The eyes carry so much emotions in them. There are so many narratives that can be derived from the look in someone’s eyes.
Whenever I take a portrait of others, I always try my best to capture the light within, to make sure I get a faithful glance of their story.
The most important part of being a portrait photographer isn’t just the knowledge and the skills to get ‘the shot’, but to know how to make the other person comfortable and confident with you.
Only when you get familiar do you get to really see their emotions, and you get in the creative zone. You’ll be able to truly capture the emotions and stories in their eyes as you work together.
This is why I absolutely love doing portraits for my friends. Because I know who they are, and they are cool with me, it’s much easier to get a great shot for them. And most importantly, I can tell their stories, because I know them, and I am confident to show their light, truly.
I also love doing shoot for people I meet, because I get to know them a little better through our interactions. There are so many little things you pick up about others when you do a shoot, as you try to figure out what style/mood/narrative would look good on them.
Everyone has that ‘style’ that just works really well with them (unless they are used to modeling, then they can pull of multiple styles). But for most people, they look the best when they stay true to themselves. It just feels right when you’re true to yourself, it’s much easier (but still gotta fight being awkward in front of camera -aaaaahhhh ;-;)
You’ll know you’re doing things right when you get the expression in the eyes to be just right. The expression can be very different, Serious, Moody or freaking dying laughing. As long as the person stays true to their stories, it will feel just like them, it will feel right.
The eyes tells the story.