Unedited Human Emotion

I used to shy away from making images of people, despite my fascination with human beings. I didn't like how people ran to the bathroom to put on lipstick or how they instinctively repositioned themselves to smooth out wrinkles and cover exposed seams. It just felt fake, and I didn't want to be the composer. Beyond that, I had fears of bumping up against the invisible boundary of someone's space and documenting accidental (true) expressions that might be uncomfortable for them.

Throughout most of my Project 365 experience in 2008, I found myself shooting freely in nature most often. I could creep in the woods, or linger along the fenceline on the farm and quiety hunt for compositions when the spirit moved me. My subject was completely under my control, and I could take my time to manually focus and tweak the settings on my camera to craft the ideal image. I didn't have to think fast, deal with motion (sans slight winds), and burden my camera with the weight of an external mount flash. There was nothing artificial about shooting in nature, and it felt really comfortable for me.

But that was the problem. I was comfortable. And as I studied the images in my Project 365 archive, I found that I was emotionally so much more drawn to the smaller set of images I had made of my children – images of them immersed in the action of just being a kid. Messy hair. Chapped lips. Bounces on a trampoline. Spontaneous laughter. And the more I began to document my children, the more comfortable and exhilirated I felt bumping up against that invisible barrier and discovering a gesture or natural expression that showed me the beauty of unedited human emotion. It excited me.

For the past 12 months, I've been almost exclusively drawn to documenting people in their natural environments and my approach to shooting has changed so much. I keep a loser grip over composition in exchange for a tighter auto-focus on capturing natural movements, expressions and interactions between people in a space. I shoot much more often with my Speedlight SB-600 (external mount flash) because people are typically found in rooms where natural light is not optimal. And more often than not, there is a super wide lens on my camera body so I can place the viewer in the scene with my subject.

Do you find that your focus and approach to photography is shifting? Do share.

Comments

[Marcie]

One of my greatest challenges is pointing my camera at people..especially strangers. Here's one I took of some men-at-work in Italy:
http://www.marciescudderphotography.com/index.php?showimage=1015

[Simon Lawrence]

I love the story behind the photograph and I love the photograph too, the expression on the young lad says it all. I guess I am where you were in 2008 with your Project 365; I like to shoot in an environment which I can control as much as possible. Even photographing my kids makes me feel uncomfortable as I am scared of breaking personal boundaries. I went Christmas shopping at the weekend and took my camera and one lens to keep it simple. The idea was to try and hide in the hustle and bustle of the Christmas shopping crown and take a few photographs of people. I was surprised by how easy it was to capture one or two photographs of people without making them feel uncomfortable. I was a nervous wreck the whole time but felt so good about it afterwards. The results can be found on the front page of my blog.

http://sisphotographicjourney.blogspot.com/

I hope like you I find the confidence and drive to explore this avenue of photography even more.
Thank you for posting your story, it has been inspirational.

Si x

[Sue Henry]

Oh how I struggle with photographing people. My grandchildren are easy, but others......well, this blog post might help one understand a little more fully one of my experiences.

http://suehenryphotography.wordpress.com/2009/09/24/the-guitar-player/

[erika]

A couple weeks ago, I felt like something was lacking from my Flickr stream. My kids seemed to be always in great moods. Where are the REAL moments? The moments that I want to pull my hair out. I doubt I'll forget those, but they should be noted. Here's a couple of those moments:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/22634402@N02/4153365479/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/22634402@N02/4080705540/

[Jen]

Yes...I think the same way. My photography has totally shifted in the last year...with more use of film cameras, then digital. Mostly because you get what you get. There's no editing, well I guess there could be, but I don't. The moment is there, it's raw and beautiful. I can't delete it if I don't like it. I've enjoyed shooting less of my children and more of candid moments, or, places in the community. I think it's just enhanced my photography that much more and given me a new outlook, so when I do shoot my children, it's different now:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/32172714@N02/4114440013/

[Kizz]

I love taking photos of people and, not having a flash, it's pretty challenging. (I'm saving my pennies to rectify that.) Yesterday I was hanging out with my favorite 8-year-old and taking a few pictures. She's at an age where she's really aware of the camera and I prefer candids. We got into this discussion trying to explain what a candid photo is. Not sure she gets the attraction but it was really fun to talk about. Here's a post with one of each:

http://117hudson.blogspot.com/2009/12/again-and-again-and-again-please.html

[Amy (Papillon Sky Photography)]

You speak such true words. I have always been the same way too. I have been trying harder in the past year to photograph people in candid moments because I, too, hate those posed shots where everyone matches and looks perfecs. When I do photo shoots, I tell people they don't have to match or be super dressed up!
This is one of my favorites, where they were totally immersed in the moment and barely aware of me!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/papillonsky/sets/72157622636676295/

p.s. What kind of wide angle lens do you use?

[traceyclark]

i love this steph. It's really nice to reflect on how our work changes and how we change through the years. i have enjoyed immersing myself in the details of nature over the years after working full-time as a portrait photographer way back when. it's been liberating to allow myself the freedom to shoot for myself in addition to shooting for clients. it's changed everything for me.
http://www.traceyclark.com/blog/2009/12/11/this-time-of-year.html

[Puna]

People are hard but it's challenging. I find that I have to be relaxed if I'm to ask my subjects to relax and be themselves.

I'm still learning. It's a wonderful journey.

[Renée]

I have exactly the same experience as you describe here! I too love the pictures with people in their "natural environment" but feel uncomfortable taking them (probably because I hate being in front of the camera myself).

Another problem is - just like you say - the fact that we're often indoors with poor light (especially here in Sweden....) and until now I have taken very few photos during the winter. Now I've recently bought that very same SB-600 but haven't figured out how to set it up (and how to set the camera once the flash is on) to get the quickest and easiest auto-focus shots. Do you have any hints there?

Thanks for this post! I really want to move in this direction too!

[littlepurplecow (Stephanie Roberts)]

Amy, my favorite wide angle lens is a Nikkor 14-24mm 1:2.8G. Quite the investment, but after renting it and playing around with it, I was totally hooked.

Renee, re the SB-600, I set my camera to the lowest ISO I can to keep image noise low and the Flash will auto adjust to that setting, though I might up or down the exposure setting on the flash. I turn the flash backwards and tilt it on a 45 degree angle so it goes off behind me (over my left shoulder), bouncing light in a softer way on my subject. There are times, however, when I like the grainy feel of a high ISO setting and keep my flash off indoors, as I did in this image:

http://www.littlepurplecowphotography.com/moment_of_the_day/2009/10/12/her-light.html

[Kath]

My sister regularly posts photos of people on our blog. Her photo of "Frieman" today is gorgeous. I only take photos of strangers from behind, I'm still way too shy. Lately I've I find I am staging shots more. I find myself drawn to still life inspired by some of the gorgeous photos I've found others posting.

http://www.soeursdujour.com

[Kirsten]

The journey you describe sounds similar to mine. I always preferred shots of landscapes, or macro shots of interesting things I found outside. I made it a point to avoid taking pictures of people. But when I looked at other's pics, I was drawn to the ones of people: the unabandoned joy on the faces of children, the deeply creased faces of the elderly, and the love so clearly palpable between each individual in a couple.

And now, my own focus has shifted. I'll still lay in the grass or on the sidewalk to get a terrific macro shot, but I'm having even more fun now capturing my friends' children, my family, my husband, and yes ... even myself. It is cliche but true I'm learning to see my world differently through these lenses of mine.

[brittany]

i have always struggled with the desire to capture the "right" human emotions and not also focus on the less glamorous ones. a very recent shot of my newest little one in a very emotional state:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sivyerfamily/4176993551/

[Dannie]

Although it's my ongoing romance with my macro lens and nature that initially sparked this love I have for photography, I can't help but click endless pictures of my children, my friends' children, strangers children'. I love photographing children because THEY are so unedited. My focus has shifted from capturing the most well composed, beautiful shot to the everyday things that make up my life. For me, it's often the hilarity or tantruming of my children. And thankfully, many of my clients are starting to show just as much interest as I do in these unedited, raw emotion shots. I find that if I want to pick up my camera and experiment, or just click and see what I get, it will most often involve the people I love around me. So they are shifting too, to accommodate my passion. And we are all starting to appreciate the imperfect moments and the imperfection in ourselves that I capture with my lens. Any shift that brings us closer to seeing and loving the stripped down and uninhibited version of the people we really are, is move in the right direction.

Her are a couple images I just love.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/45294365@N08/4187822961/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/45294365@N08/4187822737/in/photostream/

[Tracy]

I'm actually experiencing something very similar. I finally woke up and realized the flash is my friend and I was foolishly passing up the opportunity to capture great moments because I thought I needed natural light. I've long preferred "nature" shots but am starting to enjoy candid portraits much more than I have in the past. Here's one that I love:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31417716@N00/4192213056/

[Michel]

I too am slowly forcing myself to take more candid shots of people. how is it that I - the photographer - can be more shy than my subject. You just have to ask I suppose.

thanks for the post. I will get out there today and take some shots of some faces!!

http://www.wishfulthinkingblog.com

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