There’s something about a camera that makes everyone stop, turn and pose. Of course, our selfie culture (and a phone in every pocket) hasn’t made candid photography any easier. Here’s how to train your staff and stop the posing madness.
It’s second nature to cheese it up when a camera’s around. Unfortunately, those goofy, mugging-for-the-camera pictures don’t accurately tell the story of the school year. Think about it. What do cute smiles tell you about that 3,000-word Shakespeare essay, the late-night theater rehearsals, the buzzer beater to defeat your rival? NOTHING.
Pictures that show real action and emotion are always best. Show me the senior hunched over her laptop at midnight, scrambling to type three more lines. Let us see behind the scenes the night before the big performance. Relive the rivalry win as the team rushes the court in celebration.
The trick is to get students to FORGET YOU’RE THERE. Four suggestions:
1. Don’t start shooting right away.
Instead of clicking away when you enter a room, keep the camera at your side. Observe for a bit. You’ll get a better sense of what’s going on; this will benefit captions later. The camera-hungry students will quickly notice you’re not shooting and stop paying attention to you. Wait till everyone is fully engaged, then slowly raise the camera up.
2. Put the camera down.
Once you start taking pictures, if someone poses for you, STOP. Drop the camera to the side.
3. Encourage people to ignore you.
If students stop their activity, politely ask them to go back to what they were doing. Eventually, they’ll become more comfortable and continue their task. If someone continues to pose for you, use your adviser as excuse. “My adviser won’t let us use posed photos.”
4. If all else fails, take a single posed shot.
Some people never give up. If that becomes the scenario, snap a quick shot and delete it later. Move on to someone who will let you capture them in the moment.
Can we use any posed photos?
Sure! It’s become common to use posed pictures for sidebar mugs and cutouts. Those types of images often run small and come accompanied with a quote. This is the smartest way to utilize posed photos.
Strive to keep all other photos candid and action shots. We want to see students laughing, stressing over essays and dissections, lamenting losses and celebrating joyous moments.