People Photography: Part 1 of 3 by Russ Burden The reason most consumers purchase a camera is to photograph people.  Keep these tips from Russ Burden in mind the next time you're taking pictures of others as your subjects. Article rating: 8.33

The primary reason most consumers purchase a camera is to photograph people. Be it family members, friends, travel images, or a simple stroll through the park, thousands of images of people are made every moment. It could mean documenting the growth of a child, a captured smile, a fleeting glance, or a travel shot of a person shown in the environment.  Regardless of its purpose, the importance of the capture for the photographer is high. Over the next few months in this three part series about photographing people, I will walk you through many of the concepts you’ll need to improve your people photographs. Save or bookmark them and when the final installment is complete, you’ll have many tips to help you with your image making.

EYE CONTACT: Having your subject make eye contact with the camera nets an image that makes a connection with the viewer of the photograph. The look can be friendly if it shows a large grin or hard if the expression is stern. Both are powerful. The determining factor is based on the look that both the photographer and subject want to portray. Alternatively, there are times when it’s more effective to not have your subject make eye contact as you want to depict a look that says “stand off.” Work with your subject to achieve the effect you want as a final result. When traveling in the US and other countries where, for the most part, photography is accepted, having the subject make eye contact is easy. But this may not be so in many countries around the world. In many cultures there exists a belief that a if a photograph is made of a person, part of their soul is taken away. This makes establishing eye contact very difficult. Respect the individuality of the people of the country in which you travel and work within these limitations.

CLOSE UPS: I often find myself photographing close ups of people. A favorite subject is a person’s hands. This is especially true in the case of elderly subjects whose hands show character lines and are weather or time worn. If the subject is wearing jewelry or other prominent pieces, include them as focal points. This could come in the form of a cane that’s tightly clutched, the hand of another person, a prized possession, or even the arm of a chair that’s gnarled and twisted and adds to the scene. Another body part that often receives focus are the feet. Whether they are worn as in the hands or fancily decorated and manicured, don’t overlook what could make a charming image. Other potential subjects could be a unique hairdo, a large dangling earring that shows a droop in the earlobe, or a fabulous / dental necessary smile. The obvious focus is the face but I encourage you to always look past the obvious to create the unique.

DIFFERENT ANGLE: The most common position from which most people images are made is standing upright looking down onto a subject. This being the case, it’s hard to make your images look unique if you follow this technique. If you’re creating a snapshot, there’s  nothing wrong with it but if you’re looking to tell a story or your desire is to have your images stand out from the norm, learn to shoot from an angle that presents your subject in as a unique a way as possible. In other words, get past the cliché and get creative.

To learn more about this topic, join me on one of my Photographic Nature Tours. Visit www.russburdenphotography.com and click on the NATURE TOURS button for more information. Also, pick up a copy of my new book, Amphoto’s Complete Book of Photography. You can purchase a signed copy directly from me or visit your local book store or Amazon. Contact me at rburden@ecentral.com to order your signed copy.