I had my morning coffee with a friend today.
He told me that his daughter was interested in modeling. He said that he had paid a local photographer a fair amount of money to take portraits of her in a park. He wanted to give her a chance to test out her modeling skills while hopefully getting some shots that they could send out to the modeling agencies.
His daughter was disappointed with the results, and of course that made him even more disappointed.
I asked him, “What was the problem?”
He said, “There was nothing technically wrong with them. They just looked… plain… like I could have taken them.”
That was an interesting comment.
When we create portraits, wouldn’t it be part of our job to infuse creativity into the photographs? So that they don’t look like just anybody could have taken them!
I asked Kent DuFault about this, and he said, “It’s true. You’re absolutely right. A good portrait photographer should insert their creative vision. Too many photographers figure they got it right if it’s sharp and the lighting is decent.”
He pulled out a photograph and shared it with me as a really great example of a creative portrait effort.
I said, “Man! That is a great shot. It’s just totally eye catching. And it doesn’t even look like it was that hard to pull off.”
“It’s not,” he replied. “There are 6 reasons why this portrait commands your attention.”
“What are they?” I asked.
He smiled.
“Tell you what, I’ll write you a guide… I’ll give out… 10 tips that will allow any photographer the bump they need to create eye-catching portraits, tips that won’t cost a penny to implement.”
“Done!” I responded. (We did a ceremonial shake of the hands. LOL)
Today’s Free guide is titled, “10 Tips for Exciting Portraits”.
This guide is loaded with easy assignments. Email us about the tip that worked best for you! And if you feel like it, share your best effort on our Facebook page.
