Recently, I had a casual portrait photo shoot with Vika, a Ukranian Fashion blogger currently based in NY. Being a very stylish lady, Vika has a strong sense of fashion that’s very resonant on the way she stands in front of the camera; and with that established in my mind early during the photo shoot, I went on to take pictures of her feeling I was under some serious evaluation!
I think that In the case of this photo shoot with Vika, being under a little scrutiny helped me stay engaged to the subject even more; it was a lot of fun knowing that whatever she was doing to connect with my camera was well thought out and the result of confidence from knowing who she is. That said, this photo shoot was very spontaneous and felt natural, which once again has given me something to think about having a personal style.
On this photo shoot with Vika, I wanted to apply some core concepts I recently noted from American Photographer Annie Leibovitz after watching her online course on photography. By far, the main takeaway from that Masterclass Presentation was to evaluate the subject so that I can make a stronger composition in the frame. So staying attentive to traits, interests or even the body language of a person are essential in building a meaningful portrait.
Something else I'm learning is that people's response to a camera will always be different. Reading people's behavior is just as important as knowing how to adjust exposure and shutter speed.
Follow Vika on Instagram: @vikasribna. Checkout her blog at vikasribna.com
