The Camera Guru

Oftentimes, amateur photographers make a big mistake when shooting photos of people: they shoot them straight-on while they stand still and smile. This is fine when you’re shooting photos of your friends and family for personal use, but you want to avoid this at all costs if you’re hoping to sell your photographs! Professionals call these “mug shots” because they’re stagnant and unimaginative. They’re just not interesting unless there is something incredibly remarkable about a person’s face, or if their face is the focus of a close-up shot.

Rather, you want to capture people doing things. Their expressions and bodies are much more interesting when they’re in motion; your photos will show their natural humanity. For example, if you’re shooting photos of children, capture them running around and playing. Photograph a child flying a kite at dusk, and play with silhouettes and photo compositions by shooting from various angles and with various focus points. Shoot photos of a family talking and laughing, rather than just staring at the camera and smiling. Even if you’re just taking personal photos, you’ll find that you treasure those candid moments much more than staged poses. After all, real life is not posed and staged!

Tags: sell your photographs, sell your photos