Subtleties Of Expression
April 23rd, 2010I was watching a great movie called Brothers the other night. Amazing movie ! It was about a soldier that goes to Afghanistan and is thought to be dead. His wife, brother and kids struggle to keep life sane. Now obviously this is not the point of my post. So many times I see great photography in a technical aspect, but there is no life in the photo. Yes the photo is lit very nice, the make up is great, hair , wardrobe etc. is all amazing BUT, it is the most BORING photo because the model does not know how to act.
In the movie Brothers there are many scenes where there are only a few lines of dialogue and the scene is longer than those few lines of dialogue. The scene is longer because each character has their own plight to deal with now that the father/husband/brother is thought to be dead. The emotional reactions are so powerful that if they added lines to those expressions, the scene would be ruined. Sometimes in life it’s not what we say that makes us think, but it’s what we don’t say that makes us think and feel !
Try this: next time you watch a movie, drama preferred, look for how many times you notice a reaction from the actor without the actor speaking and note how you feel and notice how the actor who is being spoken to reacts and feels. Then in your everyday life, when you are dealing with people in conversation face to face, notice their reactions after you have said something. If you are with a group of people notice every person in the group. I always say in my mind ” Cut to Joe, cut to James, cut to Holly, cut to Laura. And in my mind it’s like a scene in a movie. Even be nosy and listen in on other conversations and watch every person’s reaction. You will be surprised at what you have been missing because you really haven’t OBSERVED ! And photographers are OBSERVERS of life !
Then next time you are photographing a model, or models look for subtle emotional reactions. If your model isn’t giving you anything, then make up a story and put your model in that story, give her or him a character and watch the magic happen !
In this collage I made, I knew my model was going through some emotional turmoil. So I bravely brought it up. As I was shooting I was talking to her about the situation. She let me into her soul and THAT is when the electricity runs through my body and through hers and we start making amazing photos.
We are dealing with human beings who all have something going on in their lives. Work your way inside the soul of your model and look for the subtleties !
April 26th, 2010 at 6:51 am
Jason, Can you please have this model contact me as I feel this story needs to be told so people can see Models are people also and life isn’t always easy for them. Dream Row needs to tell this story.
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Jason Christopher Reply:
April 27th, 2010 at 11:06 am
Hey Dan,
Thank you for the comment. I will try to contact the model for you.
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April 27th, 2010 at 8:06 am
Well done for this post jas…makes so much sense!! I really agree with the point that you’re stressing here…I think if you’re able to get the model’s emotions in your photos you’ve reached a point where you can call yourself a fashion photographer!
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Jason Christopher Reply:
April 27th, 2010 at 11:05 am
Thank you Gilbert ! You have got to dig into one’s soul, reach in and grab what you need and convey that in the photo.
Thank you for your comment !
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May 7th, 2010 at 3:09 pm
Exceptional work again. & you bring out a very important point indeed.
From what Ive seen too, poses can be learnt but emotion is something else, & its different with each person you click.
If I may, I would like to ask the sort of light set up for such high key images. I mean do you really need expensive gear? or too much of editing?
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Jason Christopher Reply:
May 20th, 2010 at 9:57 am
Thank you again Joey. I want to apologize for taking so much time to answer you. I have been prepping for shoots. Trying to keep up
For this set up you do not need expensive gear at all. And you do not need too much editing UNLESS your model does not have a clean face, or wrinkles etc. Model selection is very important.
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May 16th, 2010 at 6:02 pm
Hi Jason,
This is a very captivating shot. I can not help to “feel” some connection to this image. It is truly magnetic.
You mentioned you “bravely” brought up the emotional experience the model was going through. How did you build up that trust?
P.S. I sent you a comment earlier, but I missed typed my email address. I typed in .com instead of .ca. My apologize for any confusion.
Kind Regards,
Danilo
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Jason Christopher Reply:
May 20th, 2010 at 10:22 am
Hi Danilo,
Thank you again. Building up trust with your model that you have never even met is VERY challenging. My advice is to number one, physically lower your body position to their level if they are lying on the ground like this, then sit down, put the camera down and talk to her like you were talking to your best friend. Use a calm voice, look into her eyes and just be honest. YOUR body language and the tone of your voice will dictate how the conversation will go. So basically get out of the role of big macho photographer and just be a human being that cares. It will work every time.
Did you click the subscribe button for my blog ?
Thank you for your questions brotha !
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August 23rd, 2010 at 3:21 pm
Great tips Jason, thanks for your blog
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Jason Christopher Reply:
August 23rd, 2010 at 4:01 pm
You’re very welcome. Anything you would like to see just ask.
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