Why I photograph "PEOPLE"

I have found that being a PEOPLE person has been the main reason my clients keep coming back. The entire experience they have with the photographer is just as important as the final images. I deal with a lot of teens for their senior portraits, and I found that they simply GLEAM when I tell them how beautiful they are. Many times their parents call and tell me that somehow I boosted their son/daughter self esteem. What a great compliment, to know that I could have that affect on a person. The next thing I know, their entire family wants portraits! Taking photos of mountains, water, flowers, buildings, bugs, and such simple does NOT fulfill my passion for photography.

My father said he didn't have the patience for PEOPLE photography. So I was just curious why we/you choose to photograph the things you choose. Let me hear your story.

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Permalink Reply by Dora Williams on October 1, 2011 at 6:56pm

That has a "Jane Russel" feel to it!! Beautiful!

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Permalink Reply by James Elliott on September 29, 2011 at 1:05am

I'm just like your father I have no patience for "people" photography haha. I'm into storytelling and emotion. I also do the 'mountains, water, nature' thing. Everyone has their own taste and that's part of what makes photography so attractive as a hobby; You can share your world your way.

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Permalink Reply by Jalexa Photography on September 29, 2011 at 4:33am

I'm and artist with pastel, graphite, and oil paints. After having my son, I needed something quick to vent my artistic side. I've always dabbled in photography, but I took it on full force when my little man arrived. It's quick, it's a wonderful creative outlet, and it's a heck of a lot of fun. :-)

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Permalink Reply by Diane Dubreuil Dugas on September 29, 2011 at 6:05am

I love doing street shot, action like riots, that’s satisfied a side of my adventure self, I love doing candide shots of people , maybe because I am after story teller image.

I love doing nature shot, to express my view of this incredible world of beauty, I can pass a day doing shots of the same landscape, it’s my meditation time, learning about who I am.

With the year I learn to express my artistic self using photography, doing a lot of digital art, sometimes it take me days weeks or months to finish an image, and I enjoy every part of it from the initial capture to the digital transformation.

I guess for me photography and digital art is my way of living, it’s pure passion, I am happy to please other people with it, but in reality I am doing it to please myselfJ

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Permalink Reply by Dora Williams on September 29, 2011 at 4:47pm

I like shooting everything!! I never thought that I would enjoy shooting people because I am a bit of a loner but I do love watching people. I have began to notice that when I get behind the camera it's like someone else takes over, I see a beauty in my subjects that I didn't see before and when I say "that is gorgeous!" I see their face light up and it is a really cool feeling. Because I like, um, LOVE, everything about photography I feel like the possibilities are endless and bound only by my imagination!! I love to share my interpretation of the world around me!!

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Permalink Reply by rob on September 30, 2011 at 6:17am

i started shooting every thing else before i started shooting people, the reason was simple the more i knew about my camera the easier it was to transition to people, i've now just started doing portraits and slowly becoming a people person, to have that personality to be a real people person is either a gift or in my case a heck of a lot hard work.

have a great day

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Permalink Reply by Robert Davis on December 7, 2011 at 2:03pm

People portrait photography is rewarding on so many levels. But as you mentioned above, people gain self esteem via our feedback - both during their session(s) and while we're reviewing the images after the session. Not to long ago I photographed a lady with only one eye, replaced the bad eye with a good one, and I was her hero - instantly. She said no other photographer had ever done that for her. That's satisfaction of the highest degree. Sometimes the client takes my camera and does images of me, that's a super compliment for sure.

Bob

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Permalink Reply by Madeline S. McDonald on December 8, 2011 at 5:44am

My story, I just love to find the beauty in everything created. I suppose I enjoy photographing.nature more because in this fast paced world, rarely do we get to stop and smell the roses. I usually put in 60+ hrs a week at work so I love to venture outdoors as much as possible. I have tried people photography but find it a bit more difficult. I do admit, I have taken several nice one's of my girls. I admire photographers who have the passion for people. If I can get good shots outdoors of people then I am twice as happy. But, what ever I can aim at, I will shoot it

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Permalink Reply by Madeline S. McDonald on December 8, 2011 at 5:53am

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Permalink Reply by Olga Chaplay on December 9, 2011 at 12:14am

I'm not great photographer but I also like more taking photos of people!!!!!!! I love their faces and eyes!!!!!! Every face wants to say something about person, something that words cannot express!!!!!!! It's so good to catch it!!!!!! But it isn't easy!!!!!!!!!!