7 Tips For Photographing Amateur Models

How to take professional portraits of amateur models

Catalina Bartolomé (@catalina_bartolome) is an Argentinian photographer who has been taking portraits for more than 12 years. She has collaborated with the likes of La Nación, OHLALÁ, Clarín, Radar, Inrockuptibles, Rolling Stone, and Las 12. In 2016, she founded her own company, Retratos Profesionales, specializing in portrait photography for amateur models.

Over the course of her career, Bartolomé has mastered the secret to great direction, having worked with a diverse mix of models and clients who have each had their own unique reason for seeking out a professional portrait. Today she is sharing 7 key tips that will help you work with amateurs and get the best results.

Why have a professional portrait?

Photography is painting with light. The lighting will determine the tone and whether you manage to achieve what you set out to do. The majority of clients that have 0 modeling experience and who come to you for a professional portrait are doing so to improve their public image on social media–either for a personal or professional profile.

In the first case scenario, experiment and push yourself creatively to achieve the results that the client is after. For a professional portrait, light your subject from all sides so that their whole face can be clearly seen and is evenly lit.

Prepare all the tech and then forget about it during the shoot

Have your set and lighting already set up when the model arrives. This will allow you to later focus on what’s really important: making a connection with the person you’ll be photographing.

Set up your camera beforehand as well. This way, the only changes you should need to make once your model is in front of you will be personalized adjustments. And, most importantly: make sure the camera’s battery is fully charged. It sounds obvious, but it’s worth a reminder–stopping midway through the shoot to change or charge a battery will interrupt the flow, and an amateur model is likely to have more difficulty getting back into the right mindset.

Make your subject feel like they’re in good hands

Get to know your model: chat with them and ask them questions about what they would like to get out of the shoot, what they are planning to use the photos for, and who will see them. Their answers will serve as a useful guide. Encourage them to do breathing exercises. Analyze their pose so that you can give specific direction without making them feel uncomfortable or damage their confidence.

Tell them to forget about the camera and imagine that they are looking at someone they know. This will help to achieve the naturalness that you are looking for. Another useful exercise is to ask your model to talk; to greet the camera; to say “hello”, as if they were saying it to a friend. These suggestions will help them to feel more confident. A portrait should capture everything that a person likes about themself.

Try out movement, backdrops, and distances

Each person is an entire world, so you need to go into your shoot ready to learn all about the person in front of you. Forever conscious of what the photos you are taking are for, direct the mood of the shoot towards getting to know your model and understanding who they are and what they want.

To do so, include movement, suggest lots of different poses, and play with the distance between the model and the backdrop. Note: the distance between you and the model should always stay the same, otherwise you will need to keep changing the aperture, which will interrupt the spontaneous flow of the shoot.

Necessary feedback

Showing previews of the photographs you are taking to the model will help them understand the instructions you are giving them and feel more relaxed. They will also serve as instant feedback for both of you, guiding you not only through the shoot but also during the stages of selecting and editing the final images.

Be aware of how you respond during the shoot

Portraiture is as much about the photographer as it is the model. Connecting with yourself and how you respond to your subject will make post-production easier–only this way will you manage to capture a portrait that really says something.

Selection, post-production, and delivery

Take note of how the model reacts to the photos when you are showing the previews during the shoot. Use this information during the selection process and choose images that capture their personality.

During post-production, think about what the client will use the photos for. Finally, if you want to use one of the photos for your portfolio, don’t forget to ask for their written consent.

We hope these tips have been useful! If you want to learn to photograph people who aren’t professional models and take quality portraits, check out Catalina Bartolomé’s Domestika course, Portrait Photography with Nonprofessional Models, and learn about photography sets, lighting, editing, and direction.

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