[Thomas Hawk via Steve Lacey] Speaking of people not wanting to have their photograph taken, here’s a bit of advice. Most people I meet that don’t want their photograph taken tell me that they don’t want it taken because they don’t think they look good in photos. They say photos of them never turn out well. But the reason why photos don’t work for these people is because they don’t like having their photo taken in the first place. When I meet someone I typically will just start shooting them. They will react either one of two ways. Either they will protest (and not just verbally but even with their body language) or they will embrace it and enjoy it. If they protest verbally then maybe I get one or two shots of them. If they protest with their body language maybe I get 5 or 10. If they are into instead I might take 50 or 100.

As a photographer you want to get the best possible shot of someone you can. You are likely only going to choose one or two photos of that person for any sitting or setting. When you have 50 shots to cull one or two out from you get much better shots because 48 end up on the cutting room floor. When you have 2 to choose from it makes it harder.

Thomas’s post has some great advice on taking photos. I’ve also found that the strategy of taking as many shots as possible and only keeping the best really provides some of the more interesting and natural pictures.

He also answers the question "Would you rather have sex with Marilyn Monroe or take photos of her?". Check out his post on some interesting comments regarding his love of photography.