Being a good people photographer also means being a performer...

Just a thought that has come to my realization....being a good people/portrait photographer also involves being a good performer. To be consistently successful, you must be able to read your client within a very short period of time and be able to put on a unique performance tailored to the client that puts them at ease while instilling confidence in your abilities. Without a good performance, the results will be lackluster at best.
This occurred to me this past weekend when I had a family emergency that was weighing heavily on my mind (and still is). I had a couple of sessions scheduled shortly after hearing the news and although I tried to set it aside for the sessions, it definitely showed itself in the results. The distraction caused me to falter in my performance which, in turn, caused me to turn out work that I know I could've done better. The clients may be happy but I know that I could've delivered better results than I did. Not only did my performance suffer but my creativity suffered. The ideas just wouldn't flow. They were forced at best.
There's no question here...just pointing out an observation I've made. I welcome any thoughts or opinions on the subject. It would be great to hear from other professional photographers on how you deal with clients when life's circumstances put photography on the back burner but you still have to make a living.

I'm not sure I agree with your post in its entirety. Personal tragedies will occur and it doesn't matter whether you are a photographer or a lawyer it will impact your emotions and can affect the quality of work.

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I don't get this. I hope that you mean that you perform your duties to the best of your ability and not putting on some sort of clown (for example) performance. To be honest the way I read your post I am interpreting it to be the latter. It is important to be at ease with your subjects but I have never had a problem with this and don't do anything out of the ordinary except just talk with them. For weddings, this is one reason why I always attend the rehearsal the night before if I can. It allows you to meet the people and get to know them enough to know if you will have issues with any one or more people.

I have a fellow photographer that I can call to step in for me in the case of emergencies. I give him all the gear to use and he does an outstanding job and he will second for me many times. This is outlined in my contracts that this can happen. It has happened only once when it was go shoot a booked wedding or go to a family funeral. I picked the latter and the stand in did just fine.

I don't think that I put on an act or anything to put the clients at ease. I just be me and it seems to work just fine.

No, I certainly don't mean a "clown" performance. I meant that you must be able to quickly adapt to your client. Some clients are shy and soft spoken and require a gentle approach while others may be loud and boisterous and require a completely different approach. Either way, a "performance" must be acted by the photographer and tailored to the subject in order to obtain the best results. My true self shines through with every client I work with but my "performance" may be quite different from client to client. By performance, I don't mean a "clown show", instead I mean the way I choose to interact with each client. When life issues cloud your mind, it also affects the way that you're able to put on your performance (or interact with your client). IMO, the mood and mindset of the photographer will often show through in the final images. This certainly isn't limited to photography.

It's no different than being a good sales person or customer service person. I wouldn't call it a "performance".

Hope everything works out with your family BTW.

Scatterbrained wrote in post #12073992
It's no different than being a good sales person or customer service person. I wouldn't call it a "performance".

I agree...it's certainly not limited to photography....not at all. But my point was to discuss the subject from a photography stand point. It's very difficult to "put on the show" as a photographer when life is weighing heavy on your mind. A backup shooter (as mentioned above) would be a great alternative but that isn't always an option on short notice. Sometimes, the show must go on and we must play the part......even when life gives us the ole gut punch. It's difficult, if not sometimes impossible, to pull it off up to standard.

I agree with the performance bit, I'm an extremely shy, quiet person, and learning to raise my voice and joke around with people at weddings, and smile and be assertive when meeting new clients has been one of the harder parts of the business. And than you add in flowergirls and ringbearers that don't want to smile and I have to do monkey impressions in front of large groups of people, anything to get the kids to look at you and smile for one second!!

Also,, never be a shrinking violet.

isophotostudio wrote in post #12075288
I agree with the performance bit, I'm an extremely shy, quiet person, and learning to raise my voice and joke around with people at weddings, and smile and be assertive when meeting new clients has been one of the harder parts of the business. And than you add in flowergirls and ringbearers that don't want to smile and I have to do monkey impressions in front of large groups of people, anything to get the kids to look at you and smile for one second!!

That's exactly what I'm talking about. As a photographer, you've gotta adapt to the situation and often put on a "show" to get the desired results. When tragic life events are weighing you down, you still must put on that smile and put on the "show". You smile, crack jokes and work to bring a light hearted feel to relax your client while, inside, you may be completely torn apart. The whole time I'm thinking..."I can't let the real emotions show through". This certainly isn't limited to photography.....everyo​ne deals with loss and tragic events throughout life....and yet, the show must still go on. I think photographers are in a somewhat unique position because what's inside will very easily show itself in the end results.

Photography is very much about split second decisions, as a graphic designer, or an artist, you have more time to consider the design, setup and layout, so you can hide what's motivating you a little better. We can work in post production to correct it somewhat, but it get's dicey.

Not sure that the 'performer' (i.e. 'entertainer') label always applies. I have found that sometimes the 'performer' is needed, to pull someone out from self consciousness and the resulting lack of vitality in their photos. I also have found that sometimes the applicability of 'performer' is not right at all, and one needs to be a bit of a psychologist or human behaviorist in pulling someone out of their shell without delivering a performance. I recall one portrait sitting with a little 3 y.o. girl, you could not get her to smile -- until I asked if she had "a favorite dollie? -- tell me about her!" In other cases, you might want a bit more pensive expression, and you need to be able to pull that out of someone via appropriate direction.

Wilt wrote in post #12097814
Not sure that the 'performer' (i.e. 'entertainer') label always applies. I have found that sometimes the 'performer' is needed, to pull someone out from self consciousness and the resulting lack of vitality in their photos. I also have found that sometimes the applicability of 'performer' is not right at all, and one needs to be a bit of a psychologist or human behaviorist in pulling someone out of their shell without delivering a performance. I recall one portrait sitting with a little 3 y.o. girl, you could not get her to smile -- until I asked if she had "a favorite dollie? -- tell me about her!" In other cases, you might want a bit more pensive expression, and you need to be able to pull that out of someone via appropriate direction.

Agreed Wilt. Well said.

Personally, if I was a portrait subject and the photographer was a 'performer, a.k.a. entertainer', I would end up suffering through the sitting with the thought, "What a clown!" if one could sense it was all an act to elicit an expression on my face...one of disdain for the vaudeville ham behind the camera.

IOW, the approach of the photographer needs to be geared to the reaction by the sitter, and the approch changed to suit the sitter.

Wilt wrote in post #12097851
IOW, the approach of the photographer needs to be geared to the reaction by the sitter, and the approch changed to suit the sitter.

Hmm... Thinking I should seriously throw a few mood rings into my gear bag.

There is the attention that the photographer attracts, and it does have to be met with a professional demeanor. I agree that the "clown" act is annoying at best, some of the portrait shooters I have seen at events and reunions or weddings have struck me as having lots of experience with kid shots and making the mistake of drawing on that experience when working with adults.

One event I won't forget was a contest at work that involved contributing to a charity in the name of your favorite member of upper management, the "winner" got to kiss a pig in front of the entire company.

We have a product photographer that covers our events also, a great guy. With everyone in the company watching (maybe 500) he got the shots of the big pig kiss, then cracked us all up by pretending that he had missed the shot and needed a repeat performance. Nice touch, everyone enjoyed how he handled the moment, we all know who he is now and enjoy his "performances".

Nothing wrong with seizing the moment and being a part of the event if it is handled well.