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21 Sample Poses to Get You Started Photographing Groups of People

29 Aug

The post 21 Sample Poses to Get You Started Photographing Groups of People appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Guest Contributor.

21 sample poses for photographing groups

Are you looking for some group posing inspiration? Need some group poses for your next family or event photoshoot?

We’ve got you covered.

In this article, I’m going to share my favorite 21 poses for groups, ranging from fun and informal to serious and businesslike.

Let’s dive right in, starting with:

1. Everyone standing together, facing forward

When working with a large group of people, you won’t be able to control each individual’s pose or expression. This works out fine – as long as you pay attention to the overall composition.

So direct everyone to stand together, with no significant gaps. Ask them to face forward and cross their arms over their chests. Most importantly, make sure that all people in the group are visible.

group standing together facing forward

2. The standard full-body shot

When photographing large groups, the only composition that will include everyone into the frame is often a full-body shot.

These shots are usually formal and even documentary, so your primary objective is to ensure everyone in the group is clearly visible. Note the varied poses in the example below; feel free to direct heads and arms, but don’t obsess too much about it.

group standing businesslike

3. Businesslike from above

If possible, shoot from an elevated angle. You might use a balcony or climb on a car to get a higher viewpoint (and if you’re really daring, you could get on a roof).

The higher vantage point will definitely be worth the effort, because instead of an ordinary and common group shot, you will get a more interesting and inviting perspective. As with the group poses discussed above, make sure all individuals are visible.

elevated angle group pose

4. Staggered team

There are occasions when standing separately is more appropriate than keeping everyone tightly packed. It’s not the best way to take a friendly group photo, but it can certainly work well for a small team shot: a band, a TV show cast, or a small business staff.

If a group has a known leader, put them in front for an even stronger composition, then stagger everyone else behind and to the sides. Some overlap between bodies is okay, but ensure that everyone is given ample space in the frame.

staggered team group pose

5. The trio

This is pretty much a standard way to photograph a group of friends. Yes, it’s easy, ordinary, and common, but it really works.

Simply ask your subjects (three is ideal, but four or five can work, too) to position themselves around the tallest group member, shoulder to shoulder, arms around each other.

three people posing together

6. Heads leaning in

Here’s another great pose for friends.

Ask everyone to stand very close together. Then make them lean their heads in slightly – both toward one another and toward the camera. If they’re willing, group members might put their arms around one another.

five people leaning in

7. Head circle (on the ground)

This is another friendly one, and it works great for outdoor photo shoots. Ask the group to form a circle while lying in the grass, then shoot from above.

Make sure everyone is spaced out evenly – in other words, the circle should feel balanced – and looking toward the camera. You can try photographing from different angles: directly overhead, from the side, from a high vantage point, etc.

lying on the ground looking up

8. Over the shoulder

This is a fun and rewarding way to pose a small group of people. Choose a group leader and put them in front, then bring in the others one by one, staggered behind.

Note that each new group member should stand behind the previous person and peek toward the camera over the shoulder. Supporting themselves a little by leaning on the person directly in front adds to the informality of the composition.

people posing together informal

9. Peeking out from behind

A variation on the previous shot, this pose has a slightly sillier feel. Put a group leader in front, then ask the others to peek out from behind.

Pro tip: Take shots with different aperture settings, then decide whether you prefer the entire group in focus or only the leader.

posing with heads behind

10. Jumping in the air

This is a fun way to do an informal picture of a group of friends.

Simply ask everyone to hold hands and jump (ideally while raising their arms above their heads). For the best results, ask the group to make the jump after a short run.

holding hands and jumping in the air pose

11. Heads in a row

Here’s a very rewarding and interesting composition: a group of people in a row, slowly fading into the background.

Check that everybody is clearly visible, then shoot from a close distance with a wide aperture and be sure to focus on the first person. Yes, people farther away will be blurred, but the result is a very interesting and unusual-looking group shot.

heads in a row pose

12. Family on a couch

Now let’s look at some family poses.

The most common way to photograph a family is by asking them to sit on a couch in the living room. No, it’s not the most creative way for a family shot, but it can be done well and generally looks good.

The easiest way to improve these standard compositions is to simply crop tight. Don’t include the couch and room furniture in the shot. Instead, fill the frame with all the family members.

family sitting together on the couch

13. Family on the lawn

Another good idea for family photos is to simply get outside. A front lawn, a local park, and a beach are all excellent places to take some family shots.

Just remember that when subjects are sitting, you shouldn’t remain standing; instead, get low and shoot from your subjects’ eye level.

family sitting together on the lawn

14. Family on the ground

For an intimate family pose, ask everyone to lie together on the ground. Make them lift their upper bodies a bit and support themselves on their arms. Shoot from a low angle for the best results.

family lying together on the lawn

15. Family pile

Here’s a beautiful composition for a family shot, and one that’s tons of fun for kids and adults alike. Choose one family member to lie down flat against the ground, and ask the others to (gently) pile on top.

You can do this one outdoors on the ground or indoors in a bed; note that it works absolutely fine with any number of kids.

family piling on top of each other lying down

16. Family cuddle

This one’s a classic, though make sure the family is comfortable with it before continuing.

Ask the family to sit on their favorite couch and cuddle up tight. Keep everyone staggered enough that all facial features are visible.

family cuddling together on the couch

17. Behind the couch

For an unusual and interesting family picture, turn the traditional couch photo setting around. Simply take your shots from the back side of the couch and see what a huge difference it can make.

Ask the group to huddle together, with the “leader” at the bottom and the rest arrayed behind.

family looking over the back of the couch

18. Behind the couch, separated

Here’s a slight variation on the group pose shared above. Head around the back of the couch and ask the family to peer over – but instead of posing in a pile, have them sit more formally.

family looking over the back of the couch more formal

19. Piggyback posing

This one’s an absolutely beautiful way to create shots of a group of family members. Just ask the kids to hang onto the adults’ backs, then position the adults close together:

piggyback family pose

20. Full-body staggered

If you’re looking for a full-body shot, try this option, where you ask the tallest family member to stand in the back, then stagger the shorter individuals forward.

As you can imagine, this works well with any number of people, though the more folks you include, the more variation you’ll need in height.

staggered group pose full body

21. Walking forward

Here’s your final posing idea for groups:

Take shots of the family walking hand in hand. Make sure they’re spaced out relatively evenly (also, as indicated in the example below, younger kids can be carried).

Pro tip: Shoot in continuous mode and select the photos with the best leg movement and positioning. Make sure to control the focus while subjects are approaching from a distance.

group walking forward while holding hands

Group posing ideas: final words

Well, there you have it:

21 posing ideas to get you started with group photography. Of course, feel free to get creative and come up with different variants on your own. Think of ways you can transform these ideas for your particular shooting scenario and subjects.

Now over to you:

Which of these group poses do you like best? And do you have any group posing ideas of your own? Share them in the comments below!

Kaspars Grinvalds is a photographer working and living in Riga, Latvia. He is the author of Posing App where more poses and tips for people photography are available.

Table of contents

Portrait Photography

  • GENERAL
    • 15 Common Portrait Mistakes to Avoid
    • 10 Ways to Direct a Portrait Shoot like a Pro
    • How to Photograph People: 7 Tips for Photographers Who Never Photograph People
    • 10 Crucial Things You Need to Think About for Portrait Photography
    • 5 Portrait Photography Rules You Should Probably Ignore
    • Five Budget Portrait Photography Hacks to Save You Money
    • 8 Lessons Learned from My First Attempt at Portrait Photography
    • How Self-Portraiture Makes You a Better Photographer
    • The Photo Critique: Portrait Edition
    • 10 Shots, 10 Portraits, 1 Focal Length: Take this Photography Challenge
    • How I Got The Shot: Portrait Style
  • PREPARATION
    • Tips for Preparing for a Portrait Session
    • 8 Tips to Help Make People Comfortable for Their Portrait Session
    • Clothing for Portraits – How to Tell your Subjects What to Wear
    • How to Plan a Successful Sunset Portrait Session
    • 5 Secrets for Finding Great Indoor Photoshoot Locations
    • 10 Christmas Portrait Locations (with Bonus Lighting and Composition Tips)
    • How to Build a Bench Prop for Great Portrait Photos
    • A Beginners Guide to Taking Portraits of Elderly Clients: Part 1 – Preparation and Rapport
    • How to Scout for Portrait Shooting Locations
    • The Importance of Location for Outdoor Portraits
    • How to Choose Urban Landscapes for Portrait Photography
  • SETTINGS
    • The Best Camera Settings for Portrait Photography
    • How to Achieve Blurred Backgrounds in Portrait Photography
    • How to Bypass the Portrait Mode on Your Digital Camera and Get Great Portraits
    • Understanding the Focus and Recompose Technique
    • Overcoming Depth of Field Problems in Portraits
    • 9 Ways to Ensure You Get Sharp Images When Photographing People
    • Stunning Portraits: Manipulating White Balance
    • Shooting for HDR Portraiture
    • How [Not] to Take a Self Timer Portrait
    • How Focal Length Changes the Shape of the Face in Portraiture
  • LIGHTING
    • 5 Tips How to Set Up a Home Studio for Dramatic Portraits
    • Simple Portrait Setups You Can Create on a Tight Budget
    • How to Eliminate Reflections in Glasses in Portraits
    • Portrait Photography: How to Photograph People in the Harsh Midday Sun
    • 4 Ways to Shoot Portraits in the Middle of the Day
    • 6 Portrait Lighting Patterns Every Photographer Should Know
    • 3 Lighting Setups for Photographing Headshots
    • 6 Ways of Using Reflector to Take Better Portraits
    • How to Create and Shoot Night Portraits
    • How to Make Beautiful Portraits Using Flash and High-Speed Sync
    • How to Make a Low Key Portrait (Step by Step)
    • Fill Flash Photography: How to Get Beautiful Portraits (Even in Bad Light)
    • A Lighting Ratios Guide: How to Make (or Break) Your Portraits
    • How to Mix Ambient Light and Fill-Flash for Outdoor Portraits
    • How to Photograph Fantastic Portraits with One Flash
    • DIY How to Build and Use a Reflector to Take Better Portraits
    • Understanding Light for Better Portrait Photography
    • Tips for Doing Natural Light Headshots and Portraits
    • 3 Reasons to do Headshots with Natural Light
    • A Beginners Guide to Taking Portraits of Elderly Clients: Part 2 – Lighting and Posing
    • How to Create Stunning Wide-Angle Portraits (Using an Off-Camera Flash)
    • Tips for Making the Most of Morning Light for Portraits
    • 5 Ways to Use a Beauty Dish Light for Portraits
    • Beginners Tips for Sunrise Portraits : Part I
    • Getting to Grips with Fill Light in Portrait Photography
    • How to Use Flash for Night Portraits
    • What Size Beauty Dish is Right For Your Portrait Photography?
    • How to Create Catch Lights in Your Natural Light Portraits
    • Tips for Using Golden Hour Light for Portraits
    • Side-by-side comparison between reflectors and diffusers for portraits
    • 6 Tips for Taking Better Natural Light Classic Portraits
    • How to Use a Small Softbox With Your Flash to Transform Your Portraits
    • Simple Tips for Positioning Your Portrait Subject to Leverage Natural Light
    • The Importance of Shadows in Portrait Photography
    • So You Have No Model? Here are Ways to Practice Your Portrait Lighting With Toys
    • How to use Colored Gels to Create Unique and Creative Portraits
    • 3 Steps to Professional Looking Headshots Using One Flash
    • How to Use Two LED Lights to Achieve Moody Portraits
    • Made in the Shade – Why Taking Portraits in the Shade Can be Ideal
    • What Is Good Light? (And How to Use It for Beautiful Portraits)
    • How to do Accent Lighting for Portraits
    • Tips For Great Indoor Portraits Using Natural Light
    • 5 Reasons for Doing Natural Light Portraits
    • Review of the Westcott Eyelighter for Headshots and Portraits
    • How to Use Angle of Light in People Photography for Added Punch
    • High Speed Sync Versus a Neutral Density Filter to Overcome Bright Sunlight in Portraits
    • 5 Creative Portrait Lighting Tricks Using Only Phone Light
    • How to Use Off-camera Flash to Fix Lighting Problems for Outdoor Portraits
    • How to Create Awesome Portrait Lighting with a Paper Bag an Elastic Band and a Chocolate Donut
    • Tips for Using Speedlights to Create the Right Lighting for Outdoor Portraits
    • How to use a Gobo to add Depth to Your Portraits with Subtractive Lighting
    • How to Use Hard Lighting to Create a Dramatic Portrait
    • Portrait Comparison – Flash Versus Natural Light
    • Stealing Light – Using Street Lights for Portraits
    • Five Places for Perfect Natural Portrait Lighting
    • How to See the Light for Portraits: A Quick Tip for Beginners
    • Shooting with Available Light – Lifestyle Portraiture
    • 5 Ways to Light Your Christmas Tree Portraits This Festive Season
    • A Simple Lighting Technique for Couples Portraits
    • Awash In Light: High Key Portraiture
    • A Portrait Lighting Project for a Rainy Day
    • Simple Portrait Lighting Setup: Gorgeous Result
    • How to Achieve Great Portraits with Window Light
    • A Simple Exercise on Working with Natural Light in Portraits
    • Small Flash Portraits on Location with Adorama TV
    • Portraits on an Overcast Day? Use a Reflector
    • Tips for Using Flash for Beach Portraits
    • How to Find and Use Natural Reflectors for Portraits
    • How to Create Dramatic Portraits with Shadow Photography
    • Tips for Portrait Photography in Overcast Weather
    • How to Photograph People Outdoors Without Using a Reflector
    • How To Use an Outdoor Studio for Natural Portraits
  • POSING
    • Female Poses: 21 Posing Ideas to Get You Started Photographing Women
    • Glamour Posing Guide: 21 Sample Poses to Get You Started
    • Posing Guide: 21 Sample Poses to Get You Started with Photographing Men
    • Good Crop Bad Crop – How to Crop Portraits
    • How to Pose and Angle the Body for Better Portraits
    • Posing Guide: 21 Sample Poses to Get You Started with Photographing Groups of People

    • Posing Guide: 21 Sample Poses to Get You Started with Photographing Couples
    • Your Guide to the Best Poses for Engagement Photos
    • How to do Gentle Posing: A Collection of Prompts to Get You Started
    • Tips for Posing Large Families and Groups
    • How to Pose People for Headshots
    • Tips for Posing People in Outdoor Portraits
    • 20 Tips for Getting People to Smile in Photos
    • How to Avoid Fake Smiles in Your People Photography
    • Tips for Posing Muscular Female Body Types
    • Your Posing Guide for Maternity Sessions
    • Handiwork: How to Pose Hands
    • Your Guide to Posing Bands in Photography
    • Posing Tip for Portraits – Which Way Should Your Subject Lean?
    • Posing Tips – Waistlines, Thighs and Bustlines
    • 3 Posing Tips for Young Siblings
    • What Everybody Ought to Know About Posing for Portraits
    • Poser: Achieve Perfect Portrait Expression
    • Capturing Better Portraits Between Poses
    • A Posing Technique from A Girl With a Pearl Earring
    • Tips for Posing Men
  • COMPOSITION
    • 6 Types of Portrait Backgrounds for Creative Images
    • 6 Tips for Perfect Composition in Portrait Photography
    • How to Find Great Backgrounds for Outdoor Portraits
    • How to Make Colors Pop in Your Portraits – Without Using Photoshop
    • How to Use Foreground Framing to Improve Your Portrait Photography
    • How to Use Negative Space in People Photography
    • 3 Simple Ways to Use Framing and Layering in Portraits
    • Is Portrait Formatting always best for Portraits?
    • Portrait Tip: Don't Fill the Frame
    • How to Use Portrait Angles More Creatively: A Visual Guide
    • How to Use Facial View and Camera Angle to take Flattering Portraits
  • GEAR
    • Comparing a 50mm Versus 85mm Lens for Photographing People
    • Comparing a 24mm Versus 50mm Lens for Photographing People
    • 3 Tips for Taking Portraits with a Kit Lens
    • Best Fujifilm X-Series Kit for Urban Portraits
    • 3 Ways to Get Killer Portraits Using a Tripod
    • Photographing Portraits with Classic Lenses (includes Example Images)
    • Portrait Photographers: Do You Really Need a 70-200mm Lens?
    • Essential Portrait Photography Gear You Need When Starting Out
    • Portable Portrait Studio in a Bag: Now You Can Take Portraits While on the Road
    • How to Choose the Perfect Portrait Lens
    • Which 50mm Lens is Best for Portraits?
  • ADVANCED GUIDES
    • 13 Tips for Improving Outdoor Portraits
    • Create Beautiful Indoor Portraits Without Flash (NSFW)
    • 10 Tips for Photographing Great Headshots
    • 3 Simple Ways to Create Stunning Eyes in Your Portrait Photography
    • 11 Tips for Photographing High School Senior Portraits
    • Tips for Doing Fall Portraits
    • 6 Tips for Photographing Large People
    • 7 Tips for Black and White Portrait Photography
    • How to Create Environmental Portraits (Tips and Examples)
    • Capturing Unenthusiastic Teens: Forget the Perfect Pose and Get Photos You Truly Love
    • Tips for Taking the Torture out of Extended Family Portrait Sessions
    • Self Portrait Photography Tips
    • What the Mona Lisa Can Teach You About Taking Great Portraits
    • 5 Tips for Musician Portraits (So You Can Hit All the Right Notes)
    • 5 Tips to Help You Take More Natural Looking Portraits
    • 15 Tips for More Powerful Portraits
    • How to Create Dramatic Portraits in Your Garage
    • 9 Tips that Make Couples Happy During a Portrait Session
    • 5 Tips for Taking Better Portraits in Nature
    • Snow Portrait: Behind the Scenes
    • Tips for Creating Dance Portraits
    • How to Take Better Beach Portraits at Any Time of Day
    • The Introverts Guide to Photographing People
    • 6 Ways to Take a Candid Portrait of Somebody You Know
    • 3 Body Language Hacks to Improve Your Portrait Photography
    • 5 More Tips for Making Better Black and White Portraits
    • Tips for Planning and Capturing a Creative Portrait
    • 5 Tips for Creating Romantic Portraits of Couples
    • 10 Tips to Create Emotive Portraits
    • 7 Tips for Photographing a Bridal Portrait Session
    • 3 Lessons I Learned by Doing a Self-Portrait Project
    • The Ultimate Guide to Photographing People for the Shy Photographer
    • Tips for Getting Yourself to Relax as a Photographer and Have More Successful Portrait Sessions
    • Tips for Taking More Natural Engagement Portraits
    • 6 Tips for Better Portraits on Location
    • 7 Ways to Take Advantage of Autumn in Your Portrait Photography
    • 7 Tips and Etiquette for Taking Portraits in Public
    • How to Make a Unique Portrait in the City at Night
    • 3 Tips for Creating Outstanding Portraits, Inspired by the work of Dutch Artist Van Gogh
    • 5 Keys to Taking Beautiful Maternity Portraits
    • Photographing People: To do Styled Portraits or Not?
    • 7 Steps to Capturing Truth in Your Portraiture
    • Engagement Portrait Shoots: 7 Professional Tips to take your Engagement Shoots to the Next Level
    • Personalities and Portraits – and Getting Them to Mix
    • 3 Reasons to Have Your Own Portrait Taken
    • 5 Tips for Photographing Portfolio-Worthy Costume Portraits
    • 3 Critical People Skills Portrait Photographers Need
    • The Essence of Masculinity – Portraits of Men
    • 5 Corporate-Style Portrait Techniques
    • 5 Tips for Doing Portrait Photography in Busy Locations
    • Tips for Great Beach Sunset Portraits
  • CREATIVE TECHNIQUES
    • How to Create Portraits with a Black Background
    • How Using Props in Portraits Can Make Your Photos More Interesting
    • How to Take Unique Crystal Ball Portraits
    • How to Create a Hollywood Film Noir Portrait
    • How to Create this “Fight Club” Inspired Portrait using One Light
    • Dragging the Shutter for Creative Portraits
    • 5 Secrets for Creating Perfect Silhouette Portrait Photography
    • How to do Tilt-Shift Portraits
    • Copper, Prisms, and Orbs, Oh My! – 3 Creative Techniques for People Photography
    • Portrait Tip: Add Interest and Movement into Your Shots with Wind
    • Glitter Portrait: How I Took It
    • How to Create a Unique Bokeh Portrait for Under $ 10
    • 5 Ways to Use a Piece of Glass for Unique Portraits
    • Room with a View: How to Create this Window with Blinds Portrait Anywhere
    • 7 Steps to Perfect White Portrait Backgrounds in the Studio
    • How to Make Unique Portraits Using Light Painting
  • POST-PROCESSING
    • 11 Steps for Basic Portrait Editing in Lightroom – A Beginner’s Guide
    • Five Common Portrait Retouching Mistakes to Avoid
    • How to Create a Dramatic Cinematic Style Portrait Using Photoshop Color Grading
    • How to Edit Corporate Headshots in Lightroom
    • How to Create a Dark and Moody Rembrandt-Style Portrait In Lightroom
    • How to Retouch a Portrait with the Adjustment Brush in Lightroom
    • Photoshop: Red Eye Fix for Difficult Cases in People and Pets
    • 3 Steps to Photoshop Retouching for Natural Looking Portraits
    • How to do Frequency Separation Portrait Retouching in Photoshop
    • Basic Portrait Post-Processing Workflow Tips to Help You Save Time and Stay Organized
    • How to Add a Grunge Effect to Your Portraits Using Lightroom
    • How to Create Twinkle Lights for Christmas Tree Portraits in Photoshop
    • How to Enhance Portraits Using Gray Layers to Dodge and Burn in Photoshop
    • How to Blur the Background of a Portrait Using the Magnetic Lasso Tool in Photoshop
    • How to Use Photoshop Blending Modes for Fine Art Portraiture
    • Stylized Techniques for Editing Portraits Using Lightroom
    • How to Make a Bubble Portrait using Photoshop CS3
    • Creating a Black and White High Contrast Portrait Edit in Lightroom
    • How to Create a “Soft Portrait” Preset in Lightroom 4
    • Basic Photoshop Tutorial – How to Add Creative Overlays to Your Portraits
    • 3 Essential Photoshop Tools for New Portrait Photographers
    • How to Make Creative Lightroom Develop Presets for Portraits
    • 5 Reasons to Use Lightroom for Portrait Retouching
    • Advanced Portrait Retouch on a Male Subject in Lightroom 4 – Part 1 of 3
    • 3 Ways to Make Selective Color Portraits Using Lightroom and Silver Efex Pro 2
    • Correcting For Under Exposure and Boosting Dynamic Range with an Environmental Portrait in Lightroom 4
    • How to do Portrait Retouching With Luminar
    • Tips for Portrait Processing with ON1 Photo RAW 2018.5
    • 5 Tips to Cut Your Portrait Editing Time in Half
  • BUSINESS
    • Portrait Consultations: Two Questions That Make A Big Difference
    • How to Shoot a Self Portrait to Support your Brand Identity
  • INSPIRATION
    • 5 Examples of Beautiful Simple Portraits
    • DISCUSS: When you Photograph People in Black and White, you Photograph their Souls
    • 21 Inspirational Natural Light Portraits
    • 24 Photos of Perfectly Posed Portraits
    • 19 More Creative Mirror Self Portraits
    • 18 Stunning Self Portraits
    • Interview with Fine Art Portrait Photographer Bill Gekas
    • 11 Influential Portrait Photographers you Need to Know
    • Black and White Portraits a Set of Images to Admire
    • Nadav Kander on Portrait Photography [VIDEO]
    • 21 Spooky Portraits
    • Inspiring Portraits of Women – a Collection of Images
    • 12.5 Years of Daily Self Portraits [VIDEO]
    • Interview with Self Portrait and 365 Photographer – Anna Gay
    • Triptych Portrait Series
    • 8 Striking Portraits from Photograph Einar Erici [Shot in 1930]
    • An Interview With Underwater Portrait Photographer Sacha Blue
    • Masters of Photography – Yousuf Karsh Portrait Photographer
    • 21 Fun Images of People Laughing
  • RESOURCES
    • Portrait Photography: Secrets of Posing & Lighting [Book Review]
    • The Luminous Portrait: Book Review
    • The Portrait Photography Course by Mark Jenkinson – Book Review
    • The Perfect Portrait Guide – How to Photograph People – Book Review
    • Improve Your Portraits with these Courses from Ed Verosky
    • People Photography and Portraits: Best Resources Toolbox

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Over the shoulder”},{“id”:”peeking-out-from-behind”,”permalink”:”https:\/\/digital-photography-school.com\/posing-guide-21-sample-poses-to-get-you-started-with-photographing-groups-of-people\/”,”title”:”9. Peeking out from behind”},{“id”:”jumping-in-the-air”,”permalink”:”https:\/\/digital-photography-school.com\/posing-guide-21-sample-poses-to-get-you-started-with-photographing-groups-of-people\/”,”title”:”10. Jumping in the air”},{“id”:”heads-in-a-row”,”permalink”:”https:\/\/digital-photography-school.com\/posing-guide-21-sample-poses-to-get-you-started-with-photographing-groups-of-people\/”,”title”:”11. Heads in a row”},{“id”:”family-on-a-couch”,”permalink”:”https:\/\/digital-photography-school.com\/posing-guide-21-sample-poses-to-get-you-started-with-photographing-groups-of-people\/”,”title”:”12. Family on a couch”},{“id”:”family-on-the-lawn”,”permalink”:”https:\/\/digital-photography-school.com\/posing-guide-21-sample-poses-to-get-you-started-with-photographing-groups-of-people\/”,”title”:”13. Family on the lawn”},{“id”:”family-on-the-ground”,”permalink”:”https:\/\/digital-photography-school.com\/posing-guide-21-sample-poses-to-get-you-started-with-photographing-groups-of-people\/”,”title”:”14. Family on the ground”},{“id”:”family-pile”,”permalink”:”https:\/\/digital-photography-school.com\/posing-guide-21-sample-poses-to-get-you-started-with-photographing-groups-of-people\/”,”title”:”15. Family pile”},{“id”:”family-cuddle”,”permalink”:”https:\/\/digital-photography-school.com\/posing-guide-21-sample-poses-to-get-you-started-with-photographing-groups-of-people\/”,”title”:”16. Family cuddle”},{“id”:”behind-the-couch”,”permalink”:”https:\/\/digital-photography-school.com\/posing-guide-21-sample-poses-to-get-you-started-with-photographing-groups-of-people\/”,”title”:”17. Behind the couch”},{“id”:”behind-the-couch-separated”,”permalink”:”https:\/\/digital-photography-school.com\/posing-guide-21-sample-poses-to-get-you-started-with-photographing-groups-of-people\/”,”title”:”18. Behind the couch, separated”},{“id”:”piggyback-posing”,”permalink”:”https:\/\/digital-photography-school.com\/posing-guide-21-sample-poses-to-get-you-started-with-photographing-groups-of-people\/”,”title”:”19. Piggyback posing”},{“id”:”full-body-staggered”,”permalink”:”https:\/\/digital-photography-school.com\/posing-guide-21-sample-poses-to-get-you-started-with-photographing-groups-of-people\/”,”title”:”20. Full-body staggered”},{“id”:”walking-forward”,”permalink”:”https:\/\/digital-photography-school.com\/posing-guide-21-sample-poses-to-get-you-started-with-photographing-groups-of-people\/”,”title”:”21. Walking forward “},{“id”:”group-posing-ideas-final-words”,”permalink”:”https:\/\/digital-photography-school.com\/posing-guide-21-sample-poses-to-get-you-started-with-photographing-groups-of-people\/”,”title”:”Group posing ideas: final words”},{“id”:”everyone-standing-together-facing-forward”,”permalink”:”https:\/\/digital-photography-school.com\/posing-guide-21-sample-poses-to-get-you-started-with-photographing-groups-of-people\/”,”title”:”1. Everyone standing together, facing forward”},{“id”:”the-standard-full-body-shot”,”permalink”:”https:\/\/digital-photography-school.com\/posing-guide-21-sample-poses-to-get-you-started-with-photographing-groups-of-people\/”,”title”:”2. The standard full-body shot”},{“id”:”businesslike-from-above”,”permalink”:”https:\/\/digital-photography-school.com\/posing-guide-21-sample-poses-to-get-you-started-with-photographing-groups-of-people\/”,”title”:”3. Businesslike from above”},{“id”:”staggered-team”,”permalink”:”https:\/\/digital-photography-school.com\/posing-guide-21-sample-poses-to-get-you-started-with-photographing-groups-of-people\/”,”title”:”4. Staggered team”},{“id”:”the-trio”,”permalink”:”https:\/\/digital-photography-school.com\/posing-guide-21-sample-poses-to-get-you-started-with-photographing-groups-of-people\/”,”title”:”5. The trio”},{“id”:”heads-leaning-in”,”permalink”:”https:\/\/digital-photography-school.com\/posing-guide-21-sample-poses-to-get-you-started-with-photographing-groups-of-people\/”,”title”:”6. Heads leaning in”},{“id”:”head-circle-on-the-ground”,”permalink”:”https:\/\/digital-photography-school.com\/posing-guide-21-sample-poses-to-get-you-started-with-photographing-groups-of-people\/”,”title”:”7. Head circle (on the ground)”},{“id”:”over-the-shoulder”,”permalink”:”https:\/\/digital-photography-school.com\/posing-guide-21-sample-poses-to-get-you-started-with-photographing-groups-of-people\/”,”title”:”8. Over the shoulder”},{“id”:”peeking-out-from-behind”,”permalink”:”https:\/\/digital-photography-school.com\/posing-guide-21-sample-poses-to-get-you-started-with-photographing-groups-of-people\/”,”title”:”9. Peeking out from behind”},{“id”:”jumping-in-the-air”,”permalink”:”https:\/\/digital-photography-school.com\/posing-guide-21-sample-poses-to-get-you-started-with-photographing-groups-of-people\/”,”title”:”10. Jumping in the air”},{“id”:”heads-in-a-row”,”permalink”:”https:\/\/digital-photography-school.com\/posing-guide-21-sample-poses-to-get-you-started-with-photographing-groups-of-people\/”,”title”:”11. Heads in a row”},{“id”:”family-on-a-couch”,”permalink”:”https:\/\/digital-photography-school.com\/posing-guide-21-sample-poses-to-get-you-started-with-photographing-groups-of-people\/”,”title”:”12. Family on a couch”},{“id”:”family-on-the-lawn”,”permalink”:”https:\/\/digital-photography-school.com\/posing-guide-21-sample-poses-to-get-you-started-with-photographing-groups-of-people\/”,”title”:”13. Family on the lawn”},{“id”:”family-on-the-ground”,”permalink”:”https:\/\/digital-photography-school.com\/posing-guide-21-sample-poses-to-get-you-started-with-photographing-groups-of-people\/”,”title”:”14. Family on the ground”},{“id”:”family-pile”,”permalink”:”https:\/\/digital-photography-school.com\/posing-guide-21-sample-poses-to-get-you-started-with-photographing-groups-of-people\/”,”title”:”15. Family pile”},{“id”:”family-cuddle”,”permalink”:”https:\/\/digital-photography-school.com\/posing-guide-21-sample-poses-to-get-you-started-with-photographing-groups-of-people\/”,”title”:”16. Family cuddle”},{“id”:”behind-the-couch”,”permalink”:”https:\/\/digital-photography-school.com\/posing-guide-21-sample-poses-to-get-you-started-with-photographing-groups-of-people\/”,”title”:”17. Behind the couch”},{“id”:”behind-the-couch-separated”,”permalink”:”https:\/\/digital-photography-school.com\/posing-guide-21-sample-poses-to-get-you-started-with-photographing-groups-of-people\/”,”title”:”18. Behind the couch, separated”},{“id”:”piggyback-posing”,”permalink”:”https:\/\/digital-photography-school.com\/posing-guide-21-sample-poses-to-get-you-started-with-photographing-groups-of-people\/”,”title”:”19. Piggyback posing”},{“id”:”full-body-staggered”,”permalink”:”https:\/\/digital-photography-school.com\/posing-guide-21-sample-poses-to-get-you-started-with-photographing-groups-of-people\/”,”title”:”20. Full-body staggered”},{“id”:”walking-forward”,”permalink”:”https:\/\/digital-photography-school.com\/posing-guide-21-sample-poses-to-get-you-started-with-photographing-groups-of-people\/”,”title”:”21. Walking forward “},{“id”:”group-posing-ideas-final-words”,”permalink”:”https:\/\/digital-photography-school.com\/posing-guide-21-sample-poses-to-get-you-started-with-photographing-groups-of-people\/”,”title”:”Group posing ideas: final words”}] };

The post 21 Sample Poses to Get You Started Photographing Groups of People appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Guest Contributor.


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Volcano for the People: Stunning visuals from Iceland’s spectacular volcanic eruption

19 Apr

Following thousands of earthquakes beginning in February, the Fagradalsfjall volcano on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula erupted on March 19. Since then, the volcano has been erupting with new fissure vents opening, including a new one over this past weekend. Given the volcano’s accessible location, thousands of people have visited the site and seen the eruption for themselves. Photographer and wildlife conservationist Donal Boyd and director and filmmaker Frank Nieuwenhuis created a short human interest film, ‘Volcano for the People,’ about the incredible natural event and the experience of enjoying it with others.

Nature is often enjoyed in solitude or in small groups. However, the ongoing volcanic eruption in Iceland is attracting hundreds to thousands of people at a time. Enjoying nature has transformed from something enjoyed independently to something enjoyed as a collective experience. The video below touches on that shift and what it means to the people enjoying the spectacle. The video includes breathtaking visuals, including stunning drone shots.

Boyd and Nieuwenhuis also created a behind-the-scenes video, showing how they were able to make the short film above. The duo spent just under a week planning, shooting and editing their video. Isn’t it dangerous to visit an active volcano? The eruption event on the Reykjanes Peninsula is unique. As Iceland was hit with thousands of earthquakes, scientists could track the magma flowing underground until it finally broke through the surface. The eruption occurred in a valley, so there are many safe viewing areas surrounding it. So long as the wind is at your back, blowing away toxic gases from the eruption, it’s safe. The Icelandic Meteorological Office, Icelandic Search and Rescue, and on-site advisors have regularly updated safety protocols so that risks to visitors are minimized. It’s an ever-changing situation, of course, so what was safe during the making of Boyd and Niewenhuis’s video may no longer be safe.

Although the volcano site was accessible, the hike to and from the area was still 2-3 hours. This meant that Boyd and Nieuwenhuis wanted to keep their gear as light as possible, although it’s easier said than done. Since they wanted to record not only the eruption itself but also the people at the site, their bags were essentially packed to the brim. Interview sequences were shot on Sony A7R III, Sony A7R IV and Canon EOS R5 mirrorless cameras with a Sigma 24mm F1.4 Art lens. Distant shots of spectators were captured with a Sigma 135mm F1.8 Art lens or a Sony FE 135mm F1.8 G Master lens. Other lenses used during production included the Canon RF 50mm F1.2 and an older Canon 300mm F2.8 lens for extreme close-ups. Aerial shots were captured using a DJI Mavic Air 2. At times, the lava was so bright that Boyd needed to attach his strongest ND filter to the Mavic Air 2.

Alongside the pair of videos above for Adorama TV, Donal Boyd also wrote an article for Adorama about how to photograph an active volcano. The article includes some background about the volcano, tips on gear and, importantly, safety advice and where to get the latest viewing conditions. In addition to a lot of useful information, Boyd’s article also includes amazing images, so be sure to check it out.

If you’d like to see more from Boyd, follow him on Instagram. More of Niewenhuis’s work can be seen on Instagram and YouTube.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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11 Tips for Posing People With Confidence (+ Examples)

11 Apr

The post 11 Tips for Posing People With Confidence (+ Examples) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Andrew S. Gibson.

11 tips for posing people with confidence

How can you pose people in photography with amazing results?

In this article, you’ll discover 11 simple tips to start people posing like a pro (plus plenty of example images).

So if you’re ready to take your portrait photography to the next level, then let’s get started!

(Also, if you’re looking for posing inspiration, check out our handy Portrait Posing Guide, which offers a whopping 67 sample portrait poses.)

Before the shoot

Here are some points to think about before you even pick up your camera:

1. What kind of shoot is it?

The posing requirements for a family portrait shoot are very different than the requirements for a fashion shoot.

So don’t think about posing until you’ve determined the type of shoot you’re doing!

people posing photography

2. Look for inspiration online

Chances are that you have a few photographers you follow on websites like Flickr and 500px. You’ll find some good poses in their portfolios.

So download your favorite poses to your smartphone (or use Pinterest to create a mood board; I cover this in more detail in my article, How to Plan the Perfect Portrait Shoot). That way, you have something you can show to your model.

Don’t try and commit the poses to memory – you will forget them under pressure!

man in chair pose

3. Match the pose to your model

This is important.

You’ll see some wonderful poses in fashion magazines. But many of them need a professional model to pull them off.

And your model may not be able to do those – so tailor the pose to your model (not the other way around!).

people posing photography woman on stairs

4. Buy the Posing App

The Posing App gives you over 300 poses that you can access on your smartphone.

people posing the posing app
Screenshots from the Posing App. The line drawings are easy to understand and follow.

The best way to use the app is to select five to ten poses and add them to your favorites. Then you can show them to your model so they know what you want them to do.

(In fact, the author of the app has written several articles about posing for Digital Photography School you will find useful!)

During the shoot

No matter how experienced or inexperienced your model is, here are some tips to help you capture the perfect pose during the shoot:

5. Build rapport

This is essential. If your model likes you and sees what you are trying to achieve, they will work harder.

Talk to your model about things they like; this will help produce more life in their eyes and get better expressions, including natural smiles. And they’ll be more relaxed.

But if your model is tense, you are going to struggle to get natural-looking portraits. In that case, take the pressure off the model and bring it back on yourself. Assure them that if the photos don’t work out, it’s your fault, not theirs. Build their confidence.

6. Look for natural expressions

As you talk to your model, you will notice natural expressions and mannerisms that you can capture.

Don’t be afraid to say “Hold that pose!” or “Do that again.”

people posing photography
I noticed that this model had an interesting mannerism, so I asked her to repeat the gesture. The result turned out to be one of her favorites!

7. Adapt poses

When you suggest a pose to your model – such as a pose used in another photo or a pose from the Posing App – treat it as a starting point. Then adapt it to suit the model.

In other words: If your model looks unnatural in a certain pose, then change it! Adjust each pose to suit your model’s body and clothes.

woman posing against a wall
The pose on the left is one I found in the Posing App. For the second portrait, I asked my model to drop her left arm so I couldn’t see it. Don’t be afraid to tweak poses; sometimes a small change makes a big difference.

8. Simplify

Keep everything as simple as possible. This applies to composition, as well as the clothes and jewelry your model is wearing.

If your model has too much jewelry, ask them to remove some. It’ll improve the composition.

If you’re struggling to find a good full-length pose, move in closer and shoot from the waist up, or do a head-and-shoulders portrait. The background will go more out of focus, and there will be less of the model in the photo (i.e., the shot will be simplified!).

woman posing simply
Simplification in action. The closer you crop, the easier it is to pose your model. This is a good technique to use if you are struggling to make a certain pose work.

9. Pay attention to detail

Pay special attention to hands, which often look better turned sideways. Look at photos where the model’s hands look elegant or are nicely posed, and ask your model to do the same.

people posing photography man against wall

Check your model’s hair to make sure stray strands aren’t blowing across their face or eyes. Look at their clothes to make sure they aren’t wrinkled or creased in a strange way.

10. Find something for your model to lean on

This makes it much easier to create a natural-looking pose.

two woman posing with walls
Two different ways to use a wall to give a model something to do. The Posing App has lots of poses for leaning.

11. Use props

If the model has a prop to hold or otherwise interact with, it gives them something to do.

model with a hoop
The model in this photo was into hooping. Using the hoop as a prop gave her something to hold and added interest to the portrait.

And if they’re having fun with the props, you’re more likely to get a great expression!

woman with a horse people posing
I suggested the model bring her horses along to the shoot. The horses are a natural prop, and her interaction with them led to photos like this one.

Posing people with confidence: conclusion

There you have it:

11 easy tips for posing people!

So the next time you’re photographing a person, make sure to try some of these tips out!

Now over to you:

Do you have any tips for our readers about people posing? What has worked for you? Share your experiences, tips, and images in the comments below.

The post 11 Tips for Posing People With Confidence (+ Examples) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Andrew S. Gibson.


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Comparing a 24mm Versus 50mm Lens for Photographing People

28 Nov

The post Comparing a 24mm Versus 50mm Lens for Photographing People appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Meredith Clark.

24mm versus 50mm for photographing people
Image taken with a Canon 60D and a Canon 24mm lens.

How does a 24mm lens compare to a 50mm lens when photographing people? Both are great options, given the low price point, but they do have slightly different strengths when it comes to people photography.

In this article, I’ll show you several different images of the same model, location, and pose, photographed with both a 24mm and a 50mm lens. This will provide a good visual of the difference between the two lenses, and should give you insight as to when you might want to reach for each option.

Equipment used

For continuity, all images in this post were taken with a Canon 60D and either the Canon 24mm f/2.8 or the Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens.

The Canon 60D is an APS-C (cropped-sensor) camera, so you’ll need to multiply the focal length of each of your lenses by 1.6x in order to determine their effective focal length on this camera (though if you use Nikon APS-C cameras, your crop factor is 1.5x).

So on a cropped sensor camera, a 24mm lens functions roughly as a 38mm lens, and a 50mm lens functions as an 80mm lens.

24mm shows off the background

When it comes to photographing people, a 50mm lens emphasizes the subject, whereas a 24mm lens shows the environment.

24mm versus 50mm for photographing people
Image taken with a Canon 60D and a 50mm lens.

That’s why a 50mm lens is great for head and shoulders portraits, while a 24mm lens is great for photographing people in the context of their surroundings. In the above example, you can see that the 50mm lens provided a tight shot of these two sisters, with a blurred background that keeps all the attention on their faces.

However, the context for this session is also important – it took place at a family vineyard, and the clients wanted to be sure that the grapes were visible in the background of some of the images. As you can see above, the grapes weren’t visible in the portrait taken with the 50mm lens, nor would closing down the aperture really give the perspective of the vineyard that my clients were looking for.

So after taking a few portraits with the 50mm, I switched over to my 24mm lens in order to capture a few wider shots.

24mm photo of two girls
Image taken with a Canon 60D and a Canon 24mm lens.

The shot above shows the same girls, the same exact location, and a very similar pose. The only real difference is that, with the switch to the 24mm lens, you can see more of the girls and the area around them.

In some instances, you may want to minimize the area around your subject, in which case the 24mm lens would not be ideal. However, in this case, it allowed me to capture images that highlighted both the girls and the vineyard, which was what the clients were after.

Bonus tip: Photographing sibling sets with a 24mm lens also allows you to see the height differences between siblings more easily (thanks to the wider perspective), which is something that a lot of parents really enjoy.

50mm photo of a young man
Image taken with a Canon 60D and a 50mm lens.

Think about the background color

Another thing to consider, besides the contents of the background in your images, is the coloring of the background.

In the image above, the deep-colored wood background brings a moodiness to the image that could be appropriate for a musician. However, the interesting thing is that the overall feeling of the image changes quite a bit when you look at it from the 24mm angle of view:

24mm photo of a young man
Image taken with a Canon 60D and a 24mm lens.

The second image, though in the same location, feels a lot less moody and dramatic than the first. The lighter stonework around the door brings a sense of balance to the image that just wouldn’t be achieved as well with the 50mm lens in this location.

In my experience, this balance is especially important when it comes to converting images to black and white.

24mm versus 50mm for photographing people in black and white

As you can see in the left image, the lighter stonework around the darker door serves as a frame for the subject and naturally draws your eye in toward him.

In addition, the increased contrast and texture provides some of the key ingredients for black and white images, which makes the image on the left more aesthetically pleasing than the image on the right.

24mm vs 50mm: Try using both!

Overall, while there may be instances in which the content or coloring of your background may cause you to reach for one of these lenses over the other, I’m very much in favor of using both of them whenever possible.

Here’s a quick example from my own life to explain why both are so great for their own reasons. I recently photographed my girls in their Halloween costumes. I started with the 50mm lens because it’s my favorite:

two girls in costumes at 50mm
Image taken with a Canon 60D and a 50mm lens.

I love this image of both girls – the 50mm lens really lets you see their faces and expressions, and the bokeh of the 50mm f/1.8 helped soften the construction site in the background of the image. However, the closer crop also means that only a small portion of their costumes is visible.

So I switched over to my 24mm lens to take a full-length photo (below) of my little monkey and lion.

Now I can really see them from head to toe. I can see the little fake feet of the monkey costume that freaked out my youngest daughter so much that she begged her sister to switch costumes with her. I can see the height difference between the two of them. I can see the black flats that my oldest daughter is so proud of and wears to any event that she deems remotely “fancy.”

Those are all things that I want to look back on and remember. I love both images for different reasons and am so happy to have them both, thanks to my trusty 24mm and 50mm lenses.

two girls in costumes at 24mm
Image taken with a Canon 60D and a 24mm lens.

24mm vs 50mm for photographing people: conclusion

I hope this has given you a good idea of how these two focal lengths compare when photographing people.

Have you tried a 24mm lens? How do you use it? Do you have a 50mm lens and do you use it for people photography? Which lens is your favorite? Please share your comments and images below!

The post Comparing a 24mm Versus 50mm Lens for Photographing People appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Meredith Clark.


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Home on the range: Exploring Sony’s AF technologies on people and animals

29 Sep

Sony’s current range of Alpha and RX-series cameras are packed with the company’s latest autofocus technologies. These include highly advanced face and eye-detection for both human and animal subjects.

Photographer and Rancher Alyssa Henry lives with her family on her ranch in Montana. A perfect location – and perfect subject-matter – to put Sony’s latest autofocus technologies to the test.

Home on the range: Sample images

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This is sponsored content, created with the support of Amazon and Sony. What does this mean?

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Review: The DJI Mavic Air 2 is the best all-around drone for most people

01 May

DJI Mavic Air 2
$ 799 ($ 998 with ‘Fly More’ kit) | dji.com

DJI just released the Mavic Air 2, the successor to the original Mavic Air that arrived in 2018. Notably, it’s the first Mavic drone to offer 48MP stills, 8K HyperLapse and 4K/60p video at 120 Mbps. It’s also the first consumer drone equipped with AirSense, DJI’s alert system that receives automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) signals from nearby manned aircraft and displays their location on the remote control’s screen

Whereas the original Mavic Air comes in a variety of colors and resembles the DJI Spark, the Mavic Air 2 falls between the Mavic Mini and Mavic 2 Pro with regards to appearance, size, performance, and weight. DJI told us it did a lot of testing to determine the best balance between size, portability, and features, and determined that 570g (1.25 lbs.)—the weight of the Mavic Air 2—overwhelmingly felt right.

Arriving at an ideal weight and size apparently wasn’t the only priority for DJI when crafting the Mavic Air 2. Adding features found in more sophisticated drones, including the Inspire 2, to a model 337 grams lighter than the Mavic 2 series, DJI also aimed to make this its smartest drone to date. Did they pull it off? Let’s take a look and find out if the Mavic Air 2 is the right drone for you.

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Key features

  • 570g (1.25 lbs.) total weight
  • 1/2″ 48MP CMOS image sensor
  • 24mm equivalent lens (84º FOV), fixed F2.8 aperture
  • 12MP and 48MP photos
  • 4K/60p and HD/240p video at 120Mbps
  • H.264 and H.265 codecs
  • HDR video and panorama
  • 8K HyperLapse
  • Spotlight 2.0 subject tracking
  • Advanced Pilot Assistance System (APAS) 3.0
  • 34-minute max flight time
  • 68 kph (42 mph) max speed

The compact, feature-packed Mavic Air 2

When folded down, the Mavic Air 2 is 180x97x84 mm and fits in the palm of your hand. This is slightly larger than the original Mavic Air, but it’s still quite a bit smaller than the Mavic 2 Pro and Mavic 2 Zoom models in the line above it.

The Mavic Air 2 is larger than the minuscule Mavic Air, but it still fits in the palm of your hand (mostly).

A more dramatic change is found in the design of the controller; it’s larger and boxier than other remotes in the Mavic series, and is designed to mount a smartphone on top rather than on the bottom, like past Mavic models. The phone is secured with a clamp similar to DJI Phantom series remotes, though it doesn’t extend far enough to hold a tablet. The clamp on the controller is quite difficult to adjust and securing the smartphone is a struggle at times.

Remote pilots can easily toggle between Tripod, Normal, and Sport flight modes as the mode switch is featured front-and-center on the controller. Similar to other Mavic remotes, Return to Home and Power buttons are on the front. The upper-right button allows you to alternate between still photos and video.

The Mavic Air 2’s controller is larger than others in the Mavic series and mounts the smartphone to the top, rather than the bottom, for better visibility. It also works with a case on your phone, unlike previous Mavic controllers.

The upper-left button features a ‘Fn’ button that activates the auxiliary light and additional sensors that assist with several functions, including smoother landing in low-light conditions. There’s also a controller wheel on the top left that tilts the camera up and down. Two joysticks are stored at the bottom and can be screwed on for flying or removed for storage.

When first unboxing the Mavic Air 2, you’ll notice stickers labeled ‘A’ and ‘B’ on the top and bottom arms of the foldable drone. The legs unfold in the same manner as the Mavic 2 and Mini, and the labels are affixed with a beginner pilot in mind. Two bags labeled ‘A’ and ‘B’ contain 3 propellers, 1 extra for each type if a replacement is necessary.

The Mavic Air 2’s controller is designed to mount a smartphone on top rather than the bottom.

Attachment points for the props are color-coded, with a silver ring where the ‘A’ props attach and plain black for the ‘B’ props. It’s a subtle touch to help ensure that all components are properly affixed, and if a propeller is incorrectly placed the drone will not take off. This might confuse consumers new to flying a drone, but it’s a good safety feature. The props have an aerodynamic design that allows for quieter flight, and the Mavic Air 2 is quieter than the Mavic Mini – which is less than half its weight.

The camera sits snugly on a 3-axis gimbal. The sensors at top are part of the obstacle avoidance system.

Photos and video

The camera, which uses a 1/2″ CMOS Quad Bayer sensor, is mounted on a 3-axis stabilized gimbal. It can capture Raw images, JPEG images (at either 12MP or 48MP resolution), as well as Raw + JPEG. In addition to standard movements, the gimbal can tilt upward up to 24º.

The Air 2’s camera boasts a 24mm (equiv.) fixed-aperture F2.8 lens with an 84º FOV. DJI’s Fly More combo includes 3 neutral density filters that appear to twist and snap on and off like those for the Mavic 2 Pro. (Our review unit didn’t include filters so we were unable to test them).

DJI has also added SmartPhoto modes, similar to computational photography techniques used by many smartphones, to improve photo quality. These include:

  • HDR photos: the camera automatically captures 7 different exposures and combines them for greater dynamic image.
  • Hyperlight: images taken in low-light conditions, especially on DJI drones, tend to be grainy and contain noise. Hyperlight takes multiple photos and merges them for a clearer image.
  • Scene recognition: this mode allows the drone to recognize 5 major components of a photo – sunsets, blue skies, grass, snow, and trees. It will analyze these objects and maximize tone, clarity, and colors.

SmartPhotos are captured at a resolution of 12MP

One thing I noticed is that 48MP images are a bit darker relative to Single or SmartPhotos. The latter feature worked quite well when capturing a sunset, and the HDR photos I was able to capture are quite good for a 1/2″ sensor and could be passed off in professional situations.

In Single and 48MP mode, the sky and sun were blown out while the foreground was practically pitch black. SmartPhoto recognized these components. Both photos are unedited.

I was surprised at how well Hyperlight and Scene Recognition worked, as evidenced in the photo above. Panoramas could be improved, as stitching doesn’t always match up, though the app I’m using is still technically in beta and some of these bugs will likely be ironed out with subsequent firmware updates.

The Air 2 is the first drone in the Mavic series that can capture 4K/60p video at 120 Mbps using the H.265 codec. This is impressive for a drone that retails under $ 1,000. Additionally, there’s 4K/30p HDR video, and HD/120p and HD/240p will deliver some serious slow-motion footage — up to 10x on a 24p timeline.

The Mavic Air 2 shoots impressive 4K/60p video, thanks to its support for the H.265 coded at bit rates up to 120 Mbps.

I was quite impressed with the quality of the 4K/60p and even 4K/30p video. However, objects in my slow-motion clips were a bit more blurry than I expected, even at a 240p frame rate. Does the 120 Mbps bit rate make a difference here? Yes, for this particular camera. The quality of video footage I was able to gather in various lighting scenarios is exceptional.

DJI’s normal color profile has been optimized for the ideal amount of saturation and detail, but its D-Cinelike profile is also included for more advanced shooters. 8K HyperLapse video will be available when the Air 2 ships in mid-May, 2020.

These video clips, captured at HD/120p and HD/240p are slowed down 4x and 8x on a 30 fps timeline. At 8x slow motion, movement of the tennis players in the second clip is barely noticeable.

Odds and ends

The Mavic Air 2 comes equipped with obstacle avoidance sensors on the front, rear and bottom of the aircraft. There aren’t any sensors on top. An auxiliary light with additional sensors, which can be activated from the controller, is located on the bottom to assist with landing in challenging conditions such as low-light environments.

DJI claims a maximum 34 minutes of flight time for the Mavic Air 2, a significant increase from the 21-minute life expectancy of the original Air model, though this figure is derived from flying in ideal conditions; DJI states that 33 minutes is more likely when performing a typical flight. I flew in moderate winds and found the figure to be closer to 30 – 31 minutes, on par with the Mavic 2 series.

The bottom of the drone includes obstacle avoidance sensors and an auxiliary light.

A microSD card slot, which supports up to 256GB, is located below the battery portal. 8GB of internal storage is provided as backup should the memory card become full (or if you forget to bring a card along). Photos or video captured internally can be accessed through the micro USB portal on the opposite side of the card slot. Two cables that connect to a laptop are included with the Mavic Air 2.

This model is also equipped with DJI’s Geo system, which prevents drones from entering prohibited areas including airports. For those unfamiliar with drone laws, this feature will come in handy. Geo zones, as well as ADS-B, can be deactivated in the Fly app.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Canon EOS R: much improved for people and portraits

21 Apr

We’ve re-tested the Canon EOS R, using firmware v1.6 and updated the review. We’ve given particular focus to the Eye AF feature and have investigated both its performance and operation, which boost the camera’s score and makes it much easier to shoot portraits.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Finally, a Road Map to Taking Better Photos of People!

22 Dec

The post Finally, a Road Map to Taking Better Photos of People! appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darren Rowse.

Finally, a Road Map to Taking Better Photos of People!

Day 11 of dPS Holiday Deals brings you this fundamental portrait photography course like no other – and it’s from our previous long-time Editor Darlene Hildebrand of Digital Photo Mentor.

Save $ 100 now

If you’re feeling lost when it comes to taking photos of people then you need Portrait Fundamentals: a road-map to portrait photography skills and confidence for beginners. 

Especially if you are disappointed by how your portrait shots turn out, or don’t even take photos of other people for fear of messing it up!

  • Unsure what camera settings to use for portraits?
  • Can’t get sharp, well-exposed images consistently?
  • So overwhelmed by all the technical stuff you struggle to focus on your subject and enjoy the portrait process?

Then, let Darlene and her team from Digital Photo Mentor guide you. They’ll give you a plan to follow so you can start improving your portraits immediately. 

Portrait Fundamentals Product

This is no ordinary course, it includes over 6 hours of video lessons, a 245-page PDF notebook, 21 practice exercises, quizzes at each stage, and a private Facebook group for students to interact with each other.

Learn to take great portraits even if you are a beginner!

Save $ 100 and get the course now for only $ 97 USD (usually $ 197)

Check it out before the next deal arrives in less than 24 hours.

PS – Did you miss yesterday’s deal? You can save 50% on Andrew Gibson’s Art of Black and White in Lightroom and Beyond course. Check it out here.
We receive an affiliate commission when you purchase from our trusted partners.

The post Finally, a Road Map to Taking Better Photos of People! appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darren Rowse.


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The Ultimate Guide to Photographing People for the Shy Photographer

31 Jul

The post The Ultimate Guide to Photographing People for the Shy Photographer appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kevin Landwer-Johan.

Avoiding photographing people

My dad had a lovely Zeiss camera. The kind with bellows that folded up into a compact unit. It took 120 roll film. I used this camera to photograph my brother’s band, playing an outdoor gig when I was 17. These 12 exposures filled my first roll of film.

Photography became my passion. Having a camera in my hand excited me and taught me to view the world around me in new ways. I would visualize and compose photos in my imagination even when I didn’t have my camera with me.

I photographed old rusty things, beaches, skies, mountains, and flowers, among other subjects – but never people.

rusty wheel DPS Ultimate Guide to Photographing People for Shy Photographers

Cira. 1983 Scanned from slide film © Kevin Landwer-Johan

People were well outside of my comfort zone – especially strangers.

Dealing with that uncomfortable feeling

“I don’t want to impose on others.”

This is the most common reason I hear from photographers about why they don’t photograph people.

Overcoming the fear of imposing, and settling the butterflies in your stomach is possible. Focused effort is required, but the results are well worth it.

The purpose of this Ultimate Guide is to teach you practical methods for photographing people, no matter how shy you are.

Photography is so much more than choosing the best lens and camera settings. Connecting with your subject is vital, particularly when you’re photographing people. If this is challenging for you, digging deep is essential – deep into your feelings of fear that invade your mind when you want to make a portrait.

Concentrate on the positive. Focus in on what’s attracted you. Why do you want to make that person’s portrait? Before you even approach someone or put your camera to your eye, clear your mind of doubt. Settle your thoughts and have a positive attitude towards what you are doing. Training your mind to think like this you will in time be able to control the feelings of self-doubt and fear of imposing.

Learn to recognize your negative thoughts that disrupt your intentions. Jump on them fast. The more consistently you can do this, the more successful you will be.

Only entertain your positive thoughts. As you do, your actions become automatic and relaxed. You will find it’s not stressful to approach people and to photograph them.

The more you do anything, the easier it becomes.

Practice training your mind to replace the fear of imposing with positive thoughts. Think about having a pleasant interaction with your subject. Reinforce your initial ideas of why you’ve chosen to photograph them. Let your mind fill with the intent to succeed.

Make yourself concentrate on the photo you are planning to make. Zone in on your composition, lighting, exposure, and timing. When you do this, the rest of the world disappears for a while. Be in your own creative space in your head and heart, and nothing else will matter.

This may sound a little abstract and not what you’re used to reading in a photography article, but I assure you, as you focus your mind and practice these techniques, you will become a better photographer.

DPS Ultimate Guide to Photographing People for Shy Photographers Woman Meditating on a red sofa

Focus your mind. © Kevin Landwer-Johan

Start with your camera

Knowing how to use your camera with confidence is your first step. If you’re not comfortable using your camera you’re not likely to enjoy photographing people.

Use your camera every day. Make a habit of taking at least one or two photos a day. You’ll find it’s addictive in the very best ways. Having a creative release is good for your soul. Your creative imagination will develop as you use it. The more you practice, the more your artistic style will begin to emerge.

Frequent contact is key. Have your camera in your hands at least once a day. You will become intimate with it. Your fingers and thumbs will feel the shapes of the dials and buttons. You will develop your subconscious memory of where each control is. As you learned fast enough where the on/off switch is, you’ll be able to find all the essential camera controls before long.

Pick a time each day to use your camera. I am sure if you think about it you will fit in ten or twenty minutes to be creative. Perhaps when you commute to work or school, during your lunch break or before dinner. Making it the same time each day helps you to form this good habit. Routine, especially at first, is helpful. I know if you work at this, by the end of the first month you will have a good foundation to build on. You will have developed a positive new habit. Moreover, you will see the quality of your photography improve.

The subject matter is not as relevant at first. Don’t even think about photographing people. Your goal in taking photos every day is to learn to love your camera and use it with confidence.

Experiment. Imagine. Express what you see. This will become a natural time of learning and growth. Sometimes you may feel frustrated at not being able to create the image that’s in your head. This is the time to learn more about controlling your camera so you can make it do what you want it to. Use various lens focal lengths. Choose different angles and composition techniques.

Combining some photography study often will result in more rapid growth. There are so many books, magazines, websites, and courses you can learn from. Find a way of learning that you’re comfortable with and set to study a little and often.

DPS Ultimate Guide to Photographing People for Shy Photographers Asian woman photographer

Experiment. Imagine. Express what you see. © Kevin Landwer-Johan

Now focus on your subject

Building proficiency using your camera will often prepare you to photograph people. You need to be comfortable and confident you have the settings right.

Concentrating on your camera more than your subject is a common mistake. It’s easy to be distracted by your camera, especially for shy people. Not engaging with someone when you want to make their portrait leads to a disconnect. This is often noticeable in the resulting portrait.

You don’t want to leave the person looking at the top of your head as you peer down at your camera as you make adjustments.

Set your camera as much as possible before you engage with your subject. Then you will be giving them your attention without distraction. Don’t make your camera an excuse not to communicate. It’s not there to shield you from the world. Use it as a bridge to help you connect with your subjects.

DPS Ultimate Guide to Photographing People for Shy Photographers Asian woman photographer

Be comfortable and confident. © Kevin Landwer-Johan

How to overcome your insecurities

“One of the easiest ways to overcome shyness is to become a photographer.” – David Hurn, photographer

Years ago, I heard an interview with a photographer saying they thought shy people make the best portrait photographers. This was because the resulting photo will be more about the subject than about the photographer. As a shy person who liked photography, this interested me. It challenged me.

British photographer, David Hurn, talks about being shy in this interview with Huck magazine.

“I’m incredibly shy. Photography is the best thing for shy people because you have something to hide behind. The problem with shy people is that you don’t want to be rejected. So your safeguard is that you go into yourself. But with a camera, you have an excuse to be somewhere. So when you’re walking down the street and looking in a doorway at a whole load of people, being tattooed or something, with a camera, you can walk in and suddenly say, ‘Do you mind if I shoot some pictures?’ And if you show a genuine interest in what people are doing, I have never known anyone to say no. People love you being interested in them. The camera gives you that excuse to be there. It breaks through that barrier.”

Dear young photographer: ‘Shoot a lot of pictures. Be a doer, not a chatter.’

Why do you think David Hurn never had anyone say no to him? I believe it’s because of his approach. He has determination and a gentle manner.

He knows what he wants to achieve and the photos he wants to capture. Concentrating on his goal, he uses the camera as his reason to step into people’s situations, and into their lives. He is sure about what he wants, and he works with focused confidence to do it.

Having purpose will push you further, faster, in anything you want to achieve in life. It is no different for photography. If you have a well-defined purpose for what you want to accomplish, it can become a reality. If you drift about without direction, it takes a long time to achieve anything.

Photographer and Model DPS Ultimate Guide to Photographing People for Shy Photographers

Photography is the best thing for shy people. © Pansa Landwer-Johan

Take your time

Taking your time is not a bad thing. If you’re worried you will miss the photo, it means you haven’t started your preparation soon enough. Every genre of photography requires patience and anticipation. The better you know your camera, the faster you’ll have it set and ready in any circumstance. Take time to learn manual mode. This will not only give you more control of your exposures, but it will also help you see life at a different pace.

It is true that automatic settings on your camera can help you take photos faster. You may be able to capture the action, but not the mood. Slow down and take notice of more than your camera settings. This is how you will learn to capture atmosphere.

Don’t think you always have to be fast with your camera. Doing so can be a distraction from truly experiencing photography.

Some of the best street photography appears to have happened in a snap, but this is rarely so. Planning and preparation. Choice of light and location. Waiting. These qualities factor into more great street photos than sheer speed. Those fleeting moments when all the elements align in the viewfinder are anticipated.

Fishermen on a bridge DPS Ultimate Guide to Photographing People for Shy Photographers

Take your time. © Kevin Landwer-Johan

Your camera will help overcome your reluctance

Your camera is your bridge to the other side of shyness. It allows you to traverse the distance between your intention to photograph someone and the actual portrait. It not only makes the picture, but it connects you with your subject.

Speaking to a stranger for no particular reason is very difficult for many people. Having a camera in your hands is a wonderful reason to speak with someone. Your camera is the solution to your problem of not wanting to approach people. When you come to realize this and learn to use your camera as a bridge, you will cross over into a whole new world of wonderful, creative experience.

Photographing people when your mind is focused on them, and not on your camera, transforms the experience.

My camera gets me to the other side, away from my insecure thoughts and into a conversation with the person. It is a reason for me to be where I am and to start conversations.

Use your camera as a means to introduce yourself and begin an interesting discussion. Don’t hide behind your camera fiddling with its controls. Be prepared and bold with it. Your camera will fulfill your purpose.

Express your intention to take a photograph with an appropriate amount of confidence. Doing this will open the way for you. Focus on your subject and their response to you.

When you approach someone in a self-assured way, it will be evident. If you appear to be unsure of yourself, your subject will often reflect this behavior back to you.

Self-assured communication with your subjects is important. It is as necessary as being confident with the technical aspects of photography.

DPS Ultimate Guide to Photographing People for Shy Photographers street market photographer interacting with a vendor

Your camera is your bridge to the other side of shyness. © Pansa Landwer-Johan

Choose who you want to photograph based on how receptive they will be

Stepping into the street to photograph strangers for the first time is a daunting prospect.  It is not something many people find particularly easy. Don’t start there. Begin photographing someone you know and who appreciates what you are doing.

Friends or family members can be your best option. Someone you know and who enjoys having their photograph taken. People who like seeing their image are always the easiest to make portraits of. They are relaxed in front of the camera and are more likely to give you expressive feedback on your photos.

Finding someone you can photograph on a number of different occasions will help you learn. You will connect with them more each time you meet for a photo session. As you grow in confidence using your camera, you will find it becomes more natural to connect with people.

Take your camera to social gatherings – birthdays and other celebrations. Weddings, graduations, parties, church barbecues or the pub. Whatever social activities you engage in. Over time, you will begin to get more of a feel for the people who are easy to photograph.

Take your time. Make a start. Remain determined and practice as often as you can. Repetition will build your camera and your communication skills.

As you practice, be aware of how you are connecting, and the types of response people give you. Learn to read and understand the social dynamic having your camera in hand creates. Naturally, people will respond to you differently than if you are only having a conversation. Developing your perception of people’s reactions to your camera will help you when you come to photograph strangers.

Kevin Landwer-Johan Showing Akha people their photos DPS Ultimate Guide to Photographing People for Shy Photographers

Repetition will build your camera and your communication skills. © Kevin Landwer-Johan

Communicate well

Communicating your desire to photograph someone in an apt manner is imperative. This is a point of failure for many people. I cringe when I hear photographers speak inappropriately to the people they are photographing. Your portrait depends so much on the relationship you have with your subject. Even if that relationship only lasts a minute or two.

Being pleasant is vital to becoming a good people photographer – particularly if you want to become a wedding and portrait photographer. The way you communicate, your manner, and even your body language are important. Your clients notice these things. If they are comfortable with you, they respond well. Their body language and facial expressions will reflect this back to you.

Your manner of communication depends on your state of mind. When you are worried about camera settings and the lighting, you are not so likely to communicate best. Put the technical thoughts aside before you start to engage with the people you want to photograph.

People love it when you show an interest in who they are and what they love to do. Genuine curiosity is natural in photographers, and you are best to develop this as much as you can. Make this aspect of your shyness work for you. Being keen, but yet a little reserved will endear you to people much more than being too bold will.

Photographer and Model in the Studio DPS Ultimate Guide to Photographing People for Shy Photographers

Show an interest in who people are. © Kevin Landwer-Johan

Develop your camera skills with a project

Once you commit to a photography project, you have a theme or concept to work on. Sticking to your chosen topic and building a body of photographs allows you to track your development. Choosing to photograph a people project helps you build your confidence too.

Working on a long term project, you will experiment more with your camera and photography techniques. Push the boundaries and explore camera settings you don’t often use. This will allow you to produce a more diverse and interesting series of photographs.

As you build up a collection of images, you’ll be able to review and compare them. This will identify the skills you need to work on. It will also encourage you to see the areas where you are improving.

Over time, you will build up a significant collection of photos, both good and bad. Mostly bad. Don’t beat yourself up about this. It happens to every photographer. The more bad photos you take, the more good ones you will also create. Scrutinizing your photos over an extended period allows you to chart your progress.

Keep everything. Do not delete images in camera. The key is being organized. If you dump them all in a folder on your computer, this will not help. You’ll not be able to discern the nature of your progress.

Each time you work on your project, load the photos onto your computer and separate the top 10%-20% of the photos – the ones you are most happy with. Then separate into another folder, the ones you recognize as having potential and that you’d like to work on. Making notes for yourself during this process will help keep you on track and make it more beneficial.

Reviewing and comparing your photos like this can be challenging. You need to acknowledge the areas of weakness. Your photos will show you this. Having a more experienced photographer, someone who can mentor you through this process will be a huge advantage. They will be able to point out to you aspects of your work you may not be able to see so clearly.

Woman at the market with motion blur behind her DPS Ultimate Guide to Photographing People for Shy Photographers

Develop Your Camera Skills with a Project. © Kevin Landwer-Johan

Develop your relational skills

As you spend time with the same people, the relationship develops. Committing to a photography project involving the same people, you will build a closer relationship. This is true if you are photographing a family member or people at your local market.

Building relationships takes time. With a photography project, you will have to make time for it to be effective. Returning to photograph the same people and/or the same location a familiarity will develop.

On the street

Stand on the same busy street corner and photograph people enough, and you will begin to build some form of relationship. You’ll become familiar with the feel of the place.

Learn to anticipate what’s happening and see the rhythm. Picking the same time of day when the light is right, you will start to see the same people passing by during their daily routines. They may start to notice you. If they see you often enough, they will not likely pay you any attention, unless you want it.

All it takes, when you catch someone’s eye who has become a little familiar to you, is to smile. They will probably return one to you. Next time they see you, they may show interest and inquire what you are doing.

Connecting with people on the streets becomes more natural when they see you with your camera often. Some won’t show interest, but many will. The locals, the regulars, people who frequent the same location, are the most obvious ones to connect with.

These are the ones you can begin building a relationship with. Tell them you’re working on a photography project documenting your local neighborhood (or whatever your theme is). This will endear them because people like to feel included. We are designed to communicate with one another.

Even if you are a shy person, you can learn to use your camera as a bridge to achieve your purpose.

DPS Ultimate Guide to Photographing People for Shy Photographers Kebab Chef in Istanbul

Connect with people. © Kevin Landwer-Johan

With a friend or family member

Photographing a friend or family member as a project, you will also develop your relationship with them. However they respond to you first, and how you relate to each other will change subtly each time you get together.

Show them some of your photos on your phone. They will be more confident when they can see the photos you’ve already taken. Don’t talk too long about what you’re doing; you want the attention to be on them.

You are best to have set your camera as much as possible before you meet with the person. If that’s not possible, ask them to give you a few minutes to set up. Doing this gives you space to scope out good light and background and to make the necessary camera tweaks.

Once you are happy with the light, background and your camera settings, it’s time to give most of your attention to your subject. Straighten their clothes a little, or get them to fix their hair, (unless it’s already perfect). Giving them this attention will help them feel better about themselves and build their confidence in you.

If it’s someone you don’t know well, ask them open-ended questions about themselves. Get to know them a little more. Make sure you start them talking.

If they are extroverts, they will love talking about themselves.

If they are introverts, you can help them get started, and they will feel more comfortable.

Attractive Young Woman DPS Ultimate Guide to Photographing People for Shy Photographers

Get to know the people you are photographing a little more. © Kevin Landwer-Johan

Focus on asking questions that a simple yes or no won’t answer. Pay attention to what they are telling you. Do not be looking down at your camera. Focus on their story. Show them you’re interested.

Compliment what they are wearing or something else about the way they look. Aim to build up a positive atmosphere, especially if you sense they are feeling uneasy. Many people do not feel self-assured when being photographed. It’s an important part of your job to help them relax. The better they feel the more attractive they will look in the photos you take.

Initially, they may be shy also and feel awkward in front of your camera. Don’t worry about this. Make a bunch of photos and concentrate on relating to them. If you screw up and don’t get any decent images, use this as a lesson. Show them. Let them see what you are doing right and wrong.

Include them in your project, make it a team effort. The more they feel part of what you are doing the better photos you’ll end up taking. If you’ve messed up your settings, show them the photos and explain a little about what happened. Then make the same series of photos again.

Learning to communicate in such a manner that you help people enjoy the process of being photographed will benefit you and your subjects. Everybody enjoys seeing themselves looking good. Their feeling must precede their looks in your photos. If they don’t feel good about themselves, it’s likely they will not appreciate the photos you make of them.

At times your subject will be too uncomfortable. You won’t manage to make a flattering photo of them because of their tension. Show them the photos. Explain that the tension shows on their face and if they relax, they will like the photos you make of them.

People don’t usually look nervous when they view themselves in the bathroom mirror each morning. So when they see photos of themselves looking tense, it’s very unnatural to them. They do not perceive the image as a good likeness of who they are.

Working like this and showing off less than your best photos may be challenging, but it will help you grow.

DPS Ultimate Guide to Photographing People for Shy Photographers Smiling woman wearing a straw hat

Everybody enjoys seeing themselves looking good. © Kevin Landwer-Johan

Photograph at social gatherings

Take your camera along to birthday parties, drinks after work, your kid’s sports events, or any place where people socialize. Doing so provides wonderful opportunities for people photography. When you can mix with the same people regularly, they will become accustomed to you being there with your camera.

For many people, this may seem a huge challenge. Think positively about it. Approach the situation and the people with a constructive attitude and with reasonable expectations. You will most likely find people will enjoy what you are doing, particularly when you start sharing your photos with them.

Be determined to work through your feelings of discomfort. Your first experience taking photos at a social gathering might be very difficult. Most of your uneasiness will be in your mind. If you give up after your first attempt, you will not know success. The more often you are present with your camera, the more confident you will become and the better photographs you will make.

DPS Ultimate Guide to Photographing People for Shy Photographers

Be determined to work through your feelings of discomfort. © Kevin Landwer-Johan

Become a volunteer photographer

Do you go to church, a temple or a mosque? Are you or your kids a member of a sports club? Do you help out at a local animal shelter or participate in community events? All of these provide a fabulous opportunity to offer your services as a photographer.

Every group or organization loves to have good photographs. Putting yourself forward as a volunteer photographer can be a great experience. Here your camera really is your bridge.

Providing photos for a group or organization can be one of the best ways to build your confidence. Your commitment is greater because other people are relying on you.

Making it clear you are still learning is important. So long as they know this then you have the opportunity to improve over time. In the future, you will be producing wonderful photographs for the community you are volunteering for.

Ballet Dancing DPS Ultimate Guide to Photographing People for Shy Photographers

Offer your services as a photographer. © Kevin Landwer-Johan

Travel portrait projects

I teach many people who mainly take photographs when they travel. They join our workshops, and many are too timid to photograph people. Or they prefer to stand well back and take candid pictures with a long lens.

Don’t be concerned if you can’t speak the language. Often this can be to your advantage. Use your camera as a bridge. When people see the smile on your face and even a slight gesture with your camera, they will know your intention. Hopefully, they will return your smile. This is permission to photograph them.

Non-verbal communication like this requires that you watch facial expression and body language. Some cultures may smile and mean ‘no.’ So long as you are observant and polite, you will be okay.

Myanmar Market Vendor DPS Ultimate Guide to Photographing People for Shy Photographers

Use your camera as a bridge. © Kevin Landwer-Johan

The candid option

Certain situations are best photographed without communicating with a person. Candid photography definitely has its place.

Choosing to stand back with a long lens attached to your camera and making candid images is okay when the circumstances are right. The photos you create using this technique will usually be void of subject/photographer connection.

Disturbing people who are engrossed in a conversation or their work breaks the natural flow of life. A candid photo will be more suitable than interrupting.

Artists and craftspeople at work are subjects best left to their creative endeavors. They are focused and passionate about what they are doing. A quick recognition and acknowledgment from them that they are comfortable with you photographing are best. A nod and a smile from you and their smile in return will not break their workflow or concentration. So long as you are not disrupting them, you will be able to capture intriguing portraits of them.

Choosing to work candidly should be a conscious decision because it’s going to produce the best photographs. Opting to capture images of people stealthily because you are too shy to communicate is never the best option.

Poi Sang Long Festival DPS Ultimate Guide to Photographing People for Shy Photographers

Candid photography definitely has its place. © Kevin Landwer-Johan

Those not really candid photographs

At times you’ll find yourself in situations where you want candid photographs, but it’s just not possible. When people know you are there with your camera, truly-candid cannot happen. Capturing natural-looking photos of people in these circumstances is challenging, but not impossible.

When you are ‘the’ photographer

Weddings, portrait sessions, and similar situations do not allow for real candid photos. You have to be able to communicate well and arrange candid-looking images.

Most people like natural-looking photos. The skill is in controlling the circumstances so you get the results you want. This means you must know what you want and be able to relate your ideas clearly to the people you are photographing.

With couples, it’s easy. Just get them talking to each other. Encourage them to forget you’re there and then offer them a conversation starter. Ask them to recall the first time they met, or when they proposed to each other. If you want to lighten the mood and capture some laughter and smiles, ask them something fun.

Once you have them talking, don’t hold back on the photos. You are going to need to take a lot of pictures. What’s happening is more unpredictable, so you need the quantity to get enough quality photos.

DPS Ultimate Guide to Photographing People for Shy Photographers Asian Buness Woman Phone Call

Aim to capture natural expression. © Kevin Landwer-Johan

You will throw most of them out, but the ones you keep will be relaxed, natural, and vibrant. I used this technique whenever I photographed weddings. It helped produce the most interesting, un-posed photos.

I would use a longer lens, often my 180mm, so I could stay at a bit of a distance, but not too far away. That way, I could still talk with the couple but be far enough back so as not to be in their personal space.

Another wedding technique I used for semi-candid portraits was to get the groom to stand behind me and off to one side. While photographing the bride, I would get them to look at each other and have a conversation. If the groom was somehow stuck for things to say I would make suggestions, often a little rude. This worked well for getting fun, relaxed facial expressions. Then I would swap the bride and groom, and photograph him while they continued their conversation.

Photographing individual portraits is more challenging as you can’t draw attention away from yourself so easily. If you have someone else with you, an assistant or friend, you can prime them to be the distraction. Before you begin, let them know they will have a role to play when you want some more candid-looking photos. Coach them a little so that they will be prepared. When you’re ready, direct your subject’s attention and conversation to your helper.

Working alone is when your communication skills are the most important. Your ability to converse and take photos at the same time will be put to the test. You have to give full concentration to both your subject and what you are doing with your camera.

The practice is again the key in learning how to build your communication skill so you can get candid-looking portraits. It takes time and effort. As you try certain techniques and figure out what works and what doesn’t, you will develop your communication skill set. You will become more confident and effective.

Sad Young Asian Woman DPS Ultimate Guide to Photographing People for Shy Photographers

Develop your communication skill set. © Kevin Landwer-Johan

Semi-candid street photography

Semi-candid street photos can be made successfully with a short lens and the right technique. You don’t need to keep your distance and remain in the shadows. Get close, be observant, relaxed, and normal.

People at our local markets know me now. They sell me vegetables, and many of them know I will take their photo some days. They might shy away, or they might pose.

I like to create a mixture of candid and posed photos when I am doing street photography. However, being conspicuous means, I have to employ certain techniques so that I am not the center of attention. Often there are not many other foreigners at the markets, so I stand out.

Often I will engage with someone I want to photograph. Generally, they will stop what they are doing, smile, and pose. This is what they perceive I want. I will take their picture anyway. I’ll make sure it’s well exposed, sharp and flattering. Then I will show them on my camera monitor. Most often they are happy, and we’ll chat a little before I move on.

Once I have moved on, I will wait a short time and then head back near to where they are. They will think my focus is elsewhere because I already have their photo.

Hopefully, they will not pay any attention to me. This is when I get the photos I really want.

Over the years, I have listened to and read of many photojournalists who aspire to be as invisible as possible. It can be a valuable skill to develop. You can learn to do it without actually having to hide your camera or stay a long way back from the action.

DPS Ultimate Guide to Photographing People for Shy Photographers

Create a mixture of candid and posed photos. © Kevin Landwer-Johan

Giving back

Remember, your camera is the solution, not the problem. With your camera in hand, you have a purpose for being where you are and a reason to communicate with people.

You are not only taking a photograph but giving an interesting experience. If you are able to share your photos, then you are truly giving something of value to your subject.

Presenting prints to the people you photograph helps shape the way they see you. A set of small-sized prints is inexpensive and will be appreciated by most. If you capture a photo that’s worthy of enlarging this will have even more of an impact. The cost of an enlargement is insignificant compared to the joy it will bring your subject.

Collecting someone’s email or social media connection will also allow you to give back in a meaningful way. Some people may value this even more than prints because they can share a digital file.

Market porter with a photo of himself DPS Ultimate Guide to Photographing People for Shy Photographers

Your camera is the solution, not the problem. © Kevin Landwer-Johan

Smile and say ‘hello’

I often walk the same way at the markets when teaching our photography workshops. I’d been noticing this one older man. His face was interesting, but he seemed shy and would not make eye contact with me. He had a small stand selling traditional northern Thai sticky rice. I decided I would smile and say hello to him each time I passed with the hope he would become familiar with me.

I did this for a while, and one day when my wife was helping me teach a workshop, I told her what I had been doing. As we approached him, she smiled and asked if we could make his portrait. She had the charm! He placed his hands on the big bowl of sticky rice, pushed his shoulders back, and smiled warmly for us. We made some lovely portraits of him.

Not long after this, I had another lovely encounter with a woman who was selling sticky rice at the same stall. Each time we visited the markets, we’d have a lovely conversation with this woman. She was friendly and relaxed, quite happy to be photographed. Having not seen the man at the stall for a few months, one day I asked her about him.

Her face dropped, and her eyes looked so sad. I wanted the ground to swallow me up. I felt so terrible. The man was her husband. She told me that he’d passed away suddenly. Then a glimmer of hope appeared in her eyes, and she asked me if I’d made his portrait. I assured her I had and would bring her a print.

Normally when we print photos to give out, we get regular size prints. For this lady, we had an enlargement made and had it framed. She was very grateful. The next time I passed by she told me she had hung the portrait of her husband above her bed.

The moral of the story is, you never know how much you might bless someone by being bold enough to make their portrait. Think of what you do in a positive light. Sure, you will come across some people who do not want their photograph taken. As you practice building your confidence, your success rate will increase.

DPS Ultimate Guide to Photographing People for Shy Photographers Sticky rice vendor

You never know how much you might bless someone. © Kevin Landwer-Johan

The post The Ultimate Guide to Photographing People for the Shy Photographer appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kevin Landwer-Johan.


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Interview: Frans Lanting – ‘I speak to a lot of younger people, and that’s the generation we need to cultivate’

24 Apr
Frans Lanting, pictured at DPReview’s offices in Seattle.

Frans Lanting is one of the most recognizable names in photography. With his wife Christine Eckstrom he’s created some of the most popular and ambitious photo books of the last 30 years. Known for his distinctive approach to wildlife photography, Lanting has inspired generations of photographers and ecologists with his photography and his environmental advocacy.

Fresh from teaching a Creative Live workshop on bird photography, Frans dropped by the DPReview office recently to talk about his life and career.


Before photography, what was your background?

I’m from the Netherlands and I was an environmental economist before I was a photographer. And then I switched careers after I came to the US to do research. I was focused on ecosystem services, which was a novelty at the time, we’re talking about the late 70s. I switched to photography in about 1979-1980.

I’d always had an interest in pictures, and in the United States I connected with a very different tradition in photography – outdoor-oriented, and activism. We didn’t really have that tradition in Europe. There’s a great tradition of natural history, and a great tradition of photography, but [in Europe] the two things didn’t quite come together. Nature photography was pretty stagnant in Europe in the 70s, but it was much more of an art-form in the US at the time. The great west coast photographers led the way.

Who were those photographers?

The greats – Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Philip Hyde was really important, too. And they all – especially Phillip and Ansel – lent their names and their work in the service of supporting changes. In partnership with the Sierra Club, Friends of the Earth and so on. And that really appealed to me.

I found my own way to make a mark in editorial publications. Storytelling in the nature and wildlife field was really underdeveloped at the time.

Frans Lanting in the field, back in the days of film. © Frans Lanting/lanting.com

How did you break into that?

By doing it! I could rattle off names of publications and editors, most of the editors are forgotten now but they were really important gatekeepers – the ‘influencers’ of their time. Editors were much more important back then than they are now. National Geographic was important – there was a day when there were magazines about more than just celebrities. Especially in Europe, the editorial universe was very rich at that time. The 1970s and 80s were a golden era for editorial photography.

There are fewer ‘gatekeepers’ now, how has that changed the industry?

Editors are gatekeepers, but they’re also curators. Curators of talent. They’re really important for nurturing talent. People who come in and they have a passion and a vision but they don’t know quite how to cultivate their talent. Editors are indispensable for that. It’s more difficult for photographers breaking into the profession now to connect with those kinds of people. In the first place, there are far fewer of them, because most of the publishing houses have been hollowed-out, and the few editors still there are so overworked they don’t have time to cultivate relationships with talent anymore. That makes it much more difficult for photographers. That vital connection is under a lot of pressure.

But it’s not just photography, the same thing is happening to journalism. The world is very different now. I don’t want to come off as nostalgic, because things weren’t perfect then either but especially now, when we’re getting more concerned about whether or not we can trust media, the role of editors is crucial. And of course the role of the writers and photographers who are out there covering things. And that’s under so much pressure. Yes you can publish on social media but there’s no much noise, and a lot of it is so self-referential it doesn’t give you a clue about what’s really happening in the world.

Lesser flamingos, Lake Nakuru National Park, Kenya. © Frans Lanting/lanting.com

So what was it about your approach to photography that made it different, at the time?

My background was different, I came from academia, so I was trained in social sciences. I had an analytical way of appreciating things that were happening in society. I knew a lot about nature and wildlife – I was passionate about it, but I think my point of view was broader than the more traditionally, more narrowly-defined perspective than most wildlife photographers had at the time.

I’ve never been [interested] in isolating nature, and ignoring the connections with human society and the environment as a bridge in between. In fact that’s one of the areas where I cultivated my interest. I came from Europe, and when I started publishing in North America what I was showing editors was different. It was a breath of fresh air. I was not schooled in photography, I didn’t know what the rules were, and I broke a lot of them. I think it made my work more intriguing.

And for editors in Europe, I brought something different back from the US. So I was able to navigate those two worlds.

What makes photography unique as a medium, in your opinion?

Pictures are perfect for this time of instant global communications. They transmit very easily and become a global language. So platforms like Instagram are meant for this era, in combination with smartphones where you can capture, share and consume images. Except for a couple of visionaries, I don’t think any of us saw that coming until pretty late in the transition.

Photography has influenced appreciation of the environment, and for examples of that you can go way back to the first photographers who started exploring the American west, with their darkroom in an oxcart. There are celebrated examples from Carlton Watkins and the rest of them, with the first glass plates showing what Yosemite looks like, which were hugely influential. They’re still iconic images and sources of inspiration.

Toco toucan face, Pantanal, Brazil. © Frans Lanting/lanting.com

I think photography has been there all along, in this process of changing how we think about the world that we’re a part of. But photography that is specifically focused on these issues, and their solutions has only come of age in the past 10, 15 maybe 20 years.

Conservation photography as a term didn’t exist until 20 years ago. For the longest time, photography that dealt with the earth was kind of a stepchild. It still is – World Press Photo, for example, it took forever to get recognition for ‘concern’ photography – hardcore photojournalism and pictures of nature. It wasn’t considered important. In the world of museums, and fine art, there is finally recognition that this is a legitimate genre, but it’s still late in getting recognition.

Can photography make a difference to how people view the world, and their environmental consciousness?

Sure, but only in connection with other activities. The brilliant relationship that I was really inspired by was the one between Ansel Adams and David Brower. David Brower was the chairman of the Sierra Club and the chief of this landmark series of publications, which launched the genre of the coffee table book that celebrated nature. He hand-picked places that were under [environmental] pressure, and he got his friends, Ansel, Phillip Hyde and others to contribute.

The whole idea of coffee table books didn’t exist until David Brower decided to use them as a way to communicate. It was hugely influential – and successful. Those books were not intended to sell a lot of copies, they were made to influence the political conversation.

During the course of your career, you must have been able to return to some parts of the world a few times…

Yes, I have been doing that more deliberately over the past couple of years. It’s really interesting to see changes, and when they’re positive change and negative change, and what makes the difference locally.

The first time I became aware of your work as a young photographer was ‘Jungles’. There’s less jungle now than there was then – compared to 20, 25 years ago, when you look at the world now, are you worried about the direction we’re going in?

Of course. But let me talk a little about that book. The concept behind ‘Jungles’ was to look at them as a whole, rather than focus on a rainforest here, a rainforest there, which is the more common approach. Now we’re realizing, in this era of climate change, that jungles are the green belt around the world which helps do the heavy lifting. They’re the lungs of the planet. The book isn’t focused on conservation solutions, but that is mentioned. I serve on the advisory council of an organization called Conservation International and we’re very concerned, and very focused on providing solutions to climate change. Very smart scientists are calculating that it’s unequivocal that the most cost-effective solutions are to conserve nature and let the trees and the jungles do the heavy lifting for us, because they can absorb Co2. Better than any of our human engineered solutions. Which means stemming deforestation, not burning trees, and elevating more forests to protected status.

Is it happening? Yes. Is it happening fast enough? No. Have we lost a lot? Yes. And are we going to get there in time? I don’t know. The latest reports indicate that we have maybe 11 years to turn things around, and when you look at how stuck we are politically, I don’t know. I don’t see how we can get through the bottleneck.

Dead camelthorn trees, Namibia. © Frans Lanting/lanting.com

What do you feel is your particular mission, or responsibility as a photographer?

From the very beginning my mission has been to use my personal sense of wonder and create images that can help other people see what we have and what is at stake. And sometimes the sense of wonder is paramount, and that’s definitely the case in ‘Jungles’ and also our ‘LIFE’ project, which is an imaginary journey from the big bang to the present. Our books and our exhibitions and the events that we do are really intended to be celebrations. For the cause-oriented activities for many years I’ve focused on magazines. Those editorial platforms are uniquely suited to getting a focused set of images out there with a strong message. With magazines you can absorb things quickly. But magazines are being replaced by other media, consumed on smartphones. Magazines are now considered long-form content!

I’m very active on social media. My Instagram account reaches more than a million people around the world, and I’m now using Instagram in the way that I used to use magazines. Our stories are really substantive, and it’s not just a picture of an animal, I really want to educate people. They may stumble across my Instagram account because they love animals, but it’s really incredible how people just start connecting with the stories and the issues behind the pictures. There’s a real hunger for it. I have 25,000 followers in Indonesia alone, and that’s a crucial country. When I speak there I speak to a lot of younger people, and that’s the generation we need to cultivate when it comes to influencing voices locally.

‘Jungles’ came out in 2000, just on the cusp of the digital revolution – how has digital technology changed the way you work?

It’s changed everything. Everything except the subject matter. I did an assignment back in the 90s in the Amazonian part of Peru, where we spent months in an upper tributary of the Amazon – very remote, very tough. I would bury film in canisters in the ground to keep them cool. I would periodically dig up some film, and bury the exposed film. It was cooler below the ground than in a Pelican case above. I don’t have to do that anymore!

For me, worrying about whether I had actually captured what I was there to do, and not seeing the results for months at a time, compared to now when I can get instant feedback, that’s changed everything. Especially if you’re trying to push the boundaries of what’s technically possible.

Chinstrap penguins on an iceberg, Antarctica. © Frans Lanting/lanting.com

It’s much easier to get in and out of those locations now too, because travel has evolved. Gear has also changed, it’s much more compact and more sophisticated, but it’s also become much more difficult to fix.

I can’t fix a Nikon D5 or any of its Canon or Sony equivalents on location, but I remember in the old days I was in Turkey, and my camera failed. I went into a watch repair shop. There was a guy there with no expertise in working on cameras, but he was able to fix it because it was a mechanical thing. You can’t do that these days.

I was talking about this during my recent Creative Live class: the unimaginable revolution when it comes to the sensitivity of our capture medium. Film ISO sensitivity used to be ISO 25 or 64. And you can’t do much in the jungle when you’re limited to film stock rated at 64. If I could have had modern tools back in those days… you know, ISO 100,000 – the sky is the limit. That alone has completely transformed everything.

I remember you were using slow sync flash for some of the photos in ‘Jungles’…

Yeah, fill flash and all kinds of other things. We were taking big risks.It was partly a creative response, but in part it was a response to the technical limitations. but I was trying to push things far out into times of the day when we otherwise couldn’t work. I’m using fill flash less and less now because you don’t have to anymore, and it almost looks and feels like an intrusion. That’s a big change.

I loved that book.

So did I. It’s a classic. I’m so proud of all of these books, because we approached books [at the time] very differently to most of my colleagues, and Benedict Taschen was supportive of that. And he validated his instincts and our intuition.

Red-and-green Macaws in flight, Buraco das Araras, Brazil. © Frans Lanting/lanting.com

You have a long association with National Geographic. What’s it like to shoot for Nat Geo?

Things have changed considerably since I first started working there. The number of editors has shrunk, budgets are under pressure, everything has to be turned around faster. It used to be a very closed world, with photographers and writers coming up with stories but things are determined much more now by editors and publishers, and decided by executives.

The editorial world has long been a nursery for talent. A place where you could prove yourself, and you were given creative freedom. You weren’t being paid a lot, but you were given opportunities to develop as a photographer, and start communicating with editors and photographers, and then the world at large. It’s very different these days. Photographers are hired to do this picture, that picture, and that picture – ‘this is what we need’. Editorial photography has become more like commercial photography, but it used to be very different.

How long would you get to work on a particular project?

It would depend, for the Geographic it would be measured in months. For other publications, weeks.

What are you working on right now?

I just did a Creative Live class on bird photography, which is very popular around the world. But many people interested in birds practice bird photography in pretty narrow parameters. It was very gratifying to hear people saying that ‘I never thought you could do this’ or they didn’t know you could think about birds in that way, that you could start looking at birds as metaphors, as symbols for environmental change, or examples of design, and so on and so on. That inspires me. I’m at a stage of my career where I get a lot of gratification from nurturing new talent.

If someone came to you and just wanted to improve their bird photography, do you have any quick tips?

Think of birds differently, as a rich subject for photographic expression. Rather than just sitting on a branch doing nothing. Whether you want to challenge yourself technically, by capturing them in flight, or challenge yourself with intricate compositions of birds in flocks, which really becomes a search for patterns. Or whether you look at them as vehicles for visual storytelling about what we’re doing to the planet. That’s a very different approach to bird photography to what most people practice.

There’s nothing wrong with frame-filling portraits of birds, but I want people to think about the character within the bird, so to speak. People should check out the course! And if they really want to learn, they can join me for a workshop.

Green-crowned brilliant hummingbird feeding on ginger torch, Costa Rica. © Frans Lanting/lanting.coms

What’s next for Frans Lanting?

Documenting the process of environmental change is something i’m working on, in some specific locations. Environmental change as triggered by economic and cultural changes. I did that in Madagascar last year, I went back to a couple of places I worked 30 years ago, and that was astonishing, to reconnect with individuals and their children and grandchildren and tell stories through their life experience. I also did that recently in the Congo, where I went to go back and worked with bonobos, which I did for the first time 25 years ago.

So that’s one thing I’m working on. I’m also working on a longer format publication about my way of practicing photography.

There’s a lot of bad news in the world – what gives you hope?

The next generation. People are saying ‘No, we’re not going to accept incremental change’. This Swedish schoolgirl Greta Thunberg who started lecturing the adults in the room at the Global Economic Forum. Saying ‘no we’re not going to accept this’. She went on strike, in Sweden. ‘I’m going to give up going to school – there are more important things to do’. Hopefully she can rally millions of others around that cause, and the people in their 20s and 30s who are causing huge economic upheaval and technological disruption should rally around the cause of creating a more sustainable planet [too]. Instead of just tinkering with new apps. You know?

You’re one half of a creative partnership, with your wife, Christine Eckstrom. How does that influence how you work?

We met at the Geographic. She was a staff writer there. She taught me how to write, how to use words. I’ve always liked to write, and I started early on because I found that it was a parallel way to express a story. But after we met, we became a unique team. There are other examples of husband and wife symbiotic relationships in the world of photography – Helmut and June Newton, for instance. Very few people realize how important June was for Helmut and vis-versa. Sebastião Salgado, and his wife Lélia – Lélia was hugely important for Sebastião, she gave him a voice and channeled his creativity.

Frans Lanting and editor and filmmaker Christine Eckstrom have worked together since they met at National Geographic after Frans moved to the US in the late 1970s. © Frans Lanting/lanting.com

I think what makes Chris and me unique together is that we developed a vocabulary together that married images and words together in a different way. ‘Jungles’ is a good example of that. It’s very conceptual, and the way we chose the dualities of water and light, order and chaos, form and evolution. It’s like poetry. The ‘Life’ project is another good example. We worked on that for seven years. At the end of it we knew way too much about the evolution of life on earth and we had all these facts and figures, but you bore people to death with that. That’s what scientists do.

We found our way back to the essence of it by writing what is essentially an extended poem about life on earth. It was triggered by a Ted Talk I was invited to deliver. I knew I had to describe the project and all the ideas behind it in 18 minutes. I managed to do it, and after we did that – I say ‘we’ because I was on stage, but Chris and I shaped it together – we knew how to package it for the book.

Now we have a complete toolkit – she taught herself how to use video, so we write, we edit, we produce video, mixed-media and social media. We do all of those things. We have a really good support staff and they help us create things that we believe in.

Looking back over your career, what are you most proud of?

Oh gosh, to distill it to one thing… when I think of all of the photographers, and also scientists who are now active in conservation; that I’ve been able to inspire other people, and validate for them the idea that there are ways to give expression to things in ways that they might not have thought of previously… that’s more important than awards and publications. It’s ultimately about making a difference in the lives of other people.


Frans Lanting is a world-renowned photographer and environmentalist. The Collector’s edition of his book ‘Into Africa’ is available now, and for information on Frans’ range of online courses, photo workshops and tours, click here. To access Frans’ complete collection of Creative Live courses, click here.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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