Establish Rapport

Trust: Trust is the foundation of rapport, and in order to develop trust with other people, you have to communicate with them. People want to look good in photographs, and they need to believe you’re going to make them look good. I’ve got one big advantage in that department—a lifetime of creating photographs in which people look good. That body of work wasn’t anything that I had to be coerced into producing. I can easily admit it; I like taking pretty, upbeat pictures. I like making “the beauty shot.” I’m not the photographer to call if you’re looking for a hardedged, gritty, realistic look that reveals the subject in an unflattering way. The people I photograph know my work, appreciate my style, and know what to expect.

Rapport: Rapport can start with something as simple as what you say. I’m aware of the cliché of the professional photographer’s constant stream of praise, instruction, and acknowledgement, but there are reasons it has become a cliché: For one thing, it holds true, and for another, it really works. I do it all the time—in fact, I never stop talking, and that goes for whether I’m photographing a professional model or my grandchild. “Great, that’s it, look away. Now look over here—that’s it.” For my grandchild I might add, “Oh, you’re going to like this one.”

Feedback: My goal is to reinforce their positive feeling with my ongoing, “Oh, you look great—that’s great! Now let’s try this—” commentary. I don’t ever minimize the importance of those comments, because before I was a photographer, I was a model. I know first hand what it feels like to be on the other side of the camera. When I modeled, there were photographers who were naturals at that kind of rapport and there were others who weren’t. When I worked for the latter, I remember thinking, “Why don’t they talk to me? Why don’t they tell me what’s going on or what they’re thinking or what they want me to do?” It was like having to play guessing games, and I don’t think you get the best out of people who are guessing about what you want or what’s going on.

I know that not everyone is at ease with this type of exchange. I see it all the time in my workshops. I’ll be shooting, talking to the models, encouraging them, making suggestions as the students watch and hopefully learn to anticipate the models’ moves as well as pick up on my methods. Then I’ll come to the end of the card’s capacity, turn to the students and say, “Okay, take over.” And it all stops dead in its tracks because the students aren’t comfortable. What they’re doing is mechanical, not personal; it’s process, not emotion. And when it comes to any creative art, especially photography, it is emotion that makes all the difference.

There are people you know and people you don’t know. It sounds counter-intuitive but sometimes the people you don’t know can be easier to photograph. Now, I know you probably won’t be working with professional models that often, but the idea is the same: Respond to people; encourage them to respond to you; make your photo shoot a positive, fun experience on both sides of the camera. Your personality is going to have an enormous effect on the results.

Ready to learn more?

Photographer Nancy Brown is truly a genius of the digital world. A successful former model who moved behind the camera, she excels at connecting with people and capturing lifestyle, trends, and “the look” she wants. Her simple yet elegant photos show people living in the moment and enjoying life. How does she create such evocative shots? Nancy takes us on location and reveals how she makes the most of her subjects and their surroundings. From creating and selling stock photography, to working with people, to enhancing the images in the computer, it’s all here with advice you can apply to your own photography.
» Click here to get your copy today! ISBN 978-1579906627

About Nancy Brown

Nancy has been a commercial photographer for over thirty years. After working out of New York City for twenty-five years she is now working out of her studio in Boca Raton, Florida. Her clients include ad agencies, magazines, design firms, book publishers, and pharmaceutical agencies.

Nancy specializes in people/lifestyle and travel photography. Traveling to wonderful places has always been a big part of Nancy’s life and she feels very lucky to be able to combine her love of traveling with her love of photography. She has three photography books published and the latest one “Nude & Beauty Photography” can be purchased at Amazon.

Teaching has also been a big part of Nancy’s career and she has done workshops and seminars all over the world and does “one-to-ones” in her studio and in locations in Florida all year long.

Getty Images sells Nancy’s stock and is continually adding people/lifestyle and travel images to her collection. www.nancybrown.com

More about this Book and Nancy Brown

We will be awarding a copy of this book to a Digital Image Cafe Member by a random drawing on Friday December 18th 2009! In addition, this is the Theme Subject of the Digial Image Cafe Facebook Fan Page December Contest and Ms. Brown has graciously agreed to be the judge for the contest after it closes on December 31st! So, go to our Fan Page, become a Fan, visit the “Events” Tab and enter your Portrait photo today!

About Lark Books

The digital age isn't coming, it's here. With amateur and professional titles on such topics as lighting, digital photo art, nature, glamour, digital scrapbooking, wedding, the business of photography, and our great Magic Lantern series, Lark is at the heart of digital photography publishing.