My name is Dave Krugman, and I'm a Brooklyn-based photographer.
And here are five tips on working with models when shooting portraiture.
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So tip number one. I always think it's a good idea to, kind of very briefly at least,
get to know your model and have them get to know you a little bit
because what a portrait is is really a slice and time of some sort of human connection or dynamic.
So, whether that's a cup of coffee or a quick conversation.
Don't immediately pick up the camera and start shooting.
Like, develop some sort of rapport, and then you'll get much better images in the long run.
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Tip number two. Less is more.
So, we have access to an incredible level of technology now,
and you can take, you know, 14 frames a second if you want.
But that's going to cause a lot of problems, and you're not really going to get the right moments.
You should slow down, take your time,
and really photograph consciously at these critical key decisive moments.
That actually will help you in post-processing as well
because you won't have, like, 300 files to go through for one image.
And I think that you'll basically have less images at a higher quality level.
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Tip number three. Develop some sort of system of communication that you use with models.
One of the things I love to do is to kind of have a non-verbal system of communication.
So, to make micro adjustments I'll say to the model
"Hey do you mind if you just follow my hand with your eyes."
So if I need to make a very small adjustment, but I don't need to you know say a whole paragraph about it,
I like to just use one hand to have their eyes track so I can direct them in these little microscopic ways
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Tip number four. Be very conscious and aware of what's going on behind your model,
especially if you're shooting environmental portraiture.
A very common mistake that beginners make is kind of not realizing where the lines are in the background.
And a lot of those lines will be intersecting with their subject and breaking up the shape.
Instead, try to use those lines that are falling behind your subject to create a framing situation
so that you get much more of like a frame of your subject,
as opposed to you know for example a telephone pole coming right out of them.
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Tip number five, and this is one of my favorites, is pose for other photographers.
Nothing will help you understand what it's like to model than doing it yourself
And understanding you know what kind of direction helps, how to make somebody feel comfortable.
Because if you experience those emotions yourself,
you'll bring that back to the other side of the camera again and be much more successful with your craft.
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I hope you found those tips helpful.
If you have any suggestions of your own, I'd love to hear those as well.
Join the conversation in the comments right below.
I'm Dave Krugman. You can find me at davekrugman.com
You can find me on Instagram at dave.krugman
And you can find all my curational and editorial work on allships.co
Thank you so much.
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