Be a Lifestyle Photographer Honestly, given the choice, you would walk up to a stranger and start snapping? Well, I’m going to ask you to face your fear of rejection (and failure), walk up to a friendly stranger and ask that you take their photo (or make their photo as we say in North Carolina).
Remember to smile when you ask, and feel free to tell them it is an assignment from your crazy photography instructor. If you get a No, give’em pleasant farewell and move on to the next one. This is exactly what I did a few days ago.
A rainy day had the promise of ending with clearing skies at Golden Hour, so I decided to head to the golf course. Boy, I’m sure glad I did! As you can image, a guy with a telephoto lens walking around the golf course can be spotted from a few holes away. I could read the body language of people as I approached. “No, we’re good” most all told me. Until I made eye contact with a young man. Then I knew I had my subject.
Turns out Walker had come all the way from California with his dad to play golf in Pinehurst and celebrate his 16th birthday. Talk about Father Of The Year!
As I started shooting, I knew that I wanted to tell their story by including familiar landmarks that would say “Pinehurst”. And, as I tell my students, be good storytellers by taking Wide, Medium Tight and Detailed shots, as if they are working for a magazine.
So, how did I do?
Ok, so I think I nailed the wide establishing shot. Did good on the medium and tight shots, but didn't get any what I call detailed shots. But it wasn't because I didn't try. I just couldn't find any interesting details to capture.
To see all the photos from that afternoon, visit: https://www.johndpatota.com/PinehurstResort/AfterTheRain/