When The Photographer Becomes The Photographed
Originally posted on September 12, 2022
For many people, there’s nothing scarier than having someone point a camera at them. Even now with small smartphones, people will often turn away complaining that they look terrible the moment they see the phone pointed at them. I get it. I really do. When I was learning photography in high school, everyone who knew someone in the Graphic Arts program eventually got used to us sticking a camera in their faces but it always feels a bit weird, and as we learned more about portraiture and as I started working as a photographer, getting your subject comfortable in front of the camera became the most important skill you could have. Not the type of camera you use or the fancy poses you come up with but how you the photographer interact with the person in front of your lens. This is something I think about often when setting up shoots but sometimes, you need to turn the tables to get a really good reminder of what needs to be done.
Back in June, I had a friend take some photos of me to be used in promotional items for a club we both belong to. I also asked her if she could take a few pictures of me holding my camera since the only ones I have are selfies. Yes, having a friend take your picture is definitely more comfortable than having a stranger do it but there were still important things that came up that I had forgotten about being on the other side of the camera.
Getting someone comfortable with you holding a camera at them requires your subject to be comfortable with you full stop. This isn’t always easy but finding some common ground is the best place to start. I’d like to think that having as many interests as I do serves me well with this point. Of course, there’s often a reason why people are getting photos taken so that can help put people at ease as well as does having people bring something special with them for the shoot.
“Fake it ’til you make it.” I’ve always hated that phrase as it sounds like phoneyness is acceptable and yet, it can be very helpful when shooting pictures. There’s nothing worse than spending wads of money for something and then getting someone who’s less than professional to do the job. No matter how much we photographers learn and how much experience we have, many of us have issues with self-doubt. Or, on the opposite end of the spectrum, we have so many ideas that it all comes out in an indecisive-sounding mess. Calm, cool confidence is essential for a photographer.
Tagging onto my last point, clear concise instructions also make one look and feel confident. I find this one a bit tricky since my mind tends to be rather foggy. Imitating the motion I need someone to do can help but sometimes, you just need to explicitly say what needs to be done, and if you occasionally and very randomly forget how to say, “turn your body to the left”, you come off sounding a bit flighty. I often make jokes about my disability but I find that having some ideas before I even get to the shoot helps a lot.
Overall, I had fun being the photographed one instead of the photographer that day. And I’m grateful to have had a fun friend do the work because it gave me the opportunity to really think about how I do shoots and the things I need to work on. Thank you, Donna-Lee!
