Model behavior.
Not all women instantly feel comfortable modeling. In fact, some of the most beautiful women I have ever met are reluctant to get in front of the camera.
When I first met Mischa, she was incredibly shy in front of the camera if you can believe it.
Well, Nell is another one of those. She is quite gorgeous but also a little body conscious as she used to be a little heavier and is not quite to her goal weight yet.
She was happy and having fun in front of the camera, but still seemed a little stiff. A little too aware that the camera was on her.
I took a second and said, “ok…lets slow this down.”
I told her where I needed her in the bed for the light to fall on her right, and what angles didn’t work. Then I took a step back, and parked myself in the corner of the room with a longer lens (85mm) and asked her to just close her eyes and get lost in a fantasy. I asked her to picture herself lying there on the bed bathed in light, to picture how sexy she looked in her black lingerie. I told her to ignore everything except the place, the scene and the feeling.
She looked back at me and I said, “see how sexy you are…without even trying…”
Once she started enjoying the moment, and stopped concentrating on looking good for the lens, things just popped.
Remember that when you are talking to a model, she is the one in front of the camera. She is the one you need to appreciate. No shot will come out good if you are forcing your model into something she isn’t comfortable with.
Talk to her like she is fully clothed. Make eye contact. Tell her how beautiful she is…but don’t be creepy.
Words like; beautiful, gorgeous, sexy, and amazing are all words you should be using.
Derogatory words or trashy words will just piss her off or make her feel uncomfortable.
Remember, if a model isn’t posing the way you want, don’t say that she is doing something wrong…don’t blame her. Try phrasing it in a different way such as, “Ok lets try something different now.” It keeps the model from feeling like she is failing. Keep the spirits high.
As a photographer, your models are your greatest asset. Treat them as such.
Once you have good models that are comfortable with you, models that actually enjoy working with you…any shot is possible.
If you are interested in seeing how to work productively with models in a stressful situation, come to our workshop. At this workshop you will get your own time to step up and direct each of the models and get the shots you like. There will be a few of us there with years of experience working with all types of models. Feel free to come pick our brains and watch how we work.
Ciao!
Conan
About the author - I am Godzilla. You...are JAPAN!!!! Read more from this author
