Achieving Connection in Your Photos

This mother-daughter moment was snapped during Alina’s senior session.  First of all, can I start by saying how stunning they both are! It’s plain to see where Alina gets her gorgeous looks- from her momma Nicole for sure!  But back to the photo, what I love about it is that it’s just not a good photo of the two, but a great photo of the two of them together.  They appear connected and that’s what I want in my pictures showing relationships (husband/wife, parents/ children, siblings, etc…). However, sometimes “connection” doesn’t always translates well in photos.  That’s where I, as the photographer, step in and direct my clients on how to achieve the look I’m after. When I asked Nicole to position herself next to Alina on the steps, these were the first shots we took.

I immediately knew we had to adjust things to create a more “connected” photo. For starters, the way Nicole’s legs were positioned were preventing her from getting closer to Alina. So I asked that she drop her leg down one step and what a difference that made! Not only did that elongate her body which is always flattering, but now she was able wrap her arms around her daughter and bring her head and the rest of her body slightly closer to hers. Now to reciprocate the gesture, I had Alina bring one hand to grasp her mother’s arm and there you have it: instant connection! It’s as simple as bringing people closer together and paying attention to body language.  Things like connecting hands, arms, legs, torso, heads all help convey closeness in images.