We were having a few beers and a bite to eat after work this evening and got to talking to our bartender friend Javier. Turns out Javier worked for a few years as a freelance photographer before going back to tending bar. Weddings were his "bread and butter", as he described it but one incident at one wedding really squashed his interest.
How he told the story, he was shooting some of the portraiture for a wedding and the grandmother insisted that he take the photographs in a particular location. Javier knew the location would make for a terrible background and he tried to persuade otherwise but she was not about to budge. Respecting the wishes of the client he took the picture, despite his better judgement. In the end this defining moment became a catalyst for him returning to his old trade of bar tending.
That story made me think of my last wedding shoot. After the ceremony ended and we began with the customary family photos, I remembered how difficult it can be to persuade people to pose effectively.
In the shot below can you guess which person was being a little bit stubborn?
I tried to get people to turn a shoulder to the camera as opposed to facing straight on and looking like a soccer team. Gee, maybe I should used the "don't look like a soccer team" analogy next time. Anyhow, I remembered reading in one of Scott Kelby's Digital Photography books about showing the picture to the client so they can see the "problem" first hand and hopefully make the correction themselves. That is a great tip!
So tip number 8 is: If the subjects are not complying with your posing suggestions show them the LCD and hopefully they understand your point.
Awesome.
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