Talking to Your Photographer

I was surfing online the other day when received an instant message from a prospective model. she inquired about my portfolio services and then proceeded to push one of buttons. asked if also offer model management. that’s really great question ask me you want enter lecture mode.
You know what you want to look like. You have this mental image of the optimized you. Now I don’t mean a supermodel’s head superimposed over a beefed up or slimmed down version of you. I mean the look that you go for when you get ready for some special time with a special person. Yes, that version of you.

We photographers know how we want you to look. We have our own ideas about the “optimized” you. It may involve makeup tips, dramatic lighting, just the right clothing selection, or any other of dozens of variables.

To put it bluntly, you’re right, we’re wrong. Usually that is. Unless we have spent a significant amount of time getting to know you it is hard for us to show “the real you”. The result may be a nice glamorized shot of you that runs the risk of having your best friend look at it and say “that’s a really nice shot, who is it?”

Now this may be the result that you are looking for. If this is the case, I can point you to a lot of “Mall Studios” that would be happy to cake makeup on your face, tease your hair, wrap you in a boa and pretend that you actually look like that.

But if you would rather hear the friend say something like “Wow! You’re beautiful!” or for guys having their portrait done, “You clean up pretty well” (it’s a guy thing) then you need to talk to your photographer.

Who are you? What do you do? What do you like about yourself? What do your friends see you as? What’s one word that describes your personality? Heck, give us a second word while you are at it. What feature do you like the most? What feature does your significant other like the most? What else (in case your significant other was fibbing when he or she said “your eyes of course”? Which feature would you like er, um, de-emphasized?

And you should realize that you don’t look at yourself the way that other people look at you. You seldom if ever stand back in front of a full-length mirror and look at all of you. Instead, you concentrate on those problem spots. The ones that you spend the most time on in the morning. For me it’s my beard. I spend more time carefully edging it with a razor then trimming it with not one but two different trimmers. I know exactly what my beard looks like. What about the rest of me? Well, I think I’m a big bald guy, that’s about the extent of my knowledge of my looks. What do you look like? Do you really know? Well, take a look sometime.

What clothes should you wear? If you have any doubt at all, bring it! I have a portable changing room for location shoots that has been used for some pretty fluffy wedding dresses. I’m pretty sure that it will work for your little black dress or jeans. For the females involved, if you ever wear high heels, bring them along with a few more pair.

Which clothes get you the most attention? Definitely bring them! You don't have to bring everything you own but, if you can't decide between a couple of outfits bring them both. Three or four isn't too many.

Where would you like the photos to be taken? Indoors? Outdoors? A park? The campus? What do you want your photo to say about you? Location is a big part of this. Talk to us. Give us the clues that we need to cause your friend to say “You do clean up pretty well!”

Or, maybe even just “Wow!”

Richard