The Importance of Researching Subjects for Portrait Sessions

When taking a portrait, you want the photograph to accurately display the subjects personality. A great way to do this is by taking the time to research or get to know the subject prior to the shoot. Consider it a trick of the trade when it comes to photographing celebrities; a good photographer always gets to know who he is photographing. Listen to the tale of Matthew Jordan Smith’s photoshoot with Gregory Hines. In Smith’s case, his forethought happened to saved the entire shoot:

“When I do a photoshoot, the first thing I do is start off by doing research. I do the research because it helps to find everything I can to relate to my subject.”