Child's Play

Damian and Linda's Photography

Adults

O wad some Power the giftie gie us
To see oursels as ithers see us!
- Robert Burns

It means:
"Oh would some power
the gift to give us
To see ourselves
as others see us!"

I have no Scottish heritage that I know of, although my daughters are growing up there. Burns' lines seem appropriate. I said elsewhere that "it's easy to get a picture your mother would like, but real success is getting a picture you like." Showing people themselves as warmly as others see them is still my core aim when photographing people.

Adults can be more difficult to photograph than babies, children or teens because they have more life experience and more preconceived ideas.

A relaxed session that is gently steered by the photographer, with input at a pace with which the subject or subjects are happy, is the key ingredient. All the coaching on posing needs to be backed up with an explanation why these apparently artificial actions give more natural photographs than what feels like a natural stance; adults think they know everything and aren't easily swayed. For most people, the idea of a dedicated photo shoot entails a certain level of anxiety and this results in a guarded frame of mind - which is radiated in body language. Posing the body in a more open way actually results in a more relaxed frame of mind and hence produces better shots. I'm not making that up.

Skilful use of lighting in either the studio or natural environment allows warm moments to be captured clearly to deliver the excellent quality expected from a professional shoot. A great eye for people and behaviour allows the photographer to grab those moments however fleeting they are.