Tag

rapport

Was it good for you? You can’t fake a great portrait.

I’ve got a confession to make. I’m a very convincing liar. I wasn’t born with this skill, it was developed in my childhood and perfected in my teen years. I learnt this skill out of necessity. I was raised by a very strict Sicilian born mother, who decided that it was in my very best interest to not date boys or go to parties until I was at least 18 years old. I became a master “liar, liar pants on fire”. The trick to becoming a convincing liar is believing your own spin. I would come up with a story to tell my mother and visualised myself in the situation as I told it. I didn’t know this at the time, but learning the fine art of lying to a Sicilian mother puts you in roughly the same rank as a secret agent. The slightest change in vocal tonality, tilt...

Chit Chat 101: The best posing and directing hack I’ve ever learnt

Before I started my formal education, I spent three years at an exclusive alternative school for girls. It’s here that I learnt the most useful posing and directing hack that I still use to this day. I loved my time at this school. Most of the curriculum was completely unorthodox. I was taught how to grow strawberries, how to change a flat tyre, the secret of a perfect pizza dough, how to speak fluent Italian and how to graft a pear tree to a peach tree. Cool huh? My teacher’s name was Frank and he was awesome. I loved learning all of these practical skills, but it was watching how Frank engaged with every single person that he met, that was the most valuable lesson he taught me. Frank was a master at the art of chit chat. The chit chat artist can engage a complete stranger in a conversation...

Step away from the viewfinder. Why chimping is for … chimps.

  Chimping was a term that was made up shortly after the introduction of digital cameras. It’s when you see photographers take a photo then look at the back of the screen, take another shot and look and the back of the screen and keep shooting and looking and shooting and looking. This is often accompanied by “OOs” and “Ahs” and when you start to see photographers doing it over and over they resemble chimps … OO! OO! OO! Are you guilty of this? I don’t really have a problem with people looking like monkeys. The real issue with chimping is when it comes to portrait shoots. The act of looking at the screen and back to the model and back to the screen makes the photographer look like they don’t know what they are doing. Gaining trust and rapport is crucial to a successful portrait shoot. Chimping in front...

How to direct and pose like a pro

About Gina

About Gina

Gina Milicia is one of the most widely known and respected photographers in Australia. She is the master of capturing that ‘magical moment’... READ MORE

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