kossmore

This may seam like an odd question, but how can a person be more photogenic? This friend is a nervous gerdie and never likes their photos, even when they were taken by a professional.

notnoBuddha

I believe they are two differnt things. Being photogenic is to be pleasing to the eye of others but to be comfortable having ones photo taken can be anything from lack of confidence to false modesty. If the question is in regard to taking the pictures of others, some need a little bit of small talk for them to be at ease - and some need years.

kossmore

notnoBuddha - thanks for responding. I guess my question is not an issue for most people.

BurtLehman Loc: Santa Fe, NM

I recently heard a discussion on a talk show where the host was interviewing the numero uno photographer for Israel. He asked him how to take pictures of women. The photog answered that he has never once taken a picture of a woman that they didn't hate. To a person, they all wanted the pictures destroyed.

Obviously this post is a little off subject, but beauty is most often in the eye of the beholder.

liv2paddle Loc: Wall, NJ

Oh so true..I did a photshoot of a woman and her two daughters..OMG..she had me give her bangs..a face lift and make her lips thicker..she did not even look like herself when I finished..crazy

BurtLehman Loc: Santa Fe, NM

The only thing I've seen to assuage some of the negative rejections is to run portraits through Portrait Professional. It works wonders. I actually had one woman say it was the first photo of her that didn't make her cringe

Before


After Portrait Professional

Carioca

Wow...what a difference!

ShakyShutter Loc: Arizona

On the other hand... I did that very thing for a friend same age etc for a photo to post on an on-line dating service. She wouldn't post the photo because she thought it was deceptive, but she loved the photo for herself but not to post to strangers.

You did a good job on the soft processing.

Patw28 Loc: PORT JERVIS, NY

You cost me a lot of money!
Just what I needed. -- another e.citing program! ;>)

photocat Loc: Atlanta, Ga

being photogenic has more to do with bone structure, and lighting.

of course pp helps as did airbrushing long ago. However, it is much easier when your parents gave one great bones.

Cornishpete Loc: Illinois

notnoBuddah has hit the nail on the head there. What is inside the subject is what usually comes across in their photograph. Someone who likes themself can quickly be put at ease and makes it possible for the photog to shoot off a number of shots that will capture at least a couple that will please the subject. I don't get involved with posed portraiture but it always interests me to look at online galleries that have 'highschool senior' images. I would put money on the self-confidence of some subjects as against the 'I don't like myself' ones. The latter are the ones that need more than just 'a little small talk' as he suggests. The self-confident ones immediately come across as people I could enjoy having a conversation with on just about any subject.
As for your Professional Portrait image Burt, I wonder what it might look like if you backed of on the settings as the image for my old eyes looks a tad too much as if the subject went a little overboard with her cosmetics. Yes it's subjective but the real person in the original image is the one that looks as if she has had a life well-lived
and I could be friends with her whilst the altered image suggests someone who if taken out to dinner would constantly go off to the ladies-room to make sure every one of life's tiny laugh-lines was magically masked.

nikondaddy Loc: Mayfield,Kentucky

Some people aren,t photogenic the problem, is to get them to drop their consciouness of being photographed and stop posing or and you must know something about them first.

kmvailes Loc: West Tenn

I enjoy having the subject being involved in something they enjoy doing. Not just a staged photo. Say for instance if your subject enjoys reading. Take a few close up shots of your friend reading. Something that puts that person in their comfort zone while you are taking the shots. If its antique shopping, you can always be away from that person and take some up close shots with zoom and that person not even be aware.

havenpro

I have professed for years that kids need to be taught how to take a photo so later in life they don't say, "Don't take my picture. I never take good pictures." I practice with my kids all the time. They think its fun. I delete most but I get some really good "keepers."
Trick I taught them was to look away from the camera and on the count of three look back and acted surprised or laugh or something other than, "smile for the camera."

Sensei

I find my best shots are taken candidly. I will sometimes use a long lens to get the shot so that the person is not aware of the camera. Recently I did this while a child was interacting with a horse. Had I been closer the child would have been focused on the camera, I want to grab the facial expressions and don't want to stop the action. At times I will set up, have a remote, and just sit back with a cup of coffee and talk with the subject, and then pop the picture without making it a big deal.