So these past couple of days have been amazingly crazy. I have been trying to get all of my files organized and everything in order for some sessions that have been booked. When I was going through and organizing past photo sessions I came across an engagement shoot I did a while back for some close friends of mine. I decided to go through their unedited images just for fun. There were a ton of images.... Like a ton. The session was about 90 minutes and I swear I took at least 10 pictures a minute. That was back when I just clicked a bunch for one pose and hope it comes out okay. I think a little differently now, but going through these pictures reminded me of their session and what a breeze it was.
Anyways on to the topic! The reason why they were so easy to work with is because of how natural they were. They weren't afraid to laugh and smile and just be in the moment. The one thing a lot of clients get caught up with is the posing. As it is important to take direction from your photographer, the best thing to do is: listen to the pose, apply it, and then relax and act natural. Natural looking images are a lot more interesting than those that look posed.
Laughing in pictures and natural movement is a lot more appealing than a stiff pose and a fake smile.
Plus! You don't have to be smiling the whole time! (Trust me your cheeks get tired if you try to maintain that forced looking smile.) Something Gerritt and Alex did, was kind of a staring contest. So they both made a straight face to see who could hold their it the longest. Then when one person broke they both started laughing. Not only was it a natural, but it gave their smiles a break for a minute.
The best session, to me, are the ones when the clients are just being themselves and acting like they usually do and I am just there to capture the moment. And with a little direction from the photographer, amazing photos can happen!