danielle, sly

I did a test shoot on Saturday with a friend-of-a-friend (see if you can guess her name), who was a dream to work with. I wish all my subjects were this easy to work with.

I suppose it’s the nature of photography to work with people with vastly different amounts of experience as well as comfort levels in front of a camera. One day you’re doing headshots for an actor that is perfectly at home on stage but doesn’t know what to do in front of a still camera, the next you’re working with a model who’s done this so well for so long that she can break out killer poses with no direction needed whatsoever.

Ultimately, though, I like working with people I enjoy. I suppose that’s a no-brainer, really. Nobody wants to work with a diva or someone with an ego too big for their shoulders. But even if you remove the ego factor, I’d much rather work with a novice I have fun with than a pro I can’t really connect with.

Photographing people (some might say photographing anything) is all about connecting with your subject. And when you can have fun with the person, it shows. The best things happen when you experiment, and to do that requires trust.

Plus it makes the long hours on the field a lot more enjoyable.