When you’re scrolling or clicking or swiping through photos
of you and your friends…or looking through images of people in online magazines,
websites, or yearbooks from previous years or other schools…or better yet, flipping through actual physical copies of printed pictures; what is it that grabs
your attention and makes you stop and think “Wow…that’s a great shot!”? Or makes you smile to yourself or laugh out
loud? Or brings tears of joy or sorrow? Is
it the location or lighting where the photo was taken? Is it what’s going on in the background or
foreground? Probably not. It’s more likely the emotion or expression
caught on the faces in those photos. Have
you ever looked at a photo of a family member smiling and suddenly you are
smiling? Or paused on a photo of someone crying that brought tears to
your eyes? Probably so. The natural expression
of your subject (whether happy, sad, or indifferent) can transcend the camera
and make your viewer actually feel the emotions with you. To capture that emotion and elicit that response from the viewer of your photos, can be one of the most rewarding aspects of taking pictures and what many photojournalists strive for.
The word “natural” when it comes to expression in posed
photos can be a little misleading. In
that case it’s probably best to think of it just being “not forced”. And there are plenty of tricks to get true
expressions out of your subject for posed portraits. But for our purposes, let’s talk about
un-posed or candid shots. This is where
you can capture a person’s true emotion as they react to their environment and
what’s going on around them. It’s also
where the second a camera is introduced into a situation, any semblance of
natural goes out the window. Along with any sense of spontaneity. Expressions are most authentic when the person
is caught unaware, or when they are so engaged or immersed in what they’re
doing that they don’t realize the camera is there. Here are a few tricks…
1. Turn OFF your Flash. Nothing signals that a photographer has
entered the room and kills a mood quicker than the sudden harsh and blinding
effects of a camera flash. If you’re in
a classroom, cafeteria, or any place indoors, check out your surroundings and
position yourself to use whatever available light you can. If your camera has the option to increase
your ISO, raise it as much as possible.
You might also have to lower your shutter speed and f stop to let in as
much of the available light as possible.
2. Be Ready.
Always have your camera with you and ready to shoot. Know the
environment you’re going to be in, so you can have your settings adjusted
before things start to happen.
Expressions can be fleeting, and the worst thing that can happen is that
you see an awesome moment but have to fumble through your backpack to pull out
your camera and then change your shutter speed or f stop, and the moment has
passed.
3. Step Back and Zoom In. It’s hard to be discreet when you’re using a
camera phone or wide-angle lens standing 2 feet from your subject. They will be far too conscious of your
presence not to be thinking about the fact that you’re taking their
picture. Try to blend in at a distance. Another trick if you don’t have a lens that
allows you to stay further away, is to ALWAYS have your camera out and always
be snapping pictures. This way, the people around you will be so
accustomed to you taking pictures all the time that they won’t give the camera
a second thought.
4. Get Involved. If there’s no avoiding the person or people you’re
photographing being aware that you’re there; be patient, start a
conversation and eliminate that consciousness so they can go back to what they
were doing. One of the best ways to get a natural expression in this situation is
to ask the person to tell a story or answer a question about something that
interests him/her. Once they have something else to focus on and get excited
about, the camera is quickly forgotten. If they still can’t
seem to ignore you, do a few test or posed shots with them that can help tell
your story. And instead of telling them
to smile, be ready with a joke or funny story of your own to share.
5. Watch and Wait.
You can’t schedule a spontaneous expression. Sometimes the best is to step off to the side
at an event where people are so engrossed in that event that they don’t even
notice you. Instead of watching the
event yourself, sit with your camera and scan the crowd. It won’t take long to see who the most
energetic and expressive people are. Then just wait for things to happen. If they see you and want a “posed” shot with
their friends, take a few and move on.
They’ll be satisfied that they got to cheese it up for the camera and
now you can go back to doing what you’re there to do. And don’t let the emotion you’ve caught get
lost in the crowd. Either zoom in on the expression that caught
your attention, or do something to make that person stand out from the masses.
6. Take a Lot of Photos. Expressions change by the millisecond. What could be a flat smile right now, could be
a fit of laughter with tears rolling down their cheeks in the blink of an
eye. If you see a situation unfolding,
be sure to take multiple consecutive photos. Especially if there are multiple
people in the picture. Each person could
start reacting to the emotions of the others creating a virtual meltdown. Then you get to pick which image best conveys
the emotions of the situation for the story you’re trying to tell.
7. Know What You’re Looking for but Take What You
Get. You can usually anticipate the
types of emotions you’re going to see based on the event you’re capturing, and
the story you expect to tell. But you
should always be ready for the surprise emotions that tell a different story. If it’s a pep rally, you expect cheering,
excitement, and laughter. But you might
also see the determination of someone trying to win a competition, or the sadness
of someone who lost. If it’s a
graduation you might be looking for the sheer joy and satisfaction as friends
get their diploma, but there’s also the pride of the teachers and the sadness
of a chapter in your life that is closing.
At a college move-in day there’s the nervousness as freshmen open a new
door to their future, but also the sadness of a parent saying goodbye. It’s okay to go into a photo assignment with
expectations, but better to come out with the full range of emotions that any
event can bring.
Your photos can do more than tell a boring story of a
year in the life of a student. They can
capture true moments of expression and emotion, and bring those memories and
emotions flooding back when you scroll, click, or swipe your galleries, or flip
through your yearbook pages, or pass around those printed pictures 5, 10, 20 or
even 50 years from now.
