← All eight good sides
Good Side 06A
The WildcardHow to photograph clients who joke when nervous
Funny first, sincere second. Make you laugh and you're golden.
On camera
- 01Your real laugh is your best expression
- 02You loosen up when it feels like a game
- 03The quiet moment after a laugh is pure gold
Humor is your superpower, and sometimes your shield. You'll crack a joke before you'll hold a serious face, and that's fine: your real laugh is the best photo you'll ever have. Behind the jokes there's a softer side the camera catches when you least expect it.
For photographers
How to photograph The Wildcard
Playful and expressive but self-aware underneath. Humor deflects nerves: play along, then shoot the beat after the laugh, when their guard is down.
Warm-up
- Lead with self-deprecating humor so they don't feel they need to perform.
- Start with a silly prompt to get the laugh out, then go quieter.
Directing style
Game-like prompts with a sincere landing. Set up a joke, then hold the camera after the laugh fades.
Alternate: silly prompt, quiet beat, silly prompt. The sincere frames live right after each laugh.
Prompts that work
- 1Give each other the most dramatic movie-poster stare. Now hold it until someone breaks.
- 2Whisper the worst pickup line you know.
- 3Thumb war. Loser has to say something nice.
- 4Do your best impression of me directing you.
- 5Walk like you're in a slow-motion action movie.
- 6Tell them something you've never told anyone, but make it funny.
- 7Try to keep a straight face while they tickle-poke you.
- 8After the laugh: look at each other and say nothing.
Avoid
- Serious, intense posing from the start
- Asking them to stop joking
- Long silences
- Close-up direct-to-camera portraits early on
Say / don't say
- Say“Okay, that was amazing.”
- Say“Don't move, stay in that.”
- Say“Again, but whisper it.”
- Not“Be serious for a second.”
- Not“Stop laughing.”
- Not“Okay, now a real one.”