Face to Face: Rick Sammon's Complete Guide to Photographing People

Book description

In this beautifully illustrated book, travel and adventure photographer Rick Sammon introduces the proven techniques he uses to make extraordinary photographs of people around the world. You'll find important tips and strategies for engaging your subject and setting up the shoot, along with techniques for shooting in a variety of conditions both indoors and outdoors. Rick Sammon is people person who loves the art of making -- rather than simply taking -- people pictures. In Face to Face, he makes learning people photography a quick and enjoyable experience. Rick demonstrates his methods through a collection of his original photographs. Each photo includes notes explaining the principles he followed and the techniques he used. Face to Face offers hundreds of tips you can you for studio shoots and "environmental" people pictures, including:

  • Outdoor techniques for shooting in low light, shooting in bright light, for capturing action, taking profiles, taking group shots, and more

  • Indoor techniques for using a flash and strobes, and for shooting silhouettes, working with mirrors, and other techniques

  • Photo philosophies and creative advice, such as developing a sense of place, carefully choosing the background, seeing pictures within a picture, and more

  • How to photograph people in different cultures, along with fascinating behind-the-scenes stories of photos in the book

The largest section of the book, "Photo Philosophies", lays out several principles for making people pictures. Rick stresses that the camera looks both ways -- in other words, the attitude and energy you bring to a shoot will be reflected in a subject's face. If you're enthusiastic, you'll capture a picture that portrays enthusiasm. If you're impatient or distracted, that will be reflected as well. Getting subjects to accept him in a matter of seconds is his prime goal as a people photographer -- after that, he says, taking pictures is much easier. Even if you're not a world traveler, Rick's tips and techniques will have you taking top-notch people pictures wherever you are. Rick Sammon gives more than a dozen workshops and presentations each year, holds online classes, and is the producer of seven interactive DVDs for photographers on all facets of photography.

Table of contents

  1. Acknowledgments
  2. Foreword
  3. Preface: Evolution of a Photo Shoot
  4. Introduction: The Camera Looks Both Ways (1/2)
  5. Introduction: The Camera Looks Both Ways (2/2)
  6. Part I: Cameras Don’t Take Pictures, People Do
    1. Jumpstart Your Photo Session (1/4)
    2. Jumpstart Your Photo Session (2/4)
    3. Jumpstart Your Photo Session (3/4)
    4. Jumpstart Your Photo Session (4/4)
    5. Lesson 1: A Quick Look at Gear (1/2)
    6. Lesson 1: A Quick Look at Gear (2/2)
  7. Part II: Photo Philosophies
    1. Lesson 2: Making Pictures Versus Taking Pictures
    2. Lesson 3: From Head to Toe
    3. Lesson 4: Creating a Sense of Place
    4. Lesson 5: Dead Center Is Deadly
    5. Lesson 6: Horizontal and/or Vertical
    6. Lesson 7: Silence Is Deadly
    7. Lesson 8: Being There and Being Aware
    8. Lesson 9: Portraits Versus Environmental Portraits
    9. Lesson 10: The All-Important Background
    10. Lesson 11: Paying People
    11. Lesson 12: Dress for Success
    12. Lesson 13: Body Language and Hands
    13. Lesson 14: Seeing Eye to Eye (1/2)
    14. Lesson 14: Seeing Eye to Eye (2/2)
    15. Lesson 15: Choose a Location
    16. Lesson 16: Adding Props (1/2)
    17. Lesson 16: Adding Props (2/2)
    18. Lesson 17: Seeing Pictures Within a Picture
    19. Lesson 18: Adding a Person Adds Scale to a Picture
    20. Lesson 19: Thinking Creatively
    21. Lesson 20: Taking Fun Shots (1/2)
    22. Lesson 20: Taking Fun Shots (2/2)
  8. Part III: Outdoor Photography
    1. Lesson 21: Capturing Action
    2. Lesson 22: Using Reflectors
    3. Lesson 23: The Beauty of Using Diffusers
    4. Lesson 24: Garage Glamour
    5. Lesson 25: Daylight Fill-in Flash
    6. Lesson 26: The Disequilibrium Technique
    7. Lesson 27: The Key to a Good Profile
    8. Lesson 28: Photographing People in Low Light and at Night (1/2)
    9. Lesson 28: Photographing People in Low Light and at Night (2/2)
    10. Lesson 29: Group Photography
    11. Lesson 30: Take Advantage of Backlight (1/2)
    12. Lesson 30: Take Advantage of Backlight (2/2)
    13. Lesson 31: Photographing Festivals (1/2)
    14. Lesson 31: Photographing Festivals (2/2)
    15. Lesson 32: Creating a Sense of Depth (1/2)
    16. Lesson 32: Creating a Sense of Depth (2/2)
  9. Part IV: Indoor Photography
    1. Lesson 33: Rembrandt Lighting
    2. Lesson 34: Shooting Silhouettes
    3. Lesson 35: Basic Flash Techniques (1/2)
    4. Lesson 35: Basic Flash Techniques (2/2)
    5. Lesson 36: Using Lighting Kits (1/2)
    6. Lesson 36: Using Lighting Kits (2/2)
    7. Lesson 37: Working with Mirrors
    8. Lesson 38: Photographing a Stage Show (1/2)
    9. Lesson 38: Photographing a Stage Show (2/2)
  10. Part V: Enhancing Your Pictures in Photoshop
    1. Lesson 39: Create a Beautiful Black-and-White Image (1/2)
    2. Lesson 39: Create a Beautiful Black-and-White Image (2/2)
    3. Lesson 40: The Renaissance Painter Effect
    4. Lesson 41: Color and Black-and-White in the Same Image
    5. Lesson 42: From Snapshot to Artistic Image (1/2)
    6. Lesson 42: From Snapshot to Artistic Image (2/2)
    7. Lesson 43: Create the Disequilibrium Effect
    8. Lesson 44: Change the Shutter Speed and F-Stop (1/2)
    9. Lesson 44: Change the Shutter Speed and F-Stop (2/2)
    10. Lesson 45: Remove Distracting Elements in a Scene
    11. Lesson 46: Brighten a Subject’s Eyes and Smile
    12. Lesson 47: Basic Skin Softening
    13. Lesson 48: Hand-Color a Picture (1/2)
    14. Lesson 48: Hand-Color a Picture (2/2)
    15. Lesson 49: Playin’ with Plug-ins (1/2)
    16. Lesson 49: Playin’ with Plug-ins (2/2)
  11. Epilog: Your Assignment: On-Location Portraiture (1/3)
  12. Epilog: Your Assignment: On-Location Portraiture (2/3)
  13. Epilog: Your Assignment: On-Location Portraiture (3/3)
  14. Index

Product information

  • Title: Face to Face: Rick Sammon's Complete Guide to Photographing People
  • Author(s): Rick Sammon
  • Release date: May 2008
  • Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
  • ISBN: 9780596515744