Started by jenna_whitlock, 30 Oct 2025. 12 replies, 419 views
Gear in this topic: Canon EOS R8, RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM
So I've been doing free mini sessions for friends to practice (natural light, my R8 and the 85) and the photos are technically fine but everyone looks so stiff!! Like deer in headlights. With my own kids it's easy because they ignore me lol, but adults freeze the second I lift the camera.
I've tried telling them to relax which obviously makes it worse. What do you guys actually say or do? Any tricks that work on people who "hate having their picture taken"?
Stop telling them to relax and start giving them something to do. Walk toward me, look at your partner, fix your sleeve, tell me about your dog. People freeze when they're standing there waiting for instructions, because they don't know what their hands or face are supposed to be doing, so they do nothing.
I shoot a lot of corporate headshots for people who've been told by HR to get one done, so nobody in my studio wants to be there. The first ten frames are always throwaways and I tell them that up front: "these are just for me to check the light, don't worry about them." Takes the pressure right off, and by the time we're "really" shooting they've stopped thinking about it.
Also, keep talking while you shoot. Silence behind a camera is terrifying for the person in front of it. Clients don't care what camera you use. They care whether you made them feel like an idiot for twenty minutes.
jenna_whitlock said:I've tried telling them to relax which obviously makes it worse.
Never say relax, never say smile. Talk the whole time, keep the camera up so they forget it's there, and shoot while they're laughing at your terrible joke. At weddings I'm basically a stand-up comedian with a 70-200.
The other thing is to get them moving. Walking, turning, fixing a jacket, looking at each other. Static people stiffen up, moving people forget. And work fast. The longer someone stands in one spot waiting, the more they think about their face.
What I do with couples: knock out the "safe" poses quickly, then say "great, we're done" and keep shooting while they relax and start chatting. Half my favourite couple shots are from the walk back to the car. Same with families. The kid wriggling out of the pose is usually the frame the parents end up printing. Kids are easier, by the way. Ask them for their best angry face, then their silliest one. You'll get a real laugh on the third go.
jenna_whitlock said:adults freeze the second I lift the camera
Shoot in between the "poses". The best frame is nearly always just after you've said "ok, got it" and they relax. I keep shooting for another couple of seconds every time. Cheap trick but honestly it works. Same with headshots, it's always the frame after the frame
talking helps but its also your face. if you look nervous they look nervous. i stopped hiding behind the camera and look over the top of it between shots, so they're talking to a person not a lens. the x100v helps with that, it's small enough that it doesnt feel like a big deal
cdalton_photo said:The first ten frames are always throwaways and I tell them that up front
Oh I love that, I'm stealing it. And the joke thing, I'm not funny though lol, my kids tell me this every day. Do you guys shoot burst or single? I've been doing single and I feel like I'm missing the in-between moments everyone's talking about
jenna_whitlock said:Do you guys shoot burst or single?
Low burst. Blinks and half-smiles happen fast.
jenna_whitlock said:my R8 and the 85
Also shoot wider. The 85 makes you stand far away and you're shouting across a park. Try a 50 and you're close enough to have a normal conversation. 50 at 1.4 still separates fine.
f2point8 said:The 85 makes you stand far away
Disagree. Distance is half the reason the 85 works for nervous people. A lens two feet from your nose is worse than a voice from across the room. For people who hate being photographed I'll go longer, not shorter, and talk them in closer as they warm up.
two feet is a 35. i said 50
jenna_whitlock said:Any tricks that work on people who "hate having their picture taken"?
Not a portrait shooter but my sister-in-law hates photos and the only good ones I have of her are when she's holding her dog. Give nervous people something to hold or do with their hands! Kids with a toy, adults with a coffee cup, it works on everyone.
Update: did a session with my neighbor today and used the "first ten are throwaways" line plus had her walk back and forth with her coffee. SO much better. Still not funny though. Thanks you guys!! She's asked me to do her whole family next month!!
jenna_whitlock said:adults freeze the second I lift the camera
Late to this, but the other one: show them a good frame on the back of the camera early on. Once they see they look decent, the shoulders drop. Then get the camera back up before they start thinking about it again.