How to make your model feel comfortable and get the shots you want

In my work I’m very dependent on the model’s posing, facial expressions and the look overall. To get a nice look and to get great posing, the model obviously has to feel confident and comfortable. Especially with newer models this can be a bit difficult, because they’re not as experienced and may not be as confident in front of the camera. Today we’re going to talk about how to make sure your model is comfortable and therefore confident, which helps you get way better photos.

I did a survey over on my Instagram account, because who could give you better tips on feeling comfortable/confident then the models themselves. Suprisingly 69% of people in the survey have been in an uncomfortable situation while shooting. So here’s some tipps on how we as photographers can avoid those situations:

What’s something that makes you feel confident at a photoshoot?

For lots of models music makes a big difference, especially music that puts them in a good mood. A calm and friendly photographer who’s patient and talks to the models at least a little bit during the shoot also helps a lot. Especially giving postive feedback or compliments about posing or facial features is somethings everybody loves to hear. Good styling and perfect Make-up is a big aspect too, I think this would boost everybody’s confidence in any situation! So make sure the styling and Make-up is professional and suits the model.

What tipps from the photographer would help you with posing?

Showing a moodboard, reference photos or simply photos of the exact pose you want to recreate a great ways to show the model what you want. Telling the model straight up where to position her hands and what facial expressions your looking for helps them know what you want aswell. If a pose doesn’t look good on camera it’s helpful to show the model the photo and explain how they can adjust her pose. You as the photographer are the only one who sees the photo right away usually, showing the model the photos you’re taking every couple of minutes is great too! This way they know what the photos look like, how their poses are working and if they want to change something themselves.

What do you struggle most with on a photoshoot?

Feeling comfortable and getting good poses right in the beginning of the photoshoot, also where to look and what to do with the hands. So how can we photographers help the model we’re shooting with to avoid those things? Telling them what they should do, showing them examples the can reenact especially in the beginning when they’re not sure of what they’re doing just yet. Talking to the model while they’re getting Make-up done to warm up to each other, and talking a little during the photoshoot aswell and showing them the photos so they know what they’re doing look really good.

And a little tipp for the models aswell: If you ever feel uncomfortable during a photoshoot say something. Sometimes the photographer is so focused on taking the perfect photo that they might not even notice that you are feeling uncomfortable.

If you have a weird feeling about a shoot, bring somebody along. Tell the photographer you’re bringing someone beforehand, and if they say you can’t do that you probably shouldn’t be working with this person anyways – because this can never be a problem. Keep yourself safe and comfortable!

Today’s video is a behind the scenes of a recent product photography shoot I did. It doesn’t directly have anything to do with the blogpost’s topic, but I though it would be interesting for you to watch and get some insights!