How to enjoy digital photographs

October 22, 2020 in portrait photography

We all create and consume digital images at an extraordinary rate, in particular on social media. How many photographs do you see each day on Instagram, Facebook and the other platforms? Of those, what percentage do you look at for more than a second? The honest answer is probably ‘not very many’.

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Slow down

If you’re under 40, brace yourself for some shocking news. When I was young I used to spend hours leafing through my parents’ photo albums. I looked at the same images over and over again. And though the prints were small and black and white, I’d spend long moments poring over each of my favourite photos.

I still love looking at printed photographs, whether in books or albums or on the walls of my home or of a museum. Less can still be more. The reason people hire professional photographers like me when they themselves carry pretty powerful cameras in their pockets or handbags at all times is because they know that the images we make can give them something more – more enjoyment, over a longer time.

So, if you’ve paid for a set of professional photos, by all means post them on your Instagram feed. But don’t stop there. You can get so much more pleasure from them. Here are a few ideas.

Print your photographs

I deliver each client photograph in two versions – the first optimised for viewing on screen and sharing on the web, and the second optimised for printing. It’s very easy to upload these print-optimised files to one of the many excellent online print services. The prints they make are generally of very high quality and relatively inexpensive, and they usually arrive by post in just a few days.

You can order ‘old-fashioned’ 15 x 10cm prints for about €0,25 a piece. I usually recommend Pixum for this type of printing. They also do a range of other products, including albums, calendars and greeting cards.

Making larger prints to hang on the wall where you will be able to enjoy them every day is a bit more expensive, but worth every cent in my view. Personally I use Zor to make 45 x 30cm prints on 5mm Forex board at €7,99 each. These are light and durable and can be fixed to the wall with easily removable adhesive ‘velcro’ strips. For larger prints framed behind glass, I go to Sadocolor Duplimedia, who always do a fantastic job. The last set of 90 x 60cm framed prints that I ordered for a client cost just over €200 TVAC apiece.

These companies serve the Belgian market, but a little online research will find equally good suppliers in other countries.

Use all of your screens

I also really enjoy viewing photographs on a large screen, provided they don’t change too quickly. If you aren't already using your television to look at your favourite photos, you're missing out.

The easiest way to display photos on a TV screen is to use a USB key. Most recent sets have at least one USB port. Just plug in the key with the image files, select it as the source, and choose 'Photos' from the menu. Of course, different TV manufacturers implement this in slightly different ways.

If you use Google TV or a Chromecast, you can also select a Google Photos album as your ambient display. This means that you can curate a special album with your favourite images, and they will appear in a slideshow on your TV whenever you’re not watching a programme or a video. You can control the speed of the transitions from one image to the next. I prefer to ‘hide’ all of the on-screen information and enjoy my photos in their unadulterated glory.

How to pose for a great portrait photo

September 09, 2020 in portrait photography

I’ve put together five tips to help you get the most out of a portrait session, based on my experience of photographing ordinary people.

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When you (or your employer) pay for a shoot with a professional photographer, you want to come away with a handful of images that you really love. But unless you’re a model or a celebrity, you probably don’t feel completely comfortable in front of the camera. What you may not know is that almost everybody is anxious about having their picture taken. Around 90% of my clients introduce themselves by saying “I’m sorry, but I’m not photogenic”, or “I hate being photographed”, or “I always look terrible in photos.” As I say honestly to each and every one: Trust me, it’ll be absolutely fine.

Tip 1 – take your time

Don’t rush into the shoot. Sit and chat with the photographer for a few minutes first. Tell them a bit about your life, and ask them about themselves. It’s very important that you feel at ease with one another, and this initial conversation will help. If you haven’t already done so, make sure they understand how the images will be used and the look and mood you want to achieve, as well as technical aspects like the mix of full-body, half-body and head and shoulders shots. Discuss clothes, and backgrounds. And if there’s a particular aspect of your appearance that you feel self-conscious about, now is the moment to mention that to the photographer.

Tip 2 – keep moving

The photographer will take care of the lighting, framing and focus, but a great portrait requires input from the subject, too. You’re not just recording your appearance for a passport photo. Together, you’re trying to capture your personality, to show who you really are. So relax your legs and arms, breathe, and move. Move gently, move smoothly, offering the photographer a range of positions in which you feel fully comfortable. The tiniest changes in the angle of your face can make for very different portraits. Move your feet, move your shoulders. The photographer will certainly tell you if you are moving too much.

Tip 3 – be yourself

Stay loose and spontaneous. Forcing yourself to adopt a pose that you think makes you look ‘strong’ or ‘kind’ or ‘sexy’ is likely to produce exaggerated, unnatural expressions. Instead, picture yourself in different situations, professional or personal. In your imagination, run through a little scenario. For example, imagine arriving at work on a Monday morning and greeting a colleague. You see them. You ask how their weekend was. You listen to what they say. You tell them what happened to you. You say ‘See you later’. Without hurrying, let your face and body shift in the way they would at each stage as the scene unfolds.

Tip 4 – take frequent breaks

If you still find yourself feeling stiff or awkward, ask the photographer for a short break. This will allow you to change your position and your mood. If you’ve been standing, try sitting. Run a different scenario in your head. Experiment, play. Have some fun. Don’t be afraid to make a few images that are not at all like the ones you were expecting to make. Once you’ve loosened up, you can return to your original plan – you’ll probably find that the session flows much more easily and produces the best shots of all.

Tip 5 – choose the right photographer

A good portrait photographer will bring the very best out of you easily and naturally. When appropriate, I reassure my clients about their appearance and explain what I can do with post-production retouching. I take the time to listen to what they want, and keep our conversation going throughout the session to make sure they’re always comfortable. I may make suggestions, like the ones I’ve shared here. But above all, I encourage my subjects to open up to me and to my camera.

Environmental portraits

July 28, 2020 in portrait photography

I love environmental portraits, and sessions of this kind have always produced some of my strongest images.

Environmental portraiture places its subject in a context. We see a background that shows or suggests, more or less clearly, the setting in which the image was made. It can show the person in their place of work – a political operator outside the European Parliament, or a business owner in his factory, for example.

Sometimes, I choose a background more for aesthetic reasons than for any specific link to the person in the picture. The images above both use the perspective of the backgrouind to draw the eye to the subject’s face.

Other times, the face can be presented without distraction against a background completely blurred out in photographic ‘bokeh’, with shapes and colours vaguely suggestive of a natural or built environment.

Professional portraits to be used on a corporate website or on LinkedIn can also be shot in an environmental setting – I would argue that these stand out even more easily from typical ‘passport’ photos. Some clients specifically request environmental portraits, but when people ask for a studio session I usually mention the environmental option, and I don’t think anyone who has chosen this approach has been disappointed with the results.