The camera looks both ways: in picturing the subject, you are also picturing a part of yourself. In other words, you are a mirror. The mood, the energy, the feeling and the emotion that you project are reflected by the subject - in his or her face and especially the eyes. Body language can also be reflected.
As you can tell by the expressions on the subject's faces in the opening photograph for this post, I was having a blast directing this shot, which I took in a sombrero shop in Panama. I wanted a fun shot.
Above: II was being more serious behind the camera. My mood is reflected in the model's face. Guess where I took this shot. :-)
Take a look at the faces of these school kids, which I photographed in Lombok, Indonesia. Once again, you can imagine the look on my face. I was having a blast, and so were the kids.
Here's a quick tip for photographing people: Don't wear sunglasses when photographing people. If you do, they can't see your eyes - the windows to your soul.
You'll find more people photography tips in my book, "Face to Face," and in my app, "24/7 Photo Buffet."
On-line, check out my classes on Kelby Training. Lots of people pictures.
By the way, my favorite people photography lens is the Canon 24-105mm IS lens. It's great for portraits and environmental portraits. All my gear is listed on My Gear page.
Explore the light,
Rick
