October 2, 2023 • 22 mins
On today's adventure, we're hanging out on the shores of Moraine Lake - in the rain, of course - after hiking into Larch Valley during larch season and talking about five little things you can do to elevate your images.
One of the things I find people asking about fairly consistently is what starts separating people when you know the rules of composition, and you know how to break them, and when to break them, when you know your exposure triangle and how to use your camera and all those good pieces, why is it that some people's images have an extra spark or just something a little bit different or better about them?
And so that's what we're going to talk about. Here are some of the things you can do that could possibly be that next bit you need to elevate your people photos.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Robert (00:00):
How's it going, everybody?
Welcome back to the podcast.
I'm Robert Massey.
This is the Travel and AdventurePhotography School.
Thank you so much for takingsome of your invaluable time to
hang out and listen today.
For today's episode, we arehanging out on the shores of
Moraine Lake right after hikinginto Larch Valley during Larch
season.
(00:21):
Oh, such a special andspectacular moment to be there.
It's phenomenal.
Larch season lasts for two,maybe three weeks in Banff
National Park, and it's, it'smagic when it hits.
So for those of you who don'tknow, larches are a type of
coniferous tree, so like anevergreen or a Christmas tree,
(00:41):
that turn yellow and lose theirneedles just before the winter.
So right as the weather startsto get a little bit colder, they
start to change yellow, and thenfor about two to three weeks,
there are forests of goldentrees, and it is spectacular to
walk amongst the larches, andit's one of the things that
drives people to Banff NationalPark in the fall.
(01:04):
If you look at an Instagram feedor anything like that from the
end of September, beginning ofOctober, you will see these
golden larch trees everywhere.
They're up in the subalpine andthe alpine kind of area, and
they're one of the things thatyou almost have to hike to to
get to.
It's dedication to really getamongst these golden trees, but
honestly, so worth it,especially if you are a
(01:25):
adventure or landscapephotographer, traveler
photographer, or you just wantto see something spectacular and
beautiful and magical.
Now, My suggestion would bedefinitely be in them for golden
hour, which can be a lot of workbecause it means you're
typically hiking at least fiveor six kilometers probably
around five or 600 meters upinto somewhere before sunrise
(01:47):
starts.
So it's definitely a dark start,but so worth it.
If you can watch that goldenlight touch over the tops of
those trees.
Now that being said.
This episode is not about larchtrees as much as I would love to
just talk about larches.
I've done this before on thepodcast.
We've gone off about how tocapture the best fall colours,
(02:09):
and where to go for them, andwhy they're so special and
amazing, but that's not whatthis episode is going to be
about.
Because I think at this point, Idon't need to convince you to go
out and capture the fallcolours.
There's no reason to.
They are spectacular, andbecause it's such a limited
season, I think that drives alot of us photographers to get
out and document it.
(02:30):
Even when it's gross and rainy,like it has been here for the
last couple of weeks.
I'm getting rained on againright now.
I think you'll notice a commonrunning theme in the last few
episodes.
And, yeah.
Even then, it's still...
A beautiful and fantastic andspecial moment to be out in
these kind of colors.
So, get out there.
If you're listening to thiswhile it is fall, go and
document them.
(02:50):
If you're not, plan a trip tosomewhere where you want to see
those fall colors, especially ifyou want to go somewhere into
the mountains and see larches,because they are a unique thing
that take effort to get to, butoh, so, so worth it.
I think I have gone on.
We're looking at five or sixlarch hikes in the last nine to
ten days.
My legs are a little bit tiredbut it's, it's been so worth it
(03:12):
to get to wander around in thosegolden forests.
That being said, this episode isnot about larches.
This episode is all about howyou can improve your images with
just a couple easy little tweaksto make your next brand shoot or
your next couple shoot, yournext portrait shoot or whatever
it is.
These little tweaks that you canmake before your shoot and
(03:34):
during it that will dramaticallyraise the quality of your
photos.
One of the things I find peopleasking about fairly consistently
is what really starts separatingpeople out when you know the
rules of composition and youknow how to break them and when
to break them, when you knowyour exposure triangle and how
to use your camera and all thosegood pieces, why is it that some
people's images just have anextra spark or just something a
(03:58):
little bit different or betterabout them?
And so that's what we're goingto talk about here are some of
the things that you can do thatcould possibly be that next bit
that you need to really elevateyour people photos.
All right, let's get into it.
So the first two are aboutthings you can do before your
photo shoot.
These are relationship buildingpieces.
(04:19):
So, it is critical that youdon't just drop into a
photoshoot without anunderstanding of that person
you're working with, without anunderstanding of what their
needs are, what their wants are,or why they're hiring you.
I've seen too many photographersjust be like, I booked this
session, that's great.
It's like, okay, what do youknow about them?
And they don't know anything.
They know that they got booked,and that was it.
(04:39):
Somebody hired them for aphotoshoot.
That's not ideal, and I knowthis isn't what a lot of people
want to hear, but there's somelegwork that should go in before
you get into the productionprocess with somebody.
So what that looks like isreally straightforward and it
doesn't change if you're doing abrand shoot or if you're doing
an engagement shoot or aportrait shoot or anything like
that.
(04:59):
The amount of time investmentmight, but the concept doesn't
shift.
So what I mean by that is youwant to sit down and have a
direct conversation eitherthrough a FaceTime call, because
it's critical to be able to readthat person's expressions and to
be able to listen and respond tonot just their voice, but to
their body language and to theirtone.
Or, sit down in person withthem.
(05:20):
And I know that's not alwayspossible, but that is honestly
the best way I've found toengage in these conversations.
Because you need to get to knowthe people behind this photo
shoot and what their needs are.
And you need to build up thatrelationship of trust so that
they can believe in you andtrust in you when you go out to
start shooting with them.
So, if you just show up on setand you've never really had a
(05:43):
conversation with this couple oryou've never really had a
conversation with this clientthat's hired you, You don't
actually know each other wellenough to really have a huge
amount of trust or belief ineach other.
And you might not actuallyunderstand their needs or there
might be little nuances thatyou've missed because you
haven't sat down and engaged inan in depth conversation.
(06:05):
So prior to your shoot get on avideo call or get down and sit
down in person with them andreally dig into their needs,
their expectations, their wants.
If this is a brand shoot, youneed to understand how that
brand wants its voicerepresented, how that brand
wants to be visuallyrepresented.
If this is a couple, you need tounderstand their story and their
background.
You really want to know whatwill make them smile, what's
(06:28):
going to make them laugh, what'sgoing to help them engage on a
deeper and more trusting levelwith you.
Because honestly, if you show upat a shoot and they don't know
you yet, they might not bewilling to tell you, oh, this
isn't right, or, oh, this,doesn't feel right, or you might
be struggling to get that coupleto smile because you don't
understand their sense of humor,or you don't understand their
(06:49):
relationship to each other.
Some couples do great if you getthem to pick fun at each other,
some couples really hate thatand that's going to throw
something off.
I did that at a wedding, where Itypically have, the groomsmen
kind of poke fun at the groom,and I knew the groom really
well, but I didn't actually knowthe groomsmen at all before this
wedding.
And I asked one of the groomsmenHey, could you tell, tell me a
(07:11):
pretty funny story about thegroom?
And he, he got very angry aboutthis, and he didn't want me to
be making fun of this friend ofhis.
And that wasn't the idea.
The idea was to add some levityto a situation.
And because I didn't understandthat relationship in there, I
caused a little bit of a riftthat I had to spend some time
repairing and understanding whathad happened.
(07:32):
Now, thankfully, we got over it,everything was great, the photos
turned out beautifully, but apre conversation with the groom
about how his groomsmen interactwith him and about how they tend
to get each other to smile andwhat they mean to each other
would have alleviated thatsituation right off the bat and
not caused any tensionwhatsoever.
So.
Get out there, have thatconversation before you start
(07:53):
your shoot and really not justunderstand your client's needs
in terms of what they expect fordelivery, but also understand
your client's needs in how theyneed to be worked with,
represented, and how you canbuild trust with them.
In addition to thatconversation, one of the other
things, and this is one of thetips that changed my photography
and changed my approach tophotography quite dramatically,
(08:16):
was that I find that there's alot of photographers who go into
a shoot, and I was one of them,and would tell people what to
do, and then expect them tolisten and something just
wouldn't feel right, and youcouldn't quite put your finger
on what it was.
And so I solved this by startingto have what I call a
collaboration conversation,before the actual photo shoot
starts.
So, I take five, ten minutesbefore we actually ever even
(08:38):
pull out a camera and this isafter you've done your typical,
hey, how's it going thismorning, how you feeling, you
excited, you're getting thempumped.
After you've had that welcomeintroduction moment, take five
to ten minutes and talk withthem about how you aren't
dictating these images to them.
That this isn't a one way streetartistic creative process.
That these images are for them,they are about them, and you
(09:01):
want to make sure that they getthe best photos that they
possibly can.
Because you are working withpeople who are emotionally
invested in these photos.
They're already emotionallyinvested and you want to get
them even more emotionallyinvested.
Now if you're creating aspecific art project and you're
documenting something or doinganything like that, don't need
to worry about the collaborationpiece because you're not
(09:22):
collaborating, you're creatingart for yourself.
But when you're doing engagementshoots, and couple shoots, and
portraits, and brand shoots, youaren't just creating something
for you, you're creatingsomething for somebody else who
has a vision, or who has anexpectation for what these
images are going to be used for,what they look like.
And if you start by having thiscollaboration conversation, All
(09:44):
of a sudden they are going to beway more emotionally invested
and understanding of how youwant them to work with you.
So, what I do is I tell themflat out I'm not here to dictate
to you.
I want you to tell me how you'refeeling about the poses, how
you're feeling about the places.
If you're uncomfortable, if youlove it, if you want to try
something, I want you to give mefeedback as we go.
(10:06):
Now, you hired me because I havea specific talent.
I have the ability to pose andlight and do all these other
things.
I'll guide you through thisprocess as we go, but if I pose
you in the way that you're like,ah, this doesn't really
represent us, let's not wasteour time there.
If you don't feel right, if youdon't feel good, I need to know
that so that we can create thebest images that we possibly can
(10:27):
that will make you smile, andthat will make you overjoyed
when you look at them.
And that's it.
It's a basic conversation likethat.
I answer a couple questions fromthem.
I really...
Kind of feel out how they'refeeling about it and make sure
that they understand that Ireally do want them to tell me
and give me feedback and workcollaboratively with me.
Now, this is a huge huge hugepart of my process at this
(10:48):
point.
I found that my photos took amassive jump because if we only
have an hour together and wespend 15 minutes of that doing
things that I think that they'reenjoying, but really they don't
represent them at all, that'snot good, that's not ideal in
the slightest.
And I feel like it's a reallystrong pose.
I can show them and talk withthem about it, and they like it,
(11:08):
that's great, but if not, thenwe can just move on.
We're not wasting time, and Ican modify the way I pose people
just by them telling me that onepiece, because then I won't
continue down lines that are inthose similar poses, or that
kind of put them in similarsituations.
So.
Have that collaborationconversation and you will just
find that they will become muchmore emotionally invested in the
(11:28):
images that they collaborated onwith you, you're priming the
pump because If you'recollaborating with them on
images, they're going to likethem more already, because they
had a hand in making them.
And so you're actually going tomake your client even happier
because you're activelylistening to them, you're
actively engaging with thembeyond just taking the photos.
Tell them that this is not a oneway street, that you are there
to work with them to ensure thattheir vision is executed.
(11:51):
Because in the end, these aren'tphotos that just represent your
brand and your artistic style.
If you want to do that, go andset up some of your own shoots.
These are photos that alsorepresent another person's brand
entirely.
Who needs them for specific usecases and they've invested a lot
of their hard earned money inhiring you and getting you to be
there with them and possiblymodels and a few other things
(12:12):
and it's really important torespect that so Yeah,
relationship building that istips one and two that will
dramatically change your nextphoto shoot Now, tip number
three.
This is where we get into thingsthat you can do during the shoot
that can make a massive, massivedifference.
Now, we all know at this pointthat wardrobe can make or break
(12:35):
a photo in some ways.
You get somebody in the wrongpiece of wardrobe, something
that's not flattering on them,something they don't feel
comfortable in, photos aren'tgonna turn out good.
It doesn't matter what you do,it's really not gonna work.
But, if you work with them ontheir wardrobe in advance, like
most of us do, that's great, butyou can take it a step further,
especially in how we work.
Because, you're not in a studiowhere someone can bring 10, 15
(12:55):
different outfits typically.
We're, we're out onmountaintops.
We're out skiing, doing otherthings.
And so you really need to getthat person prepped before they
come to make sure that they havethe right pieces versus the
environment that you're going tobe in.
Now what I mean is it comes downto the color of that clothing.
So you need a piece of clothingthat looks good on that person
and that the color looks good onthat person.
But you also need to make surethat they're gonna pop out
(13:17):
against the background andthey're gonna really stand out.
During larch season, most peopletend to wear yellow puff coats.
They look really, really good upagainst the orange and yellow of
the larch trees.
They pop out against thehopefully blue skies or even a
grey sky.
They just look really, reallygood.
On grey rainy days, yellow looksamazing versus the blue haze in
(13:38):
the environment.
If you're in a forested space,something like red or orange or
yellow pops off against the darkbackground really well.
Even like a really bright blueworks really well in a dark
forested environment.
Anything like that that's goingto cause your subject to be
separated from the scene,especially if you're not going
to be able to put them in thebrightest parts of it very
(13:58):
easily, will help your subjectjust stand out a little bit
more, and that's just going tomake the images look a little
better, because you're not goingto lose the person who's in
them.
Now, you think about that inreverse.
If you have a dark green or adark blue, and you have somebody
in a shadowed forest, they'rereally gonna blend in with the
dark greens and the dark bluesof forests, and they will not
stand out, and that's gonnacause them to get lost.
(14:20):
And the image, you could posethem, you can make them look
amazing, you could do all sortsof other things and short of
putting off camera flash on themand properly lighting them.
You can't do anything aboutmaking them pop out in that
scene, naturally, or make themlook good.
Think about the color choicesthat you are making versus the
environment that they are goingto be in.
(14:40):
I was on a shoot recently whereI asked somebody to bring a
bright coat with them so I couldpop them off against the trees
that we were going to be hikingin, but we had them canoeing
first and his canoe was red.
This jacket was orange, and Ithought, oh, this is gonna look
really good.
He sat down in the canoe, andthat orange clashed so badly
with the red of his canoe thatwe had to get him to take the
coat off, and thankfully he hada nice green shirt on underneath
(15:02):
that worked really well with thewater and with the color of the
canoe.
But if he hadn't had that, thenI don't know what we would have
done, because I didn't prep himproperly for the color of that
canoe.
So, think through what theenvironments are that you're
going to be putting these peopleinto.
This goes the same for stylingthem to make sure they're in
clothing that matches thesituation that you're putting
them in.
This goes for like coupleshaving not matching clothing,
(15:24):
please but having complimentaryclothing.
So, don't have person a in thecoupling in sweatpants and a
hoodie and person B being inlike a ballgown That dichotomy
is not gonna make those couple'sphotos look really good.
They're gonna end up clashingquite badly, and it's just not
gonna make the photo shoot lookright.
All right.
So, wardrobe.
(15:45):
Make sure you're dialing in thewardrobe.
Not just comfy clothing, and notjust the clothing that looks
right on the person, but colorsthat work with the environment.
Tip number two, has to do withclothing too, but it's while you
were shooting, make sure thatyou get people to take
everything out of their pocketsand make sure that you get them
to zip up their pockets.
Frequently I see a little cellphone outline in somebody's
pocket or I see lipstick orchapstick hanging out in there
(16:09):
It's just a little bulge or Isee somebody's pocket is gaping
open because it's not zipped upand that just ruins the lines in
the photo.
It ruins really the person'ssilhouette and it adds a little
bit of distraction and It takesaway from some of the cleanness
that you're going for in photoslike this.
And so, it's really simple.
Get them to take them out oftheir pockets.
Really simple little addition isa little roll top enclosure bag.
(16:31):
Mine are typically littlewaterproof ones just in case it
starts raining because they'llbe on the outside.
that I can just stick any oftheir objects in and then clip
to the outside of my bag.
That way we don't lose anythingin my bag and people can easily
reach in, grab things in and outwhenever they need to.
But then for sure we're notgetting people to shove stuff
into their pockets either.
And then get them to zip uptheir pockets, even think to zip
up the pockets on cargo pants ifyou have them.
(16:54):
I'm currently wearing ones thathave zippers on them.
And I can look down and I cansee the pocket flaring open
whenever I bend my leg, and soif I was just to zip that
closed, it would just clean upthe line on my leg that little
bit more that will just elevateyour image a step.
And the last thing to lookcarefully at is the accessories
that somebody is wearing.
This is all wardrobe related,but that is where I find a lot
(17:14):
of photographers kind of take astep back.
They're almost a little bitafraid to step on the toes of
their client by maybe insultingwhat they're wearing or
commenting on their body oranything like that.
If you do this delicately, youdo this right, you're going to
make better images for them andthey're just going to be happy
about that.
Now, accessories can meaneverything from the hat that
(17:35):
person is wearing to...
bracelets, and anklets, andnecklaces, and anything like
that.
And you want to make sure thatwhat they're wearing complements
the outfit, complements who theyare, and doesn't add an
unnecessary distraction orsomething that doesn't look very
good.
And one of the things that Ifind I always have to think
about when I take photos of mywife is getting her to take hair
ties off of her wrist.
(17:56):
She always has a hair tie withher because she has long hair
and she wants to be able to tieit up really quickly when we're
out.
But if I want to take somephotos, that hair tie on her
wrist, honestly, just doesn'tlook very good.
There's no reason for it to bethere.
It's not like it's a fashionchoice or anything like that.
So I always have to remember toget her to take off that
hairband.
I just wrapped it around my ownwrist so that I can just give it
right back to her right away.
That's a little easy one, thatnot having that on someone's
(18:18):
wrist is just going to make yourimage look a step higher and a
step better.
And be very careful and diligentabout how they are sitting on
somebody as well.
So if somebody's wearing anecklace and the clasp has
fallen around to the front, thatcan be a really difficult thing
to photoshop, because it cancause the necklace to sit askew
a little bit, it can changewhere it's sitting on the neck,
(18:38):
and all of a sudden you havewhat should just be a quick ten
minute edit going into an hourof photoshop.
And it's going to extend yourtime just to fix one little
thing.
So if you're noticing theselittle details with the
accessories as you're goingalong, you just tell the person,
hey, you just pull the necklaceback around, make sure it's
sitting straight or the earringsaren't sitting back on a
shoulder or tucked into thehair.
(19:00):
Now if it's a fashion accessorychoice on that person's part,
work with them with it.
If it's say like they like towear flat brimmed ball caps.
That's a really difficult onefor me because I wear ball caps
all the time, but when you'retaking photos and you need
someone's face in them, theyreally shadow the face out and
they honestly kind of caused theimages not to look very good.
Because you can't see theperson's eyes as easily.
(19:20):
And so short of lighting theperson's face properly and
really working on that, you needto work with that client to
understand why they want thathat on and the other need that
they have, which is reallybeautiful and fantastic photos.
So make sure you're checking outthe accessories somebody is
wearing.
All those sorts of little tinydetails that yes, you probably
can Photoshop that out.
Not always though, and noteasily.
(19:41):
But if you can do it naturallyright then and there.
It's just gonna look better inyour photos, and it's gonna make
your job a lot easier so youdon't have to look for those
little nitpicky things whileyou're editing.
You're also gonna build up trustwith that person, and they're
going to know that you werepaying attention to their needs,
you were paying attention totheir wants, and nothing but
good things can come from themseeing that.
And those are just five reallyeasy things that you can do that
(20:03):
can elevate your images quitedramatically, right off the bat.
And they're not difficult thingsto really work on.
They're not difficult things toimplement.
And they really will change thequality of the photos that
you're taking.
Now, obviously we didn't talktoo much about some of the
really big things that can setyou apart, but the idea with
this episode is to give you thelittle things that can make a
(20:25):
big, big difference that some ofthe people who you probably look
up to are doing in their photosquite consistently to really
elevate their productions.
Now, the big things I'm nottalking about today are things
like off camera lighting, whichcan make a massive difference.
Things like posing andcomposition and knowing when to
break the rules of composition.
(20:45):
Those are all things that youshould learn about before
focusing on these other littledetails.
Now, if you've nailed everythingelse in there, that's where
these little pieces are reallygoing to start making a massive
difference for you.
Alright, and that is it fortoday, everybody.
Thank you so much for takingthis time with me, and for
coming on a little bit of anexploration beside one of the
(21:06):
most beautiful places in theworld, at Moraine Lake.
If you ever get the chance tocome out here, come see the
Valley of the Ten Peaks.
It is absolutely stunning.
We have a really excitingepisode coming up in two weeks.
The next one that's coming outWe are talking to the
photographer Katie Goldie.
She has worked with some hugebrands in the travel industry
around the world She's traveledtaking photos.
(21:27):
She has over 200, 000 followerson Instagram And she's just a
remarkably wonderful human beingwho has some amazing business
advice and for how to deal withworking with clients and getting
the best possible images thatyou can with them.
So it's going to be a greatconversation.
We were out for a walk in therain.
This is becoming a theme with meright now.
(21:49):
And I would love to hear fromyou if you have any other tips
that are little things thatpeople can do to implement in
their photo shoots or justbefore their photo shoots that
just elevate the production thatlittle bit more and can make a
massive difference in deliveringa higher quality.
You can find me on Instagram atRobert Massey photography, or
you can find me on my website atrobertmasseyphotography.
ca and reach out to me on there.
(22:09):
Thanks for coming on thisadventure with me beside Moraine
Lake during larch season or Iguess fall to most people Let's
adventure.
Bye for now.
How's it going, everybody?
Welcome back to the podcast.
I'm Robert Massey.
This is the Travel and AdventurePhotography School.
Thank you so much for takingsome of your invaluable time to
hang out and listen today.
For today's episode, we arehanging out on the shores of
Moraine Lake right after hikinginto Larch Valley during Larch
season.
(00:21):
Oh, such a special andspectacular moment to be there.
It's phenomenal.
Larch season lasts for two,maybe three weeks in Banff
National Park, and it's, it'smagic when it hits.
So for those of you who don'tknow, larches are a type of
coniferous tree, so like anevergreen or a Christmas tree,
(00:41):
that turn yellow and lose theirneedles just before the winter.
So right as the weather startsto get a little bit colder, they
start to change yellow, and thenfor about two to three weeks,
there are forests of goldentrees, and it is spectacular to
walk amongst the larches, andit's one of the things that
drives people to Banff NationalPark in the fall.
(01:04):
If you look at an Instagram feedor anything like that from the
end of September, beginning ofOctober, you will see these
golden larch trees everywhere.
They're up in the subalpine andthe alpine kind of area, and
they're one of the things thatyou almost have to hike to to
get to.
It's dedication to really getamongst these golden trees, but
honestly, so worth it,especially if you are a
(01:25):
adventure or landscapephotographer, traveler
photographer, or you just wantto see something spectacular and
beautiful and magical.
Now, My suggestion would bedefinitely be in them for golden
hour, which can be a lot of workbecause it means you're
typically hiking at least fiveor six kilometers probably
around five or 600 meters upinto somewhere before sunrise
(01:47):
starts.
So it's definitely a dark start,but so worth it.
If you can watch that goldenlight touch over the tops of
those trees.
Now that being said.
This episode is not about larchtrees as much as I would love to
just talk about larches.
I've done this before on thepodcast.
We've gone off about how tocapture the best fall colours,
(02:09):
and where to go for them, andwhy they're so special and
amazing, but that's not whatthis episode is going to be
about.
Because I think at this point, Idon't need to convince you to go
out and capture the fallcolours.
There's no reason to.
They are spectacular, andbecause it's such a limited
season, I think that drives alot of us photographers to get
out and document it.
(02:30):
Even when it's gross and rainy,like it has been here for the
last couple of weeks.
I'm getting rained on againright now.
I think you'll notice a commonrunning theme in the last few
episodes.
And, yeah.
Even then, it's still...
A beautiful and fantastic andspecial moment to be out in
these kind of colors.
So, get out there.
If you're listening to thiswhile it is fall, go and
document them.
(02:50):
If you're not, plan a trip tosomewhere where you want to see
those fall colors, especially ifyou want to go somewhere into
the mountains and see larches,because they are a unique thing
that take effort to get to, butoh, so, so worth it.
I think I have gone on.
We're looking at five or sixlarch hikes in the last nine to
ten days.
My legs are a little bit tiredbut it's, it's been so worth it
(03:12):
to get to wander around in thosegolden forests.
That being said, this episode isnot about larches.
This episode is all about howyou can improve your images with
just a couple easy little tweaksto make your next brand shoot or
your next couple shoot, yournext portrait shoot or whatever
it is.
These little tweaks that you canmake before your shoot and
(03:34):
during it that will dramaticallyraise the quality of your
photos.
One of the things I find peopleasking about fairly consistently
is what really starts separatingpeople out when you know the
rules of composition and youknow how to break them and when
to break them, when you knowyour exposure triangle and how
to use your camera and all thosegood pieces, why is it that some
people's images just have anextra spark or just something a
(03:58):
little bit different or betterabout them?
And so that's what we're goingto talk about here are some of
the things that you can do thatcould possibly be that next bit
that you need to really elevateyour people photos.
All right, let's get into it.
So the first two are aboutthings you can do before your
photo shoot.
These are relationship buildingpieces.
(04:19):
So, it is critical that youdon't just drop into a
photoshoot without anunderstanding of that person
you're working with, without anunderstanding of what their
needs are, what their wants are,or why they're hiring you.
I've seen too many photographersjust be like, I booked this
session, that's great.
It's like, okay, what do youknow about them?
And they don't know anything.
They know that they got booked,and that was it.
(04:39):
Somebody hired them for aphotoshoot.
That's not ideal, and I knowthis isn't what a lot of people
want to hear, but there's somelegwork that should go in before
you get into the productionprocess with somebody.
So what that looks like isreally straightforward and it
doesn't change if you're doing abrand shoot or if you're doing
an engagement shoot or aportrait shoot or anything like
that.
(04:59):
The amount of time investmentmight, but the concept doesn't
shift.
So what I mean by that is youwant to sit down and have a
direct conversation eitherthrough a FaceTime call, because
it's critical to be able to readthat person's expressions and to
be able to listen and respond tonot just their voice, but to
their body language and to theirtone.
Or, sit down in person withthem.
(05:20):
And I know that's not alwayspossible, but that is honestly
the best way I've found toengage in these conversations.
Because you need to get to knowthe people behind this photo
shoot and what their needs are.
And you need to build up thatrelationship of trust so that
they can believe in you andtrust in you when you go out to
start shooting with them.
So, if you just show up on setand you've never really had a
(05:43):
conversation with this couple oryou've never really had a
conversation with this clientthat's hired you, You don't
actually know each other wellenough to really have a huge
amount of trust or belief ineach other.
And you might not actuallyunderstand their needs or there
might be little nuances thatyou've missed because you
haven't sat down and engaged inan in depth conversation.
(06:05):
So prior to your shoot get on avideo call or get down and sit
down in person with them andreally dig into their needs,
their expectations, their wants.
If this is a brand shoot, youneed to understand how that
brand wants its voicerepresented, how that brand
wants to be visuallyrepresented.
If this is a couple, you need tounderstand their story and their
background.
You really want to know whatwill make them smile, what's
(06:28):
going to make them laugh, what'sgoing to help them engage on a
deeper and more trusting levelwith you.
Because honestly, if you show upat a shoot and they don't know
you yet, they might not bewilling to tell you, oh, this
isn't right, or, oh, this,doesn't feel right, or you might
be struggling to get that coupleto smile because you don't
understand their sense of humor,or you don't understand their
(06:49):
relationship to each other.
Some couples do great if you getthem to pick fun at each other,
some couples really hate thatand that's going to throw
something off.
I did that at a wedding, where Itypically have, the groomsmen
kind of poke fun at the groom,and I knew the groom really
well, but I didn't actually knowthe groomsmen at all before this
wedding.
And I asked one of the groomsmenHey, could you tell, tell me a
(07:11):
pretty funny story about thegroom?
And he, he got very angry aboutthis, and he didn't want me to
be making fun of this friend ofhis.
And that wasn't the idea.
The idea was to add some levityto a situation.
And because I didn't understandthat relationship in there, I
caused a little bit of a riftthat I had to spend some time
repairing and understanding whathad happened.
(07:32):
Now, thankfully, we got over it,everything was great, the photos
turned out beautifully, but apre conversation with the groom
about how his groomsmen interactwith him and about how they tend
to get each other to smile andwhat they mean to each other
would have alleviated thatsituation right off the bat and
not caused any tensionwhatsoever.
So.
Get out there, have thatconversation before you start
(07:53):
your shoot and really not justunderstand your client's needs
in terms of what they expect fordelivery, but also understand
your client's needs in how theyneed to be worked with,
represented, and how you canbuild trust with them.
In addition to thatconversation, one of the other
things, and this is one of thetips that changed my photography
and changed my approach tophotography quite dramatically,
(08:16):
was that I find that there's alot of photographers who go into
a shoot, and I was one of them,and would tell people what to
do, and then expect them tolisten and something just
wouldn't feel right, and youcouldn't quite put your finger
on what it was.
And so I solved this by startingto have what I call a
collaboration conversation,before the actual photo shoot
starts.
So, I take five, ten minutesbefore we actually ever even
(08:38):
pull out a camera and this isafter you've done your typical,
hey, how's it going thismorning, how you feeling, you
excited, you're getting thempumped.
After you've had that welcomeintroduction moment, take five
to ten minutes and talk withthem about how you aren't
dictating these images to them.
That this isn't a one way streetartistic creative process.
That these images are for them,they are about them, and you
(09:01):
want to make sure that they getthe best photos that they
possibly can.
Because you are working withpeople who are emotionally
invested in these photos.
They're already emotionallyinvested and you want to get
them even more emotionallyinvested.
Now if you're creating aspecific art project and you're
documenting something or doinganything like that, don't need
to worry about the collaborationpiece because you're not
(09:22):
collaborating, you're creatingart for yourself.
But when you're doing engagementshoots, and couple shoots, and
portraits, and brand shoots, youaren't just creating something
for you, you're creatingsomething for somebody else who
has a vision, or who has anexpectation for what these
images are going to be used for,what they look like.
And if you start by having thiscollaboration conversation, All
(09:44):
of a sudden they are going to beway more emotionally invested
and understanding of how youwant them to work with you.
So, what I do is I tell themflat out I'm not here to dictate
to you.
I want you to tell me how you'refeeling about the poses, how
you're feeling about the places.
If you're uncomfortable, if youlove it, if you want to try
something, I want you to give mefeedback as we go.
(10:06):
Now, you hired me because I havea specific talent.
I have the ability to pose andlight and do all these other
things.
I'll guide you through thisprocess as we go, but if I pose
you in the way that you're like,ah, this doesn't really
represent us, let's not wasteour time there.
If you don't feel right, if youdon't feel good, I need to know
that so that we can create thebest images that we possibly can
(10:27):
that will make you smile, andthat will make you overjoyed
when you look at them.
And that's it.
It's a basic conversation likethat.
I answer a couple questions fromthem.
I really...
Kind of feel out how they'refeeling about it and make sure
that they understand that Ireally do want them to tell me
and give me feedback and workcollaboratively with me.
Now, this is a huge huge hugepart of my process at this
(10:48):
point.
I found that my photos took amassive jump because if we only
have an hour together and wespend 15 minutes of that doing
things that I think that they'reenjoying, but really they don't
represent them at all, that'snot good, that's not ideal in
the slightest.
And I feel like it's a reallystrong pose.
I can show them and talk withthem about it, and they like it,
(11:08):
that's great, but if not, thenwe can just move on.
We're not wasting time, and Ican modify the way I pose people
just by them telling me that onepiece, because then I won't
continue down lines that are inthose similar poses, or that
kind of put them in similarsituations.
So.
Have that collaborationconversation and you will just
find that they will become muchmore emotionally invested in the
(11:28):
images that they collaborated onwith you, you're priming the
pump because If you'recollaborating with them on
images, they're going to likethem more already, because they
had a hand in making them.
And so you're actually going tomake your client even happier
because you're activelylistening to them, you're
actively engaging with thembeyond just taking the photos.
Tell them that this is not a oneway street, that you are there
to work with them to ensure thattheir vision is executed.
(11:51):
Because in the end, these aren'tphotos that just represent your
brand and your artistic style.
If you want to do that, go andset up some of your own shoots.
These are photos that alsorepresent another person's brand
entirely.
Who needs them for specific usecases and they've invested a lot
of their hard earned money inhiring you and getting you to be
there with them and possiblymodels and a few other things
(12:12):
and it's really important torespect that so Yeah,
relationship building that istips one and two that will
dramatically change your nextphoto shoot Now, tip number
three.
This is where we get into thingsthat you can do during the shoot
that can make a massive, massivedifference.
Now, we all know at this pointthat wardrobe can make or break
(12:35):
a photo in some ways.
You get somebody in the wrongpiece of wardrobe, something
that's not flattering on them,something they don't feel
comfortable in, photos aren'tgonna turn out good.
It doesn't matter what you do,it's really not gonna work.
But, if you work with them ontheir wardrobe in advance, like
most of us do, that's great, butyou can take it a step further,
especially in how we work.
Because, you're not in a studiowhere someone can bring 10, 15
(12:55):
different outfits typically.
We're, we're out onmountaintops.
We're out skiing, doing otherthings.
And so you really need to getthat person prepped before they
come to make sure that they havethe right pieces versus the
environment that you're going tobe in.
Now what I mean is it comes downto the color of that clothing.
So you need a piece of clothingthat looks good on that person
and that the color looks good onthat person.
But you also need to make surethat they're gonna pop out
(13:17):
against the background andthey're gonna really stand out.
During larch season, most peopletend to wear yellow puff coats.
They look really, really good upagainst the orange and yellow of
the larch trees.
They pop out against thehopefully blue skies or even a
grey sky.
They just look really, reallygood.
On grey rainy days, yellow looksamazing versus the blue haze in
(13:38):
the environment.
If you're in a forested space,something like red or orange or
yellow pops off against the darkbackground really well.
Even like a really bright blueworks really well in a dark
forested environment.
Anything like that that's goingto cause your subject to be
separated from the scene,especially if you're not going
to be able to put them in thebrightest parts of it very
(13:58):
easily, will help your subjectjust stand out a little bit
more, and that's just going tomake the images look a little
better, because you're not goingto lose the person who's in
them.
Now, you think about that inreverse.
If you have a dark green or adark blue, and you have somebody
in a shadowed forest, they'rereally gonna blend in with the
dark greens and the dark bluesof forests, and they will not
stand out, and that's gonnacause them to get lost.
(14:20):
And the image, you could posethem, you can make them look
amazing, you could do all sortsof other things and short of
putting off camera flash on themand properly lighting them.
You can't do anything aboutmaking them pop out in that
scene, naturally, or make themlook good.
Think about the color choicesthat you are making versus the
environment that they are goingto be in.
(14:40):
I was on a shoot recently whereI asked somebody to bring a
bright coat with them so I couldpop them off against the trees
that we were going to be hikingin, but we had them canoeing
first and his canoe was red.
This jacket was orange, and Ithought, oh, this is gonna look
really good.
He sat down in the canoe, andthat orange clashed so badly
with the red of his canoe thatwe had to get him to take the
coat off, and thankfully he hada nice green shirt on underneath
(15:02):
that worked really well with thewater and with the color of the
canoe.
But if he hadn't had that, thenI don't know what we would have
done, because I didn't prep himproperly for the color of that
canoe.
So, think through what theenvironments are that you're
going to be putting these peopleinto.
This goes the same for stylingthem to make sure they're in
clothing that matches thesituation that you're putting
them in.
This goes for like coupleshaving not matching clothing,
(15:24):
please but having complimentaryclothing.
So, don't have person a in thecoupling in sweatpants and a
hoodie and person B being inlike a ballgown That dichotomy
is not gonna make those couple'sphotos look really good.
They're gonna end up clashingquite badly, and it's just not
gonna make the photo shoot lookright.
All right.
So, wardrobe.
(15:45):
Make sure you're dialing in thewardrobe.
Not just comfy clothing, and notjust the clothing that looks
right on the person, but colorsthat work with the environment.
Tip number two, has to do withclothing too, but it's while you
were shooting, make sure thatyou get people to take
everything out of their pocketsand make sure that you get them
to zip up their pockets.
Frequently I see a little cellphone outline in somebody's
pocket or I see lipstick orchapstick hanging out in there
(16:09):
It's just a little bulge or Isee somebody's pocket is gaping
open because it's not zipped upand that just ruins the lines in
the photo.
It ruins really the person'ssilhouette and it adds a little
bit of distraction and It takesaway from some of the cleanness
that you're going for in photoslike this.
And so, it's really simple.
Get them to take them out oftheir pockets.
Really simple little addition isa little roll top enclosure bag.
(16:31):
Mine are typically littlewaterproof ones just in case it
starts raining because they'llbe on the outside.
that I can just stick any oftheir objects in and then clip
to the outside of my bag.
That way we don't lose anythingin my bag and people can easily
reach in, grab things in and outwhenever they need to.
But then for sure we're notgetting people to shove stuff
into their pockets either.
And then get them to zip uptheir pockets, even think to zip
up the pockets on cargo pants ifyou have them.
(16:54):
I'm currently wearing ones thathave zippers on them.
And I can look down and I cansee the pocket flaring open
whenever I bend my leg, and soif I was just to zip that
closed, it would just clean upthe line on my leg that little
bit more that will just elevateyour image a step.
And the last thing to lookcarefully at is the accessories
that somebody is wearing.
This is all wardrobe related,but that is where I find a lot
(17:14):
of photographers kind of take astep back.
They're almost a little bitafraid to step on the toes of
their client by maybe insultingwhat they're wearing or
commenting on their body oranything like that.
If you do this delicately, youdo this right, you're going to
make better images for them andthey're just going to be happy
about that.
Now, accessories can meaneverything from the hat that
(17:35):
person is wearing to...
bracelets, and anklets, andnecklaces, and anything like
that.
And you want to make sure thatwhat they're wearing complements
the outfit, complements who theyare, and doesn't add an
unnecessary distraction orsomething that doesn't look very
good.
And one of the things that Ifind I always have to think
about when I take photos of mywife is getting her to take hair
ties off of her wrist.
(17:56):
She always has a hair tie withher because she has long hair
and she wants to be able to tieit up really quickly when we're
out.
But if I want to take somephotos, that hair tie on her
wrist, honestly, just doesn'tlook very good.
There's no reason for it to bethere.
It's not like it's a fashionchoice or anything like that.
So I always have to remember toget her to take off that
hairband.
I just wrapped it around my ownwrist so that I can just give it
right back to her right away.
That's a little easy one, thatnot having that on someone's
(18:18):
wrist is just going to make yourimage look a step higher and a
step better.
And be very careful and diligentabout how they are sitting on
somebody as well.
So if somebody's wearing anecklace and the clasp has
fallen around to the front, thatcan be a really difficult thing
to photoshop, because it cancause the necklace to sit askew
a little bit, it can changewhere it's sitting on the neck,
(18:38):
and all of a sudden you havewhat should just be a quick ten
minute edit going into an hourof photoshop.
And it's going to extend yourtime just to fix one little
thing.
So if you're noticing theselittle details with the
accessories as you're goingalong, you just tell the person,
hey, you just pull the necklaceback around, make sure it's
sitting straight or the earringsaren't sitting back on a
shoulder or tucked into thehair.
(19:00):
Now if it's a fashion accessorychoice on that person's part,
work with them with it.
If it's say like they like towear flat brimmed ball caps.
That's a really difficult onefor me because I wear ball caps
all the time, but when you'retaking photos and you need
someone's face in them, theyreally shadow the face out and
they honestly kind of caused theimages not to look very good.
Because you can't see theperson's eyes as easily.
(19:20):
And so short of lighting theperson's face properly and
really working on that, you needto work with that client to
understand why they want thathat on and the other need that
they have, which is reallybeautiful and fantastic photos.
So make sure you're checking outthe accessories somebody is
wearing.
All those sorts of little tinydetails that yes, you probably
can Photoshop that out.
Not always though, and noteasily.
(19:41):
But if you can do it naturallyright then and there.
It's just gonna look better inyour photos, and it's gonna make
your job a lot easier so youdon't have to look for those
little nitpicky things whileyou're editing.
You're also gonna build up trustwith that person, and they're
going to know that you werepaying attention to their needs,
you were paying attention totheir wants, and nothing but
good things can come from themseeing that.
And those are just five reallyeasy things that you can do that
(20:03):
can elevate your images quitedramatically, right off the bat.
And they're not difficult thingsto really work on.
They're not difficult things toimplement.
And they really will change thequality of the photos that
you're taking.
Now, obviously we didn't talktoo much about some of the
really big things that can setyou apart, but the idea with
this episode is to give you thelittle things that can make a
(20:25):
big, big difference that some ofthe people who you probably look
up to are doing in their photosquite consistently to really
elevate their productions.
Now, the big things I'm nottalking about today are things
like off camera lighting, whichcan make a massive difference.
Things like posing andcomposition and knowing when to
break the rules of composition.
(20:45):
Those are all things that youshould learn about before
focusing on these other littledetails.
Now, if you've nailed everythingelse in there, that's where
these little pieces are reallygoing to start making a massive
difference for you.
Alright, and that is it fortoday, everybody.
Thank you so much for takingthis time with me, and for
coming on a little bit of anexploration beside one of the
(21:06):
most beautiful places in theworld, at Moraine Lake.
If you ever get the chance tocome out here, come see the
Valley of the Ten Peaks.
It is absolutely stunning.
We have a really excitingepisode coming up in two weeks.
The next one that's coming outWe are talking to the
photographer Katie Goldie.
She has worked with some hugebrands in the travel industry
around the world She's traveledtaking photos.
(21:27):
She has over 200, 000 followerson Instagram And she's just a
remarkably wonderful human beingwho has some amazing business
advice and for how to deal withworking with clients and getting
the best possible images thatyou can with them.
So it's going to be a greatconversation.
We were out for a walk in therain.
This is becoming a theme with meright now.
(21:49):
And I would love to hear fromyou if you have any other tips
that are little things thatpeople can do to implement in
their photo shoots or justbefore their photo shoots that
just elevate the production thatlittle bit more and can make a
massive difference in deliveringa higher quality.
You can find me on Instagram atRobert Massey photography, or
you can find me on my website atrobertmasseyphotography.
ca and reach out to me on there.
(22:09):
Thanks for coming on thisadventure with me beside Moraine
Lake during larch season or Iguess fall to most people Let's
adventure.
Bye for now.
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