Getting people to look at the camera.

Ok, I feel a little dumb asking this. What do you guys do or say to get someone or a couple to 'look at the lens' when you are photographing them.

I, like many of you, like to take more unposed, candid, emotional type shots, but often I DO want the person/couple to look at the camera/lens. I often say, "look at my lens please" or "can you guys look at me for a second". It just seems dumb, and there has to be a better way or something better to say to accomplish this task.

What do you guys do?

I have my assistant say something pretty direct - "OK guys! All looking at the camera please!!! OK, two more shots and we're done! etc etc"

Just be direct and honest - SAY two more shots when you mean two shots, not "OK, one more!" then expect them to stand still for three or four exposures.

I say stuff like look at each other, okay now at the camera, back at each other, everyone look to your right and back at the camera and just say what I want for every shot so it flows when I am doing posed stuff.

Karena wrote in post #3990350
I say stuff like look at each other, okay now at the camera, back at each other, everyone look to your right and back at the camera and just say what I want for every shot so it flows when I am doing posed stuff.

Exactly this when I'm doing posed stuff. When I'm doing candid stuff I give no direction, as that would look unnatural.

Phil V wrote in post #3991708
Exactly this when I'm doing posed stuff. When I'm doing candid stuff I give no direction, as that would look unnatural.

Exactly what I was thinking. When you are posing them, you'll want to talk to them, "okay, counting down from 3-2-1" and take the shot. You keep a running commentary, like you are in the studio. Let them know they look great. Just a few more...

Most of the time, you want them to look natural, like you're a fly on the wall.

I just tell them what I want them to do, sometimes even standing in their place and showing them what I want. I also ask if what I said makes sense and if they didn't get it I try to think of a reference they might have seen before. If it's a huge group, I yell out to look at me and that I'm gonna hit it on the count of whatever then count. I also make sure I tell them "beautiful" or "great" or "awesome guys, thanks" or similar to thank them for cooperating. No big deal really.

cdifoto wrote in post #3994404
I just tell them what I want them to do, sometimes even standing in their place and showing them what I want. I also ask if what I said makes sense and if they didn't get it I try to think of a reference they might have seen before. If it's a huge group, I yell out to look at me and that I'm gonna hit it on the count of whatever then count. I also make sure I tell them "beautiful" or "great" or "awesome guys, thanks" or similar to thank them for cooperating. No big deal really.

this is what i have been doing exactly, it's just kinda weird. im not a fan of saying the same words over and over, as it's not natural. heh

If you happen to coach youth sports, the technique is surprisingly similar to getting the attention of children.

Very similair to what cdifoto does, lots of chat and lots of encouragement when were doing posed shots, candids we try and melt into the bacground. Because theres always 2 of us when we do the groups we also do a few other things, Jon sets each group up whilst I use the camrera and when its time for the shot he comes and stands behind me and gives me bunny ears, or balances a bottle on my head, or slaps my bald head or something else silly to get a smile out of people and get them looking our way, particularly useful with kids in the shots.

figmented wrote in post #3995148
this is what i have been doing exactly, it's just kinda weird. im not a fan of saying the same words over and over, as it's not natural. heh

It's only not natural for you because you hear yourself saying it all the time - doesn't matter for them, they only hear it a couple times.

Can't add much more to what everyone else has said, although it does help a great deal if you don't take yourself too seriously, like Banbert and the bunny ears (which sounds a bit like a band!) ...and we sometimes have a penguin glove puppet take a shot or two, depends how many kids are around (big ones as well as little ones!).

Rob