Trying out portrait photography and looking at "do's and don'ts"
and found this "If the subject smiles it becomes a snapshot"
and looking at model portraiture pictures I don't see many smiling .
I'd like to see how the Captain weighs in on that.
boberic
Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander
kejoed wrote:
Trying out portrait photography and looking at "do's and don'ts"
and found this "If the subject smiles it becomes a snapshot"
and looking at model portraiture pictures I don't see many smiling .
I assume you are selling the portrait to the client. I see nothing wrong with a natural smile. (a forced one never looks right). If the client prefers the one with the smile, great. If he prefers one without the smile,great. Either way you have pleased the client. Can't loose either way. Just my opinion. If you are selling the portrait to some one other than the model same advice. Give the customer the choice.
boberic wrote:
I assume you are selling the portrait to the client. I see nothing wrong with a natural smile. (a forced one never looks right). If the client prefers the one with the smile, great. If he prefers one without the smile,great. Either way you have pleased the client. Can't loose either way. Just my opinion. If you are selling the portrait to some one other than the model same advice. Give the customer the choice.
Thats sounds good , but what about entering a competition?
kejoed wrote:
Thats sounds good , but what about entering a competition?
If the portrait conveys an expression which is powerful and the viewer can connect with, that is successful. Perhaps that translates to contest success, but you're a the mercy of the judge.
boberic
Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander
kejoed wrote:
Thats sounds good , but what about entering a competition?
I was curious. So I just googled Christie Brinkley. I don't think that any one would not agree with me when I say that she is one of the best looking models ever to have been photographed. Many of the shots were of her spectacular smile. Case closed.
The stunned expression, often with lips parted or mouth open, has become a major current fashion in professional model photography. That, or a blank expression, or a detached one.
To me, these kinds of limited expressions repel because they insult the human perception and awareness, while dumbing down the model.
I prefer a natural expression on the face of the subject of my portraits.
kejoed wrote:
Trying out portrait photography and looking at "do's and don'ts"
and found this "If the subject smiles it becomes a snapshot"
and looking at model portraiture pictures I don't see many smiling .
13-Year-Old Girl
I just googled Kate Moss not much to smile about there!!
"Only Humans and Monkeys smile" so i am told :D :-D
boberic
Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander
kejoed wrote:
I just googled Kate Moss not much to smile about there!!
"Only Humans and Monkeys smile" so i am told :D :-D
Any one who has a dog will disagree
kejoed wrote:
Trying out portrait photography and looking at "do's and don'ts"
and found this "If the subject smiles it becomes a snapshot"
and looking at model portraiture pictures I don't see many smiling .
That is probably a rule made up by a photographer that had little or no communication skills. As a professional actor (occasional now), one of the rules for choosing a photographer for headshots (this does not carry over to other film or print work for an actor ONLY headshots) is "If you can't connect with the photographer, you won't connect with the camera."
A good portrait photographer WILL get a nice natural smile out of a subject, if that is what is called for.
And a good smile is in the eyes anyway.
kejoed wrote:
I just googled Kate Moss not much to smile about there!!
"Only Humans and Monkeys smile" so i am told :D :-D
I think you need to stop googling and start photographing! :lol:
amehta wrote:
I think you need to stop googling and start photographing! :lol:
Were you smiling when you said that
:(
kejoed wrote:
Trying out portrait photography and looking at "do's and don'ts"
and found this "If the subject smiles it becomes a snapshot"
and looking at model portraiture pictures I don't see many smiling .
Smiling has nothing to do with whether something is or isn't a portrait.
kejoed wrote:
Were you smiling when you said that
:(
I wasn't trying to be mean.
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