat ideas themselves.
Showcasing your model’s personality
To showcase your model’s personality you need to know a little about them and take your photos accordingly. You would not usually photograph the new baby in the family in a moody, noir photo technique; neither will you usually take the tough macho guy in a delicate, angelical hi-key picture. Of course, rules are meant to be broken; but not so much that the resulting image becomes uncharacteristically absurd. Make sure to understand what your model is about and then showcase that, match your technique to their personality and style and your photos will always be better for it.
In the end its up to you – the photographer – to find your models, build a rapport with them and showcase their personality in your photos. There are thousands of other guides, tutorials and in-depth know-hows; but in the end it comes down to getting to know your models, being respectful and having fun doing what we photographers do best, capturing the moment with our cameras.
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