logo

The Global Domain Name (url) Families.com is currently available for acquisition. Please contact by phone at 805-627-1955 or Email for Details

Photo Tips: The Eyes Have It

I took more than 500 pictures during our recent trip to Hawaii and as I went through them the other day I noticed an interesting (translation: distracting) trend among them. In many of the shots my 3-year-old daughter is looking everywhere BUT the camera. And it’s not just in the photos I snapped—she’s looking away from the camera at nearly every attraction we visited. Luckily, I am a snap happy parent who takes more than one shot of each pose so I walked away with some real winners, but the trend did get me thinking about a photo subject’s way of looking toward or away from the camera. To me it’s very important because one of the first things anyone notices about another person is his or her eyes.

A person’s eyes can grab one’s attention and often speaks volumes for his personality without him having to say a single word. Because of this, nothing has more influence over the mood of a photo.

Take a look a your favorite portraits. What draws you to the shot? In my favorite pictures my photo subject’s eyes help tell a story or convey an essential message. I’ll admit I do prefer when my photo subject is looking at the camera because to me it illustrates a stronger sense of involvement since there is no question that the subject is aware of the camera. However, a great picture does not rely solely on the subject looking directly at the camera. I have many framed shots where my daughter is looking away from the camera (but not at her right sandal, a broken fingernail, or mound of sand as seen in my aforementioned vacation photos) many of which were snapped spontaneously. To me there is nothing more rewarding than capturing a shot where the subject is caught in a private thought or is mesmerized by something outside the picture frame.

Another frameworthy pose it to have your subjects turn their faces away from the camera, and only look back at it with their eyes. This can create a balance between a traditional and non-traditional shot.

How many of your favorite shots don’t include your subject looking directly at the camera?

Related Articles:

How To Spice Up Family Photos

Spicing Up Your Shots

Photography Lessons: The Rule of Thirds

Telling A Story With Your Shots

More Common Sense Tips To Capturing A Frame-Worthy Picture

Common Sense Tips To Capturing Frame-Worthy Pictures

Snapping Keepers Of Your Kids

This entry was posted in Photography Lessons and tagged , , , by Michele Cheplic. Bookmark the permalink.

About Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism. She spent the next ten years as a television anchor and reporter at various stations throughout the country (from the CBS affiliate in Honolulu to the NBC affiliate in Green Bay). She has won numerous honors including an Emmy Award and multiple Edward R. Murrow awards honoring outstanding achievements in broadcast journalism. In addition, she has received awards from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association for her reports on air travel and the Wisconsin Education Association Council for her stories on education. Michele has since left television to concentrate on being a mom and freelance writer.