Looking versus looking away

Capturing our subjects looking away from the camera is one of the oldest tricks in the book to achieve dynamic interesting photos.

On the other hand, a deep piercing look is pure magic, isn't it? I love the fact that a tiny moment can have such intensity, and I can also appreciate that there was a strong exchange between subject and photographer, that then gets passed along to all viewers, causing emotion and reaction. Because of that evidence of connection, the look straight at the lens represents in many ways why I love photography so much.

So today why don't you join me and share those shots of deep connection between you and your subjects? Let's see how you looked at them and how they looked back at you!

Comments

[Marcie]

Since I rarely post pix of the people I photograph...I thought I'd offer up a little imaginative eye-to-eye contact here:
http://www.marciescudderphotography.com/home/2011/4/13/watching-the-parade.html
Just for fun!

[wedd]

hello!

[Rebecca Weaver]

Nothing quite like a baby for eye contact!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/56221446@N06/5500782857

[Ania]

Joy, happiness and love..so simple..so unique:
http://www.fotograficzna5.pl/blog/?p=84

[Emma]

So precious! A very intimate shot.

[Roxanne]

Pure magic indeed. What a beauty. Thank you for sharing this photo with us.

[lucy]

Look into my eyes....
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucyloomis/5560014898/in/photostream

[The Other Laura]

I shot this yesterday http://bit.ly/gA3e2W and I love it.

[Andrea]

She has piercing eyes.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andreaspencephotography/5620828018/lightbox/

[Christine]

My beautiful niece and her intense gaze

http://www.flickr.com/photos/miscy-a/5623788959/in/photostream

[Sofia Amaro]

I shot this one some time ago, and I think it fits perfectly on this post.
Hope you like it ;)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sophiamaro/5428778715/in/set-72157625937524509

[Misty]

You have me looking through my photo stream and I do have a lot of pictures of them looking away. Here is my favorite one looking straight at me.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dontforgetthehorse/4381475261/in/photostream/lightbox/

[Elizabeth]

This is from nearly a year ago, but I've always loved it. An impromptu of my nephew during my daughter's birthday party:
http://on.fb.me/hCKP4d

[Sherri S.]

Great posts everyone! Here is my own beloved grandson.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1070427819#!/photo.php?fbid=1846148988050&set=a.1846147948024.2100314.1070427819&type=1&theater

[Becky Sue]

Your photo is adorable!

Yesterday was dress-up day at school and across the breakfast table I was drawn to the chandelier catch-lights in his eyes.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rslaflam/5623895563/

[Agnes Fegan]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/41462456@N04/5579735417/in/photostream

I took this in March while babysitting for my grandson; he was trying to peek into the lens hood.

[Rebecca]

I sometimes have a hard time getting eye contact with little ones SO...I usually say something like this. "Sometimes I think I see a little fairy flying inside my camera, can you see it?" Never fails--always gives me some great looks.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rebeccasmithphotography/5623933559/

[Jenni]

My youngest daughter, at only 3 months, is a total model. She always smiles and coos (and sometimes screams) at the camera. But the oldest one, 4 years, isn't always so willing. But sometimes her sassy expressions turn out a nice result.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23153083@N07/5622033313/

[Lillian]

LOVE this post! Can't wait to go through all of these links!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lillianclaire/5049571952/in/set-72157626172533611

[Jess]

Such a sweet, sweet photo.

[Denise]

Precious!

Two of my favorites:
My nephew: http://www.flickr.com/photos/deniselivingston/5624110475/
One of my best friends: http://www.flickr.com/photos/deniselivingston/5624705134/

I love eye contact!

[Alex]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/green-shoelace/5532413114/

This is a self portrait that i took a few weeks ago, just to experiment. i love eye contact shots, it makes pictures seem so personal.

[Kimberly]

It's not always easy to get the lil ones to look at me, when they do I shoot like crazy.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/junebugphotography/5601266653/in/photostream

[lea]

i find getting eye contact from kids the most challenging. i'm almost always drawn to a photo with a child making eye contact with the camera. It's a pretty rare occasion that I happen to get my son to look at the camera, he tends to be too busy for that. But this would be one of my favorites...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/iamlea/5116455551/in/set-72157625244033824/

[Doris]

This is a favorite of mine. A spontaneous shot of my teenage niece who has that “Oh no, Aunt Doris has the camera out again”, slightly annoyed look on her face.

http://dorisrudddesigns.wordpress.com/2010/09/20/september-20-2010/

[Jenny Modesitt]

Here are two of my favorites...my mother and son.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8888946@N08/5471066801/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8888946@N08/5536139366/in/set-72157625539890815

[Brenda]

This is probably one of my all time favorite images that I've ever taken. It was a quiet moment
between my 2 year old granddaughter and I. We were having some kind of discussion when she
leaned on a table into the light. I snapped this and have loved it ever since.

http://www.pbase.com/skiingrn1/image/131851836

[Dana]

My 4yo daughter: http://365project.org/danasfeast/365/2011-04-06

[divrchk]

Taken this past Thursday... http://www.flickr.com/photos/divrchk/5625310528/in/photostream

[Gretchen]

Taken two years ago at a family wedding. He was determined to water those flowers himself.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/57070906@N02/5625373074/in/photostream

[starrlife]

Here's my niece, the little redheaded one as we refer to her.She crackles and not just her hair! One photo- two crops...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/starrlife/5625343126/in/set-72157626087467301/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/starrlife/5625375726/in/set-72157626087467301/

[Leanne]

I took photos recently of our neighbours cat staring ast the camera.
http://knowwheretostand.blogspot.com/2011/03/cats.html

[ccap]

My son being his ever silly self:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/betsyblue/5406997181/

[Kathleen O.]

My boy, with lollipop sticking out of his smirking mouth - http://www.flickr.com/photos/ko2008/5620910314/in/photostream

[Jen L.]

My best friend's niece

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vLmzVoANZQo/TNyEdxoOUfI/AAAAAAAACA0/wP4fpl81G-k/s1600/Day+305.jpg

My friend's youngest son

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vLmzVoANZQo/TGfzkvYwHlI/AAAAAAAAB7o/I2DHHeyCvAo/s1600/e3.jpg

My other good friend's son

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vLmzVoANZQo/S7dc2SIR30I/AAAAAAAABF0/dmtK0TZtpKY/s1600/BS6+wm.jpg

[Lara]

I love this shot of my cousin

http://www.flickr.com/photos/allee574/3920431189/in/set-72157614399501096

[tara on the wander]

i hadn't looked at this one in awhile, but now that i did, i think i may need to order it for my wall.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/impossibletask/4824863262/in/set-72157623263372096/

[Jason Paluck]

I love his deep, soulful features and spectacular eyes. One of my favorite connections.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jasonpaluck/5599246606/in/photostream

[Kelly]

He would only look up for a split second :)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/58821554@N06/5538821744/in/photostream

[shirley simpson]

behind the book she's teething on the pages...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/13915547@N08/5626434608/

[NatsterNat]

I loved looking at everyone's pictures! Here is one of each of my kids (just to be fair)...

Eldest http://www.flickr.com/photos/58861148@N02/5626589580/in/photostream

Middle http://www.flickr.com/photos/58861148@N02/5625983895/in/photostream/

Youngest http://www.flickr.com/photos/58861148@N02/5626602914/in/photostream/

[Chantal]

Not someone looking at me, but me looking at me with the tripod use:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/26687796@N00/5588392732/in/photostream

[Stephanie]

While shooting a family wedding last month, I got plenty of shots of people looking away or looking somewhere other than straight at me. But the last in this series, of the bride looking straight at the camera, is one of my favorite shots: http://bigmariolife.blogspot.com/2011/03/max-delaney.html

[dogear6]

I'm not sure I should be sharing this - everyone else has people - but one of my dog's is very attached to me. If he wasn't so large, he'd sit in my lap and want me to carry him everywhere.

These were some head shots I cropped out of photos that I took - on the left, he's looking at me with such affection as he waits for me to get done at the kitchen table. In the middle, he was following my hand and looking intently at it (I was trying to avoid a head on shot), and the third was the same. He was so focused on me when I took these!

http://dogear6.wordpress.com/2011/04/08/heads/

Nancy
http://dogear6.wordpress.com/

[bheuer]

These are all magical! Here is mine:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bheuer/4792163072/

[eflaherty]

All these pictures are so beautiful! Here's my (current) favorite:


http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyfphotos/5632719009/