{"id":60164,"date":"2017-07-30T01:52:45","date_gmt":"2017-07-30T08:52:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=60164"},"modified":"2017-07-30T02:30:17","modified_gmt":"2017-07-30T09:30:17","slug":"how-to-take-better-photos-of-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/07\/30\/how-to-take-better-photos-of-people\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Tips How to Take Better Photos of People"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Eric
NYC x Hanoi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The most interesting photos to take are photos of people.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

1. Laughter<\/h2>\n
\"Laughing
Laughing lady. NYC, 2016<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

People look better when laughing. Why? Laughter, happiness, joy, and positivity are infectious.<\/p>\n

\"halmunee-grandma-eric
My grandma laughing; I want to forever remember her like this.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How to get people to laugh?<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Tell them a bad joke. <\/li>\n
  2. Ask them to laugh, start by laughing yourself. Say \u00e2\u20ac\u0153HAHAHAHA!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/li>\n
  3. Tell them \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Think of how silly you were when you were a kid.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/li>\n
  4. Tickle them<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    \"\"
    Paris, 2016. I loved his teeth and asked him to laugh for me.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    \"Mark
    Mark Cohen<\/a>, laughter.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    2. Look at the background (Environmental Portrait)<\/h2>\n
    \"My
    My mom at my apartment in Berkeley. 2015. Shot before eating a meal. This makes me happy.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get tunnel vision only on your subject. Look at the environment behind<\/em> them.<\/p>\n

    They call this \u00e2\u20ac\u0153environmental portraiture.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d You make a portrait of a person in the CONTEXT of their environment.<\/p>\n

    For the photo of my mom, it was in the context of my apartment. Therefore it feels more personal<\/a> and meaningful.<\/p>\n

    To learn more buy PHOTO JOURNAL<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    3. No negative space on the edges of the frame<\/h2>\n
    \"Portrait
    Portrait of Cindy \/ Orange County, 2015<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    When shooting, fill the frame on the extreme left and right of the frame. This focuses the energy into the center of the frame, and helps you focus on your subject.<\/p>\n

    Also, evoke memory<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    In the above photo of Cindy, you see the memory of her mom and dad on the far left of the frame. I just shot this photo on a phone.<\/p>\n

    They also call this the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153BOOKEND TECHNIQUE<\/a>.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

    4. Put yourself into the photo.<\/h2>\n
    \"Kiss.
    Kiss. Hotel room. Saigon, 2017.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    To me, there are no such thing as good or bad photos. Only personal photos, and impersonal photos.<\/p>\n

    Put yourself into your photos. This will make it more personal. Viewers love personal photos. Consider all these celebrity gossip magazines…we are always fascinated in the personal lives of other people.<\/p>\n

    Make open-ended photos. The photo above, there is that lipstick kiss on the mirror. What does it mean? It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s open to interpretation<\/strong>\u00e2\u20ac\u201d another good way to make photos.<\/p>\n

    And when in doubt,<\/p>\n

    \n HONOR THY SELFIE<\/a>.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    5. Hand Gestures<\/h2>\n
    \"Saigon,
    Saigon, 2017 #cindyproject<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t just shoot people with their hands by their sides. Ask them to pose with their hands.<\/p>\n

    \"New
    New Orleans, 2015 #RICOHGRII<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Treat making photos with your subjects like DANCING. Ask them to move around, and look different directions.<\/p>\n

    \"Cindy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s
    Cindy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hands. Berkeley, 2016<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \"Cindy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s
    Contact sheet. Cindy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hands. Berkeley, 2016<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    To get good natural hand gestures, instead of telling them what to do with their hands, ask them open-ended questions like,<\/p>\n