JZA B1

Which style is easier? Can it be made to look authentic if your subjects are posing? Is it more about the skill of the photographer or the "model"? (With most people not being professional models.)

Can a good photographer with non-models produce natural-looking but posted photographs?

Or should you try to shoot candid pictures if you want natural look and forget trying to pose people?

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

"Easier", candid.
"Posing" can be frustrating for both the photographer and model, especially if neither is very experienced.

Better results? Depends on one's preference.

azted Loc: Las Vegas, NV.

Are you shooting for yourself, or have you been hired for a specific purpose?
Posed shots always look better than candids, because you have the attention of your subject.
Candids look best when there is movement and you captured it in process. Otherwise you have just a lot of people's backs.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

I suppose candids are not good when someone is thinking, looking at something, pensive, or ...?
Why would anyone shoot someone's back?

User ID

Candids are obviously easier, but tend to suckbad unless done by someone who is good at posed pix. Relaxed natural posing of ordinary civilians is a social skill and not at all a photographic skill.

(Download)


(Download)


(Download)


(Download)


(Download)

henryp Loc: New York, NY

For quite a few years my main photography job was photographing high school seniors (12th graders) for their formal yearbook portraits. None of them had any posing experience. As long as you can convey what you want the poser to do, it's not at all impossible. I found it helped to use hand gestures and verbal instructions at the same time. Decent portrait lighting helps too.

stan0301 Loc: Colorado

You really need to decide if you are a portrait photographer or not - from the history of imaging a rather "this is how a human looks best" concept has emerged - "how would Rembrandt have done this = how would Gainsborough have done this - etc - and what you will find is that they all pretty much agree that "the weight should be here, the head should tip this way - etc - if you somehow thought being a photographer would be easy - well - it isn't - and not only do you have to know these things, you have to do them so well that your subject doesn't even know you are doing them - As Malcom Gladwell said "Only the first ten thousand are hard" - Final thought "The only thing you actually have to photograph is your interaction".

azted Loc: Las Vegas, NV.

People when they are talking in a group often "circle" each other. So when the photographer wants to get a candid, there are always more backs than you would want. Your statement assumes the candid subject is alone, and mine assumes there is a group of people.

Miker999

Posing is very difficult for many of us. After 40 years with a camera and a lot of practice and study, my poses still looked forced, hence, I don't do formal portraits

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

I take group shots posed. That way they're all facing the camera. I usually take several shots (maybe up to 20). If flash is needed I raise the ISO so the flash is loafing and take a 3-burst. That mitigates blinkers. Having a lot of shots to choose from in a posed group makes it easy to swap heads to get one photo with everyone looking their best.

If it's a group milling around the room I sometimes use my 200-500 to isolate one person for a candid. (70-200 for smaller rooms). Unless the room is very crowded you can usually get a reasonable background for an individual.

Personally, I prefer the candids because they look like the person is relaxed. Of course there are shots that don't work because they suddenly looked into the camera. And I can't say that all the candids I get are great shots.

Silversleuth Loc: San Francisco Bay Area

After shooting events for 30+ years, I find that the obligatory group shots are well received by the event holders but the candid shots are more appreciated by the individual(s) in the shots.

::Ed::

bdk Loc: Sanibel Fl.

When posing someone, turning their head or body just an inch can make or break some shots going from ok to WOW.
The problem arises when you try and get them to pose and they just dont get it.
I like candid natural, except boudoir shots. Then I had to pose them, hiding the flaws and exposing the better parts.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Alrighty then.....
If they are grouped in a circle, that's the way they are.

rwoodvira

[quote=JZA B1]

I think there is room for both, but I really like natural. I like catching action in the moment, and with the ability to carry a pretty good camera with your phone you are able to catch thing more spontaneous than ever before.

I'm sure many of us have in the past missed shots that would be outstanding if we had had a camera at the time.

I caught this before Covid, but it became more relevant when kids had to study at home. This is my granddaughter Charlotte and remains one of my favorites - she's intent on the tablet but that snack is right there to munch on.

I was photographing a family wedding (not again if I can help it) and had a couple of shots that were posed - 2nd wedding of both with the bride and groom at the top of the steps and their respective families on either side of the steps - the couple loved it. The groom had grandchildren that I posed in a parlor like a 19th century Boston school portrait. Both worked.

But my favorite of that day was my nephew who was boogalooing with the flower girl, both around 5 years old that
really warmed my heart. He's now in is mid 20's and I promised his wife I would find it for her.

Thank you for bringing back memories. I hope you like Charlotte's photo.

(Download)

joecichjr Loc: Chicago S. Suburbs, Illinois, USA

That's why 99.9% of photos I shoot are of nature or inanimate objects; I have an incredible knack for snapping the shutter at absolutely the worst time when attempting to take any shot of a human