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Developing a good working relationship with your model begins from the first moment you meet at the casting sessionbefore the shot but nowhere will your personality, working style, and communication skills are more helpful than when you have a model in front of your camera.
Before starting the session, tell the model about the kind of photographs you have in mind. Explain the kind of shot you are looking for, tell her the type of attitude you want her to express, and share any other information that will help her do a good job. If you have done a shot similar to the one you are working on, show a print from that session to her.
Respect a models privacy. Start by giving her a private place to change and do her makeup. Do not hang around when shes changing clothes. When working with new models give her some additional time to warm up. This might be a new experience for her and many beginners will be a bit awkward at firstparticularly during shoots that involve nudity. I use this same warm-up time to shoot some test shots for obtaining the best exposure and Ill show the model what they look like so she has a sense of how she looks. Your can never compliment a model too much during a shoot. Talk her through the steps as you are shooting, and once she gets the idea of what you want, you can easily repeat the series again with different garments.
Another important rule is never touch a model. If its absolutely necessary for you to do so, ask permission first, but try to have her do it. Some photographersIve noticed this in some wedding shootersare used to touching their portrait subjects to place them in a pose. They get into this habit because of the high pressure and time crunches under which most weddings are photographed, where there is never enough time to talk people into poses. If you want a specific pose, show her by putting yourself in the pose so she can see what it looks like.
If you are doing a shoot in which the model is wearing lingerie or is nude, respect her privacy by offering a closed set environment where only the minimum number of people are watching her. Working quickly and professionally to minimize the time she spends waiting for you to get ready. If you are fiddling with lights and seem unorganized or clumsy, the model will lose her enthusiasm for the shoot and become bored. This boredom will show in the photographs and make the session a wasted one.
With experience, every photographer will develop his or her own personal style of working and communicating, but let common sense be your guide and treat each and every one of your models politely, professionally, and with respect.
Joe is the author of a new book called Joe Farace’s Glamour Photography: The Digital Photographer’s Guide to Getting Great Results with Minimal Equipment
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Scott Bourne
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