Using the LCD screen to compose images has become very common in the age of mirrorless cameras. Holding the camera away from your face is convenient when photographing a subject from difficult to reach angles. In some ways, I consider this an excellent advantage that mirrorless cameras have over DSLRs, but in my latest video, I give three reasons why I never use the LCD screen to compose headshots and portraits.
I attended a photography retreat last week and had the fortune to get behind the lights of many of my colleagues. One thing I noticed right away was that many photographers were directing me at eye level, without putting their own eye to the camera's EVF. I found myself looking at them instead of down the barrel of their lens, so in the images, I looked like I was staring off into space somewhere. This is not good for a headshot, of course, since the point of a headshot is to engage with the viewer, and a key to this is eye contact.
There are other reasons that I suggest going "old school" and using the EVF to compose images, some of them tried and true methods, like the simple fact that holding the camera against your face creates more stability, for instance. But, before I'm labeled as just another curmudgeon, I will go ahead and spoil the ending by telling you that there are some instances where I go against my own advice and use the LCD to compose. I hope you enjoy the video, and I would love to hear your own go-to methods for composing images with a mirrorless camera.
I think it's about both. Having been the subject for a bunch of photogs last week, there was a noticeable difference between those who composed from the lcd and those from the evf. Constantly telling me to look at the camera instead of at them added an extra barrier of complexity to the whole thing, which is kind of the point of the vid. 😉
All you photographers having this problem, send me 500 for following solution.
Paint a white dot on your camera body and instruct your subjects to look at this dot.
You will achieve two things - one is the obvious correct eye direction, the second is the "look at the dot, look at the dot, nothing but the dot. You are now falling asleep, look at the dot"-effect. You can use this latter technique to enhance your subjects self esteem so he or she does not fill their lips, stretch their skin or pump them bests.
For only 500 you have saved millions of women agony and pain, been able to use the LCD or tethering and have enhanced the look of your camera.
This is a good method if you want that go to model vacant stare LOL
It is worth noting that this is especially a problem for people (like me) who follow Peter Hurley's advice and position the camera rather low for headshot portraits. This creates a pretty big difference in eye line between the camera and photographer. I've had times where I was shooting with the LCD and my subject says, "Do I look at you or the camera"? That is an indication that I am doing something wrong. The subject should not be confused.
Yes, I think the lower camera height and not using the EVF is a big part of the confusion.
I agree that if you just have your cam on a tripod and fire away while staring at the talent, they will have a an awkward time of knowing where to look, but what if the photog just looks at the back of the LCD screen the whole time? Or better yet, takes the camera off the tripod, because why would you want to shoot on a tripod anyway? The stiffness/performance in the talent will begin and end with that tripod.
Next time, I would try hand-holding the camera, while watching the LCD screen the entire time while shooting. You will get much better life/performances out of the talent, get more diverse/interesting composition, and save your back in the process. :-)
PS - But sadly, that awful R5 flip screen is awful for shooting tethered and handheld. Z9 FTW!
I agree with this statement about pulling the camera away from your face and looking at the LCD will solve a lot of these issues. I shoot a lot of events and when I shoot family, posed portraits at events, I can tell if they are looking somewhere else and if that is the case, I make it really clear, "everyone look directly inside the camera" and I point inside it. Never really an issue since I am looking at the LCD first, but sometimes I get very young kids or old adults looking up high at my assistant's light lol.
I shoot both ways, looking at the LCD and viewfinder, depending how high or how low I want to compose my shot. I don't care how I look taking the pic. I save lots of time, energy, strength and leg/back pain flipping the screen to compose a little lower like at my chest level.
I don't shoot too much tethered so I love the R5 screen. I can flip it super quick ;)
When I tale pictures of people in studio I use a stand. I make an wide composition and from that moment I focus on communicating with the person, not the camera. To hide behind the camera does not make for good communication. It’s my opinion that you can not tell much if the person is staring into the lens or just above it.
Maybe with low angle on person sitting down and standing yourself it will be bad. But I have a chair that I use for myself also. Smiling face a little above camera, works for me.
But I will look closer at this now. Did I mess up like 10000 headshots of students some 40 years ago :))
Cool. I appreciate your perspective, and agree that hiding behind the camera is no good at all. I just make sure my face is back there when I hit the shutter button so they aren't staring off into space haha
As someone who spent a lot of years behind a tripod mounted Hasselblad with a WL finder I sort of get how this might be an issue for some folks.
I never really had a problem saying "look right here at the lens" but my head would be down there at the same level a I was watching their expression.
Now with ML I flip usually flip out the LCD and it takes me back the a WL finder (except the LCD image is not reversed)
Using EVF or LCD I have not noticed any difference but YMMV.
Hey Mike it's interesting to note that many people who have commented on my video or article have brought up using medium format cameras. If you come from that kind of gear you definitely have a TON of experience coaching people without staring into a small viewfinder, which I think is a huge advantage when transitioning to a flip screen mirrorless camera. It's cool how medium format shooters see all of this from a very different perspective. Thanks for the comment!
Whenever possible, I have the camera on a tripod or stand, and I'm looking at the screen. This is the same thing I did shooting with a rollfilm reflex camera, TLR in the early days, a Mamiya RZ67 in the latter days. A screen is a screen.
It's not rocket science. I set up the shot and focus from the screen, then I put my face where I want the subject to look, which is right next to the lens, if that's what I want. I make a point of not staying behind the camera, particularly with children (who depend on facial communication more than adults do). With the camera on a stand and a remote release in my hand, I may move completely away from the camera and say, "Look at me."
It might seem simple to you, but remember that many people here are total beginners and looking for advice. As I said in the video, I acted as a subject for multiple photographers at a conference and this was a real issue I noticed with many of them. There is probably a generational part of this, since a lot of younger or newer photographers who start on mirrorless cameras learn using the screen from the beginning, and don't really think about putting the camera up to their face.
I switched from a d810 to a Z7ii and i have to say that since i’ve gone mirrorless I don’t use the viewfinder anymore. At least not a lot..
I absolutely hate the EVF.. It always takes about a second before it turns on when you look through it and it just doesn’t look good. The contrast is too high and i feel like I don’t see as much as i would through a slr viewfinder.
The only reason i havent switched back to dslr is because the quality is higher and because features like eye tracking do help a lot. Maybe this is better with the z9 so i’ll have to try that out.
That being said, even though i use the lcd more now, i do position myself behind the camera. I also ask the models to look in the middle of the lens so they won’t be confused.