by Psychology of crafting splendid portraits: tips to explore the personality of your model
Photography is not only about fixing some moments. It is also about people, their characters, emotions, life situations, etc. Yes, overall, it is about people in general and a personality in particular. Are you working with portraits and would like to know more about how to help your model share with others emotions, states, and messages through the photos? This guide is for you then. We will focus on the primary things that facilitate exploring the character of each model. The rest of the details may be easily corrected later using a professional photo editor https://retouchme.com/service/hair-photo-editor – hair, skin, and even eye color. So, here are the things you would rather consider to help your model express one’s personality naturally and in full.
Tactics and psychological tips for working with a non-professional model
If your photo work is concentrated on people, these psychological aspects and tactics would be of great help:
- When you take a photo of a person whom you have met for the first time, there is a natural barrier between both of you. So, be careful and attentive while approaching your model. Have a chat speaking about life and neutral topics. The trick is to make a person open gradually. Your model will be showing and expressing more only provided that he/she trusts you. In psychology, this is called «to build a rapport».
- Be polite and cheerful. Prefer making small steps – they will bring the biggest results possible. Still, it should be also noted that extroverts will show themselves faster than introverts. Thus, in this context, you should also consider a person’s type of character overall.
- Emphasize the things a person is ready to do. Truly amazing portraits will appear when your interests and the interests of a model coincide. The portraits created under such conditions will look natural. If your model is stressed about the things you have asked to do, even if this is about any uncomfortable posture, this will be easy to notice in the final photos. Such a nuance can easily ruin the entire work made. Emphasize the person’s preferences and consider them maximally. The single exception is when you are working with a professional model who can express oneself in any situation and meet any photographer’s needs.
- A photo is a space for self-expression. While making shots, a person may feel different emotions and have various thoughts. Suggest a person to do that – present a photo as an opportunity to express one’s personality freely, without judgments of any kind.
- Make compliments to your model. This is a great opportunity to raise self-esteem in real life. In photography, this is a strategy encouraging a person to express one’s personality more and more. The single nuance here is to make compliments only when a person looks really good. Fake compliments will have the reverse effect.
- Present a photo as a bridge to other people. Explain to your model that a photo is an opportunity to build a connection with other people. This psychological trick usually encourages people to become more open. The reason is simple – all of us want other people like us.
Therapeutic power of photography
In fact, all of the above-mentioned tips are more or less associated with therapeutic practices. At the same time, photography always offers more. For instance, it is a place for mindfulness-based practices. Those may be helpful if you are taking pictures of people who are survivors, if you would like to show some special social contexts, or deal with complicated matters. Mindfulness is based on concentrating on the present moment when a person doesn’t think about any other matters, including those that are traumatic in nature. As a consequence, a person is able to omit a trauma for some time and get a one’s portrait that actually encourages positive changes even more.
Photography is also a place for positive psychology. This is also a therapeutic practice that enables one to come into a positive state of mind and take a splendid picture. In order to help your model with entering this state, practice having a chat about some positive, funny things or ask a person to remember some funny situations. This will have a great impact on the photos, especially on the portraits.
Bottom line
Photography is a perfect means to explore one’s personality. It highlights expressions, emotions, including some stress states. If you want to make your model show one’s personality, be attentive and take small steps unless you are working with a professional model. Follow the tactics and suggestions mentioned in this article in order to craft better portraits. Focus on the most important things. The rest of the details you can always correct by using a professional photo editor at ease.
