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Photo Book Reviews

The Art of People Photography: Inspiring Techniques for Creative Results by Bambi Cantrell and Skip Cohen Bambi Cantrell and Skip Cohen provide a great how-to guide for people photography. Article rating: 8.15

For a professional portrait photographer looking for tips to enhance her creativity and build their business, The Art of People Photography: Inspiring Techniques for Creative Results by Bambi Cantrell and Skip Cohen is a great place to start. The book’s 174 pages are chock-full of useful advice from a seasoned pro and an impressive array of photos to illuminate her techniques. Cantrell is a much sought-after wedding and portrait photographer in the San Francisco Bay area who teaches popular seminars and workshops throughout the country, and is thus an able guide to the difficult field of portrait photography. The book’s co-author, Skip Cohen, is president of Rangefinder Publishing Inc. And WPPI, and former president of Hasselblad USA.

Cover, The Art of People Photography: Inspiring Techniques for Creative Results © 2007 Bambi Cantrell and Skip Cohen / Amphoto Books

The Art of People Photography takes a very practical approach to this challenging craft. The first thing you need to think about, urges the book, is what application your portrait will have. Will it adorn a photo album, or an office wall? What sort of business is your client in? - because, while a portrait of a real estate agent should look friendly and inviting, a CEO will probably require a more serious, commanding look. Are you shooting a man, or a woman? (Hint: men don’t enjoy being photographed, and usually just want to get it over with, while women will often spend hours prepping for a shoot.) And so on. You are selling a product; give your client what she wants and needs - and getting that right will require some degree of intuition on your part.

You will, of course, need good equipment, although good equipment is by no means the key to good photography. Bambi recommends the Canon Mark II for its accurate metering, fast capture rate, and greater weight compared to other models, which makes it easier to hold steady. But you should always bring two camera bodies to a shoot, Bambi says. She also makes specific recommends for lenses, and other accessories.

Moving on to the shoot itself: Bambi discusses in detail how to approach photographing male and female subjects, especially individually. There are a number of things to think about on such a shoot. With men, you have to use lighting and camera angle carefully to make them look as good as possible (watch out for that double chin!). With women, the same rule applies, though you have a little more creative freedom. You need to know that women are generally happy to use props to add interest to the photo and bring out certain aspects of their personalities. “Nothing is impossible,” asserts Bambi, and her photos seem to confirm this.

Photographing babies and children is an entirely different affair, of course, but the fundamental principles are the same: get to know your subject, make her feel comfortable during the shoot, bring yourself to her level (literally, in this case, by lying on the floor), and figure out the aesthetic requirements for each portrait. Tricks like using natural light with newborns and photographing sequences will help you capture your subject with more impact and emotional depth.

Shooting high school seniors presents a wide range of expressive opportunities. The fact is that high school seniors like it when the photographer takes an unconventional approach, and goes a little crazy with unusual lighting, props, and camera techniques - individualists that they are, graduating seniors want a unique portrait. Family portraits, on the other hand, are generally more dignified, but even here, a modest break with convention may be in order, because many families want a more relaxed, contemporary look. In any case, these portraits are especially difficult and complex, so pay attention.

Along with a further chapter on engaged couples, the book’s authors spend a chapter discussing digital enhancements, reviewing a number of popular techniques - like infrared color, cropping, and Photoshop’s “liquify” filter, which let you add and subtract pounds to and from your subject (in the accompanying photo, two men have been bulked up ridiculously). In the final chapter, the authors talk about successful marketing and offer tips and strategies to help you maximize your client base, build a good professional reputation, and network.

Whether you’re just starting out with portrait photography or you’ve been working for a while and want some advice to strengthen your business, The Art of People Photography, with its clear prose abundantly illustrated with beautiful examples of the craft, is a valuable guide that will help you perfect your working methods and creative techniques.

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Great at self promotiom for sure! Posted by: shannon Sep 10, 2007 @ 9:34 AM EST

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