I feel like I don’t look natural.

It looks like I’m trying too hard.

Man, I wish I were more photogenic.

I’m really giving Lurch from the Addams Family a run for his money!

Have these thoughts ever crossed your mind when reviewing photos of yourself? I totally get it. As much as I love taking pictures, I’m not too big a fan of having my photograph taken. It never turns out the way I picture it in my head.

After years of this disappointment, some of us get to the point where the very act of being photographed is about as enjoyable as visiting the dentist. 

Enter promptography.

This new(ish) picture-taking philosophy totally revolutionizes the experience of being photographed. And, perhaps for once in your life, you’ll actually have fun during your photoshoot!

Let me explain.

What Is Promptography?

Promptography is a method of photographing people in which the photographer uses prompts to help the subject relax and look natural in front of the camera.

They can be movement-based or a silly game or talking in a weird voice or pretty much anything fun that will spark a smile. 

You can tell some people (like models and superstars and the occasional friend that loves getting their picture taken) to stand there and smile. And most of the time they’ll get an amazing image. 

Promptography is for everyone else. These techniques help to get your mind off the camera and spark genuine expressions because you’re actually having fun!

Types of Prompts

So what are these prompts and how do they work? There are a few ways you can loosely categorize prompts. Let’s break them down to explain them better.

Active Prompts

These are my favorite types of prompts and you will see them sprinkled liberally throughout my sessions. I especially like using them at the beginning to get people loosened up. 

I will give some or all of the subjects a physical action to do. Most of the time, my aim isn’t to take a picture of what I’m asking you to do, it’s to give you something to do to take your mind off the camera. 

If I did it right, when you finish the action, you’ll be in the pose that I was going for and you’ll be laughing and looking super natural.

For example, during a family shoot I might have Mom and Dad stand side by side. Then, I’ll take the kids a few paces behind them and tell them to run up and give Mom and Dad a big hug on my signal.

The setup looks like this.

And the result is something like this.

Static Prompts

Static prompts involve me putting the subjects where I want them. Then I will give one of the subjects something to say that will (hopefully) spark some smiles.

One of my favorite ones is the grocery list. If you are a couple and have taken pictures with me, I probably used this one with you.

I tell the subjects to sit or stand close together. Then I tell one of them (usually the guy) to think about their grocery list. Then I ask him to recite his list in his partner’s ear — in his best Batman voice. 

I usually give them a demonstration of my terrible Batman voice to prompt their own impression and help them not feel so weird about doing it. Then, they give it a shot, they both start laughing, and the result is gorgeous!

Jokes

I am the first to admit, I am not a comedian and I’m not good at telling jokes. There are lots of photographers that probably are and get fantastic smiles with their finely crafted punchlines. 

For me, it works better for me to act like an idiot or say something kind of ridiculous. Then I take a picture of you when you laugh at me, lol. 

Does Promptography Work?

Explaining it in words sounds a little silly, I’ll admit. Some of you might be feeling a little unsure reading this. After all, taking pictures is already uncomfortable, but then you have some stranger asking you to act weird. To some ears this might sound worse.

But I’ll let you decide if it works. Here are some of the images I’ve taken, along with what the folks in them had to say about the experience!

This ex-Marine warned me right off the bat that he did not like being photographed. He was only doing the session to please his wife for their anniversary. I’ll be honest, I had a hard time believing it because he was so agreeable during the session. 

However, this is what his sister-in-law had to say afterward:

“My brother-in-law was downright miserable the morning leading up to the photoshoot because he hates getting his picture taken. Cara caught on pretty quick and made sure that it was actually fun for him. On our way out, he mentioned in the car how it wasn’t nearly bad as he thought and that it was actually fun!!! What a win!”

I’ll take it! 

You can read the rest of what she said here.

This sweet lady made it a point to thank me at the end of our session for making it so fun. She told me that she feels really uncomfortable in front of the camera. Honestly, in the first few photographs I took of her, she did kind of have that “deer-in-the-headlights” look. 

But then as she started having fun, we got gold! She and her husband of over 50 years were so adorable!

This sweetheart was a little nervous at first too. But all it took was a little Batman voice from her husband of 56 years and she was grinning from ear to ear. At the end, she told me she couldn’t remember ever having so much fun taking pictures!

The Verdict?

So, what you do think? Do promptography techniques work? The smiles that I’ve photographed tell me that they do.

Don’t believe me? I dare you to book a photoshoot with me and not have fun while we take pictures. I bet you won’t be able to!

Until next time…

Cara