How to create happy, light-hearted portraits

Decades ago my husband, in a moment of playfulness, showed me his old fishing rod with a net and a few heavyweights. He had a familiar, mischievous look in his eye, so I knew it would be fun.

Well, it wasn’t. Fishing is a long and patient pastime and is a good excuse to get out of the Isle of Wight house. Do I smile when I see the photos I took that day?

Yes. I remember how I was asked to cycle back to Seaview, by myself, to collect the bait that had been left behind!

 ” Hey Mandy! Thank you sooo much for our lovely afternoon! I really enjoyed it and I´m glad you were my first photographer because you helped me a lot with everything! We did a great job and our photos are simply perfect! I can´t wait to see the rest of them! 🙂

So what is the secret for generating natural smiles during your photo session? I can hardly bring along my fishing rod!

Take your first photograph straight away 

Easing nerves need immediate action. Rather than taking our time, I tend to shake out the jitters by taking a photographer as soon as we meet. It helps smooth out the jitters and helps ease anxiety.

Don’t pose

Natural farming doesn’t come naturally to everyday people, so I recommend walking, talking, and capturing a portrait that looks and feels natural. When you try and pose the tendency is to overthink it.

Practice before you meet your photographer

If you are booking a Ryde photographer, look through their galleries and find a common thread in their photography. Sit and stand in similar ways, look in the mirror. Ask you, friends, and family, what they think. Do you like what you see?

If you are a photographer, look through my galleries and try to describe my style. Can you recognise my signature poses? Literally sit and stand in exactly the same way as my clients. Once you ‘feel’ the pose you will find it easier to describe to your models.

Dedicate a day to portrait session

If you have a busy family, a hectic job with little down-time, or have a set idea of what portraits you’d like, finding a clear weekend with plenty of rest time is your best bet.

A 90-minute portrait session requires an hour ahead to get ready with makeup, hair and styling. Arriving early to your sessions means you won’t feel frazzled or panicky with parking, this is especially important if you are anxious about having your photograph taken.

During your session, excitement mounts and there’s nothing better than the rush of seeing your first sneak peeks on the back of the camera.

I recommend planning a date, meal or event to celebrate the end of the photoshoot. You’ll want to ride high and carry on long after the photoshoot has finished.

How I’ll help you

Getting to know you is the first step and this will help – do you prefer to meet face to face for a free consultation, have a natter on the phone, or is a simple text the best way?

With Baja, I shared the most interesting things about myself and learned about her family, who wanted a nice picture of herself in England.

We’ll plan activities so you can spend time together with your family. I want you to be honest about your own interests and opinions. This will help me get to know you better. If that doesn’t work, I’ll tell you about the time my husband forget the bait when we went fishing.

For more advice on natural portraits sessions or to book a natural portrait by an Isle of Wight photographer, get in touch and I’ll be happy to help.