The “Psyphotology” of an Engagement Session - A Smart Approach to Photographing Couples
Above: Walt with his mentor and friend, Peter Hurley at the Headshot Intensive Workshop in Houston, Texas. Summer 2017
In the summer of 2010, I was doing some research on headshot photography and was inspired by a photographer by the name of Peter Hurley. I then found his TEDtalk presentation on YouTube and watched it with my full attention. From that moment on, I was a changed man and had a better understanding of the word “Psyphotology”- the psychology of photography. I looked at portrait photography differently and realized that my job is pretty much 90% psychologist and 10% photographer. Sure, I’ll be lucky every now and then to photograph someone who knows how to pose in front of a camera but those come few and far between. And the majority of my clientele are average, everyday people. They’re not models or actors. They are real, everyday people.
After losing my father on August 5th, 2014, and then my beloved mother nine months later on her birthday, May 21, 2015, I just could not pick up my camera. The heartache of grieving left me with no desire to put any energy into my photography business. But in the summer of 2017, I forced myself to enroll in the Headshot Intensive Workshop in Houston, Texas. This was Hurley’s popular workshop so I jumped on the opportunity hoping I can find the passion again after not picking up the camera for over two years. I had used some of my inheritance money to pay for this workshop knowing that I was doing the right thing. The workshop was amazing! His workshops are small- about 12 students. He purposely wanted these workshops to be small because he wanted to make them more personalized instead of a large group.
“As photographers, we have the innate ability to change someone’s perception of themselves with one click of the shutter.”
What I learned is how we, as humans, really don’t like to get our photo taken. And as photographers, Hurley gave us the tools to be more aware of how we create a sense of confidence in our clients. There was no technical rubbish that we had to learn. We should already know how to use our cameras in something other than auto mode. He taught us the way humans react just through a simple conversation by throwing keywords and phrases to get some type of reaction out of our subject. And once our human starts to relax in front of our cameras, we started to click our shutter button. We were able to bring out the real personality of these humans and capture them in digital form.
A few years later I decided to create my wedding brand, White Tiaré Weddings. And I now implement these same tools that Hurley gave me but use them on my brides and grooms. For headshot photography, you’re photographing one person. But capturing some amazing images of two people in love brought my photography to a whole new level. One thing that I see often is that when I start working with a couple, it’s usually the male that hates being in front of the camera. So I would use the same tools that I use in my headshot photography.
By the time I’m done with an engagement session, it’s usually the male that has the biggest ego. “I think I should get into modeling,” said one groom. “I never thought I had it in me to look this good in pictures,” said another client of mine. And the ladies of these guys just loved it when they see the confidence in their soon to be husband. However, the most magical moments usually happen when I turn on some romantic tunes and would have them do a slow couple’s dance as if they were at their wedding. I would direct my couples to engage in a personal conversation while they’re dancing. If I want even more expression from my brides, I’ll whisper to my male clients to tell their girl something intimate in their ear. Of course, I don’t want to know BUT could you imagine the reactions I get out of these brides? Some would blush and gush in embarrassment while others would just flat out crack up with a big smile on their face.
This is what I love to do. This is what I do best with my images. In a study on wedding trends for 2020, today’s brides want real emotions. They don’t care for the typical jump in the air photo or staged pose as if they were real Hollywood actors. Or even worse, blowing glitter at the camera lens or making out in a cloud of colored smoke bombs. Brides today want their images to show their love for their significant other. They want us to tell their love story in pictures and also cinematic films. If you are looking for a photographer that can capture your love story that is pure, raw and real, give a call.