Intro
Do you feel scared when you hear “look at the camera” every time you take a photo? Are you used to looking at the camera when taking photos? Is it better to take pictures with the lens in mind or without looking at it? … I believe everyone often has this question, so in this issue, we will comprehensively discuss how to look at the lens correctly when taking couple photoshoots?
Is it better to look at the camera or not look at the camera?
Filming angle
Look at the camera
Let’s analyze it from the shooting perspective first. When taking couple photoshoots, looking at the camera or not looking at the camera can be said to be looking straight on or looking sideways in the language of photography. Both of these methods can give us subtle but completely different feelings.
For example, looking straight up creates a sense of interaction with us through the communication of the eyes, which will convey some emotions and emotions to us… And looking sideways, whether it is a photographic work or a film, television and other film and television work, the subject is the protagonist in the picture, and photography The teacher is just a spectator. Side view is entertaining and performative, but lacks a sense of interactivity.
Therefore, when taking couple photoshoots without looking at the camera, you can decide whether to look at the camera or not based on “what do I want to convey in this picture”. It sounds a bit complicated, let’s use a few small examples to understand it.
Just give a few examples
This is a photoshoot of couples looking at the camera. The couple is looking at the camera with a hint of provocation in their eyes. When the couple looks at the camera, we seem to be able to have some heart-to-heart interaction with them through our eyes. They want to convey It’s a feeling of purity and fearlessness. At the same time, it is undeniable that the visual impact brought by this is the greatest.
Another example is that in some advertising photography, such as boxing and fitness posters, the characters’ glasses are looking towards the camera, which can express their strength to a greater extent!
In the famous “Mona Lisa Smile”, we can find that the woman in the painting also has her eyes facing the viewer.
And when taking selfies, most people will look at the camera to find their most satisfying angle, smile, pose, or arrange their hair or hat… Of course, you may see many young ladies and young brothers taking photos. Deliberately not looking at the camera when taking photos, creating a sense of casual capture, such as this.
But compared to this difficult pose of “facing the camera and looking around”, you can achieve good results with just a few adjustments, such as turning your face to the side of the camera, exposing your face less, and letting your eyes look at the camera.
Don’t look at the camera
Not looking at the camera also has many benefits, especially for those with lens phobia, this is undoubtedly the best way to take pictures. In order to alleviate everyone’s fear of the camera, we have also taught many tips on not looking at the camera, such as the back-viewing technique. But just imagine, every photo in your album has your face covered, your back silhouetted, your eyes closed, etc. Isn’t it a bit too monotonous? Therefore, when it comes to whether you should look at the camera or not, as mentioned before, you should decide whether to look at the camera or not based on “what do I want to convey in this picture?”
Small problem with looking at the lens
Looking at the lens, it sounds like it’s not that difficult. But we still found a lot of minor problems with viewing cameras on major social platforms:
- Why is it that every time someone takes a photo of me, my eyes are not looking at the camera in the photo?
- Why do my eyes always misalign with the camera when taking couple photoshoots?
- I’m obviously looking at the camera, but I always look up when taking pictures.
First of all, this may be related to the condition of our eyes, such as strabismus, myopia and other vision problems. It is also very likely that the eyes are not aligned with the lens when taking pictures. In addition to vision problems, it is very likely that we are looking at the wrong place.
For example, when taking couple photoshoots with a mobile phone, since most mobile phone lenses are designed at the top of the screen, and we are all accustomed to looking at ourselves on the screen, our eyes actually look downward after taking the photo. When taking a selfie, your eyes should be looking at the front lens of your phone, not at the screen~
As for the situation he took, it’s very simple. After communicating with the photographer, he can find where your eyes are looking in the lens.
How to look at the camera more naturally?
Many times we feel embarrassed when facing the camera, or the couple photoshoots we take don’t feel good. The biggest problem is that we are facing a cold, cold lens. When taking portraits, or more technically speaking, “portrait photography”, the most important thing has always been the interaction between the photographer and the subject.
Taking a selfie is an interaction between yourself and yourself, which can better adjust the state and feeling of taking pictures. Then his shooting is the communication between the photographer and the model, an interaction between two or more parties.
Next, let’s talk about “interaction” from several aspects:
Distance: Make good use of props
The first is distance, which refers to the distance between the subject and the lens and the photographer behind the lens. Undoubtedly, close-up shots can detail the facial expressions and emotions of couples, making their portraits more prominent in the picture, thus creating a stronger sense of interaction with the viewer.
In some larger scenes, because people are reduced to one element, or even just a point, it is more about the viewer’s interaction with the entire scene. Therefore, when taking couple photoshoots, you can prepare some small props so that the interactive feeling of the distant view will be strong.
In addition to small props, playing some appropriate music during shooting can also relieve tense emotions. Of course, taking pictures is not just our business, it is also related to photographers. When photographers take couple photoshoots, proper guidance, even a funny joke, can help us all get into the mood quickly and shoot better.
Reduce posing and increase randomness and naturalness
As opposed to deliberately shouting “3, 2, 1…”. When we suddenly look at the camera, look back, etc., it will feel more random and natural. Therefore, when taking couple photoshoots, reduce the deliberate posing and add some natural small movements independently to generate more interactions in a relaxed and comfortable state.
