The Most Important Part of a Great Photo is YOU
“At any given moment, you are older than you’ve ever been and younger than you’ll ever be again”.
It sounds intense, I know, but I like to think it means to live in the moment because each emotion, each feeling passes by too quickly. You might hear parents say this all the time, that ‘kids grow up so fast’ and they do! It feels like if I blink I’ll miss something important. This fleeting feeling is what photographers work so hard to catch.
It’s kind of funny actually. As a photographer, my job is to capture a moment in time forever, but those moments that we all chase after, that we all want to remember, are moments that are beautiful because they aren’t forever.
If you’ve ever wondered how photographers take great portraits, you might think about the lighting, the angles, the place, or even the camera itself, but the truth is, the most important part of taking a great photo is the subject.
It doesn’t mean you have to look a certain way or pose in that ‘perfect angle’. It doesn’t mean you need the hair, the makeup, or the perfect outfit.
What photographers have found is that the most compelling images are of those moments where people are their best and truest selves.
Confidence in motion
It starts with simple things like fixing your posture and ends with changing your attitude in the way you carry yourself and walk into a room.
Comfortable in your own skin
Loving yourself is the first step to becoming comfortable in your skin. No one has the perfect body, but you’re the perfect you.
Candid and natural
Do your best not to play a character or act in a special way. It sounds cliche, but I want you to just be yourself.
Clarity and peace of mind
When you realize that you can relax because the photos will turn out beautiful no matter what happens.
Captured in a single moment in time
Photographers work to create a snapshot of an instant, but the memories you take from your photo will include its story and its contextual significance.
What gives a photo personality is the subject. This is exactly why I tell my clients to be themselves because when they act out a character or pose unnaturally, the authenticity is lost and the emotions don’t feel genuine.
During my photoshoots, we have fun together! You are the face in front of the lens and I do my best to capture all the moments, so we can choose the ones we like the most later!
Between the awkward moments, the fun moments, and the once in a lifetime moments, we realize that our entire lives are a series of such snapshots all strung together.
We don’t want to miss a second of it.
However, knowing that we need to blink, breathe and take breaks every now and then from ‘living in the moment’ and ‘living every day to the fullest’ we can take some time to look back to see how far we’ve come.
These moments all deserve to be remembered, they are a part of who we are.
And we need to know where we came from before we can move forward and grow as people.
So that’s why the subject of a photo—YOU, are the most important part of taking a great photo. It’s a reminder for you, to recognize how amazing, wonderful, and happy life can be!