Love, hate, joy, agony…all are powerful emotions that, when captured in a photograph, can tell a highly compelling story. But genuine emotion can be difficult to capture. This is especially true when you’re photographing children, who always seem to know the “best” time to pull out their silly faces for pictures. Of course, adults have that reaction too, but perhaps not to the same extent.

Today’s installment of our 30-Day Challenge is all about how you can increase your chances of capturing an image with real emotion.

Do Some Prep Work

If you’ve got someone in mind to photograph for this challenge, take a minute or two to ask them questions to get to know them a little better. You don’t have to dive into deep, life-changing questions; rather, simply asking how their day has been, what their favorite food is, or where they want to most travel in the world can be enough to break down barriers.

Even if you will photograph someone you already know well, such as your spouse, your sister, or your childhood best friend, having a quick conversation can help them relax before you start snapping photos. The more relaxed that your subject is, the more authentic your photos of them will be.

Warm Up Your Subject With Practice Photos

Another great way to get your subject relaxed in front of the camera is to take practice photos – a lot of them. Take 2-3 minutes to just snap away. You might pose your subject or you might not. Your subject might even take the initiative and start to pose him or herself!

Another benefit of shooting warm-up photos is that your subject may relax very quickly and before you even give them direction, they might just give you the emotion you want. Or, if you want to give them a little practice direction, have them give you their best sad face, happy face, silly face, and the like. These off-the-cuff moments may very well generate the best images of the day. Asking the little boy in the image above for his best sad face, without giving him any time to think about what that’s supposed to look like, resulted in a highly emotionally charged image.

Be Ready for In-Between Moments

Once your subject is ready and relaxed and you’ve begun the “actual” photo shoot, keep your camera at the ready at all times. This is especially important if you’ve decided to photograph two or more people. The interactions they have as they converse between shots can get you more of the same genuine moments you can capture during the warm-up photos. Those in-between moments, when they relax, breathe, and act more naturally are excellent fodder for an emotion-filled photograph.

This concept is perfectly illustrated in the photographs above and below.

In the image above, the couple is posed and looking directly at the camera. It’s a fine shot.

However, this image of the same couple in between shots is much more engaging because of they are laughing and happy. The expressions on their faces are much more authentic and that helps convey the emotions they are feeling. Always being at the ready will help you get these more genuine in-between moments.

Think Outside the Box

Of course, a photo doesn’t have to have people in it to convey emotion. A shot of a sunny day in the city can convey happiness while a shot of a foggy, rainy forest can make viewers feel a little glum. The point is that when you head out to shoot for this challenge, think about the things that can stir up emotions – people’s expressions, for sure, but also colors, places, and events. There is really no limit to the kind of emotion you capture!

Practice and Participate!

Photographing genuine emotions is a hefty challenge, but with the tips we’ve provided, you will have a better chance of capturing authentic moments with your camera. Use the images included in this article to get your ideas flowing, and get your subject and your gear and get shooting!

As with our other challenges, we encourage you to select your favorite image and upload it to the forum thread. Share your work, investigate the work of other participants, and see just how creative the Photography Talk community can be!