How To Get Great Expressions In Portraits

How To Get Great Expressions In Portraits

by William Lulow

People often ask me how I get such good expressions when I do portraits. Well, there are a couple of secrets I’d like to share with you:

• I am always engaging my subjects in conversation. I ask them about their families. I ask about what interests them. I talk about what I’m doing. I explain some of the process of lighting and how it will flatter them. I’m always talking and asking questions. Once you find a topic that will animate your subject, you’re going to start getting better expressions. At the same time, I’m always ready to capture their reactions. I will shoot right in the middle of the conversation. I’m looking for that “natural” expression that will reveal some of my subject’s character.

• Professional models have some “tricks” they use to avoid a “glazed over” or empty expression. They need to look great and have good expressions for every single shot. They are getting paid to pose! They often will look away from the camera in between shots. When their eyes find the camera again, they always have a fresh expression. And, great expressions are always in the eyes. You can be smiling, but if you’re not “feeling it,” your eyes will show it. If you ever get a chance to watch a professional model in front of the camera, you will notice that he or she always knows where the camera is and can play to it at will. Try this with your subjects.
• Look for poses and expressions that you like and try to repeat them. Say to your subject, “Let’s try some more of these.” Or, “Let’s do some more with this lighting. Maybe you could turn toward the light.” When the subject is turned toward the light, you will probably get some more pensive or quiet looking images. When the subject is facing the camera directly and looking into the lens, you will get more informational images. I often say, “Play directly to the lens,” because there are some who will look at you instead of the lens. For this reason, if I’m not looking into the viewfinder, my face is as close to the lens as possible. I remember the days of shooting portraits with a view camera. You couldn’t look through the viewfinder because there wasn’t one. So, I would always hold the shutter release cable in my right hand and get my face as close to the lens as possible.
• You don’t want to be peering into the camera all the time. Some photographers tend to “hide behind the camera” when they shoot. Once the camera is set up and you’ve got the shot composed correctly, you really don’t need to be looking in the viewfinder. You know what the camera is “seeing.”  So, vary your technique a bit. Use the viewfinder some of the time, but when you see a great expression, take your eye off it and communicate directly with the subject.  Then rattle off a series of expressions.
• Take enough photos. When you are doing a portrait session, you need to make a great image. I’m always looking for that definitive moment when the subject is comfortable and involved in the process. That’s what I’m looking for. When the subject is engaged in the process, you will get great expressions in your portraits.