what gets a reaction?

Meeten

Meeten

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Meeten
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I just saw this thread and it got me thinking, what is it you say at a shoot that brings a response from the subject?
Perhaps you consider these your 'tricks' and don't want to share, but for the benefit of others, it would be good to know what has been tried and tested (good or bad) to bring something different to a shoot.....
 
Buildings don't react very much when one photographs them......
 
Meeten said:
I just saw this thread and it got me thinking, what is it you say at a shoot that brings a response from the subject?
Perhaps you consider these your 'tricks' and don't want to share, but for the benefit of others, it would be good to know what has been tried and tested (good or bad) to bring something different to a shoot.....
Click to expand...

Interesting question. For me a good shoot is a cross between a performance and a conversation. I'm trying to get the subject to perform and I'm being larger than life myself to elicit that performance.
Don't confuse larger than life with loud, though. Perhaps focused would be a better word.

When I'm working with non-models or non-performers I'll simultaneously try to hold a conversation designed to provoke an emotional response; I could do with a few more standard tricks to fall back on.

Here's a couple which sometimes work:
  • For couple shoots where they're having a laugh: ask one partner to try to kiss the other - while the other one tries to avoid being kissed
  • For solo shoots ask the subject to close their eyes and think of something which makes them happy and very slowly open their eyes and allow a smile to develop. Then get them to chat with you about their happy thing.
  • Group shots - ask them whether anyone smells. Then get them to stand closer together. It's worth getting them all to close their eyes and open them together on a count of 3 for at least one shot - it more or less guarantees that you'll get one where no-one is blinking.
 
I shoot Still LIfes and Landscapes. Not much provokes a reaction in either case.
 
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