Taking good pictures of people who are HORRIBLE at looking natural. Any advice???

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_photochick_

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Audreyanna
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Well I recently did a photoshoot with my one of parents friends 9 year old daughter. She's sweet, and LOVES people taking pictures of her. I took about 20-30 pictures. But one thing I could just not get was a natural looking picture. She would constantly have a forced, kinda-fake expression on her face. I tried distracting her. Asking her random questions, babbling on about nothing, telling her stories, trying to make her laugh. I even tried to sneak up on her. But she constantly kept that annoying little expression on her face.
Personally, when I look at a good photograph, one thing I like see is the subject looking natural. At ease. Its beautiful. It makes the entire picture seem so much more genuine when they are not looking like they are posing. It evokes a much more 'fake' atmosphere to the entire setting when they DO look fake. Now im sure masters of photography can make any person look natural, and please dont get me wrong, there are TONS of truly stunning photography out there that has been 'posed', but im certainly not a master, so can anyone please help me out?
 
At least she likes being photographed. My wife and daughter both hate it. All I get is a scowl from my daughter and my wife looks like a rabbit caught in the headlights. :bang:
 
Thats to bad! I know how it is though. I have 5 younger siblings and sometimes their okay with being photographed. Sometimes there not. Like really not.
 
goldenlight said:
At least she likes being photographed. My wife and daughter both hate it. All I get is a scowl from my daughter and my wife looks like a rabbit caught in the headlights. :bang:
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Snap, I've got plenty of my daughter frowning and hands up towards the camera (and she's only three)

As for shots of this lady, try a longer lens and stand further way with 'another possible subject' in between and then swing the camera around when she's not suspecting. My brother-in-laws sister is like this and the only way I can capture her is to do what I've said above.
 
Time. That's the real answer. My stepdaughter is a nightmare at the moment, she's 8 and if she's not pulling faces then she's wiggling her bum at me! So I just wait and wait.....and wait and eventually she runs out of silliness and bingo! got her!

The other thing to do is to get her doing something interactive either with her parents or on her own and just shoot candids, now and again she will naturally turn towards the camera and you just need to wait till the shot comes to you rather than chasing it.

Hope that helps
 
As Ali said, spending plenty of time with them to try and make them forget about the camera is a big help.

When I've gone to the studio to photograph a friend, I normally put the camera on a tripod and potter about the place with a remote shutter release. This way, I can engage with them and get some different reactions. But it takes them a half hour at least to begin to forget the camera is there and ignore the flashes from the lights.

I've never shot kids this way though, so not sure how much help it'll be!

George.
 
maybe that is her natural look :shrug:


_photochick_ said:
Well I recently did a photoshoot with my one of parents friends 9 year old daughter. She's sweet, and LOVES people taking pictures of her. I took about 20-30 pictures. But one thing I could just not get was a natural looking picture. She would constantly have a forced, kinda-fake expression on her face. I tried distracting her. Asking her random questions, babbling on about nothing, telling her stories, trying to make her laugh. I even tried to sneak up on her. But she constantly kept that annoying little expression on her face.
Personally, when I look at a good photograph, one thing I like see is the subject looking natural. At ease. Its beautiful. It makes the entire picture seem so much more genuine when they are not looking like they are posing. It evokes a much more 'fake' atmosphere to the entire setting when they DO look fake. Now im sure masters of photography can make any person look natural, and please dont get me wrong, there are TONS of truly stunning photography out there that has been 'posed', but im certainly not a master, so can anyone please help me out?
Click to expand...
 
One of the worst things I have come across (at two weddings), were adults who try to look sultry/sulky like supermodels (so they think!). This is not too bad if it is just them, but when you have to include them in a group shot, you have all these lovely happy people, and a person/s who are quite obviously "gurning" at the camera. One person commented that a particular "gurner" looked as though she was constipated, to which I replied - "No, that is just her Kate Moss look".
 
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