One of the keys to successful portrait photography is learning that the most important buttons you can push are not on your camera.
On the eve of the 2006 NBA finals, I got a call to shoot Miami Heat All-Star guard Dwyane Wade for People Magazine. Dwyane was sick as a dog with a 103 degree fever, yet he was happy to give it his best shot.
I’m often asked what I say to bring out the expression I want when photographing a portrait. The truth is there is no magic phrase – but there is a method.
Rather than telling someone to smile or look confident, you plant a thought to put them in their mind to get the expression you want.
I handed Wade a basketball that I’d painted gold and as he held the gold ball in his hands I told him it looked like the top of the NBA Championship trophy. Suddenly he wasn’t thinking about the shoot.
Wade’s confidence overtook his fever as he pictured his first championship.
Exactly two weeks later, Wade was hoisting the NBA Championship trophy with the gold basketball on top.
I’m certainly not saying that was because of me…but maybe just a little…
It’s all about pushing the right buttons.
Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Brian Smith photographs Hollywood’s A-List and Fortune’s 500 for magazines and advertising. He’s a Sony Artisan of Imagery, X-Rite Master Coloratti, Adobe Influencer. To see his photos, check out his website Brian Smith Pictures and his blog.
This Post Sponsored by:
Perfectly Clear for Photoshop or Lightroom is all about saving you time so you can focus on doing what you love best. Get a free trial of the award winning plug-in here.
Polarr photo editor: All the pro tools, in one place. Polarr brings the most advanced toolset right to your mobile. With curves, dehaze, denoise, custom filters, and more, Polarr makes it easy to edit online or offline. Get it free at https://www.polarr.co/
The HDR Learning Center. Check out new ways to use High Dynamic Range photography to make compelling images. Free tutorials and posts to get results. Produced in partnership with HDRsoft
Arizona Highways Photo Workshops. For more than 30 years, Arizona Highway Photo Workshops has been committed to helping photographers find inspiring destinations, quality education and spectacular images. Get more information (and enter our contest) at http://www.ahpw.org/FindIt/
Platypod Pro™– the world’s most compact camera support. Use it with your ballhead in place of a tripod. Click here for more info — http://bit.ly/platypodpro
Creative Cloud Photography plan. Take your best shot and make it even better with the Creative Cloud Photography plan. Get all the essential tools, including Adobe Photoshop Lightroom and Photoshop, to craft incredible images every day, everywhere — whether you’re a beginner or a pro. It’s all your photography. All in one place.
lynda.com Learn photography anytime, anywhere, and at your own pace—from bite-sized tutorials to comprehensive courses. Try lynda.com free for 10 days by visiting lynda.com/Photofocus
Filed under: Portrait, Sports Tagged: Black & White Photography, Brian Smith, Brian Smith Pictures, portrait photography, portrait tips, portraiture, Sports Portrait 
