Most photographers can light a set long before they feel comfortable directing the person in front of it. How do you pose someone without it getting awkward, keep the shoot safe and professional, and find models with no budget? For this episode of In the Limelight, I put those questions to a photographer and model who work as a team: Tristan, an animator and VFX artist turned portrait photographer, and Bianca, a theatre singer, actress and model.
Video: Working with Models | Interview with Tristan and Bianca | CameraStuff "In the Limelight", CameraStuff Shop.
TL;DR
Give your model a direction of movement, keep them moving, and use the look down, look up trick for lively eyes. Make the shoot fun. Plan everything in advance with a mood board and a model release form, so nobody is surprised on the day. Encourage chaperones, keep a hands-off policy and keep alcohol off set. Fix problems on the day, not in post. Curate your portfolio carefully, and start with collaborative TFP shoots if you have no budget.
Learn From the Other Side of the Lens
Tristan's route into photography was unusual. On a Carte Blanche 30th anniversary rebrand shoot, at four in the morning in a freezing Johannesburg building, he photographed Claire Mawisa warming her hands around a hanging light bulb. She loved it so much that she hired him for a portrait shoot, his first solo shoot with strobes. He got hooked from there.
Bianca, at 1.55m, never pictured herself as a runway model. Both grew up in the Drakensberg, where some of their favourite images were made.
They also taught each other. Tristan started out using all three lights in his strobe kit, until a one-light YouTube tutorial made one light his main go-to. Bianca taught him posing. Film sets had trained him to stay silent behind the camera; a photographer has to guide.
Get Natural Poses Without Over-Directing
Bianca's posing tips give photographers a vocabulary for direction.
- Weight on the back foot. It helps create an S-curve and shape in the body.
- Have a direction of movement. Instead of standing like a block, reach for something or think about where your next footstep is going.
- Watch the photographer. Notice whether they are a fast shooter or still finding their feet, and move with each other. That ebb and flow shows in the images.
- Drop the shoulders. Breathe properly, let your collarbones come forward, and use your hands softly.
Her trick for avoiding what she calls the "dead fish eye" is simple. While the photographer changes a lens or adjusts something, look down at the floor. Just before the shutter, look up. It brings life back to the eyes. I use the same idea when someone struggles with posing.
Conrad's Advice: "Ask the model to look down on a count of one, two, three. On the count of three, look up at the camera. That creates a very, very striking, engaging look."
I also find that perpetual motion helps: moving from one pose to the next, staying in rhythm, even if it feels like you are repeating yourself. Tristan's tip for photographers is to explain why a pose works rather than saying what the model is doing is wrong.
Make the Shoot Fun So the Photos Follow
Tristan's goal on every shoot is for everyone to have a good time. Play great music, relax, and the people in front of the camera will relax too.
"I'd rather have okay photos and a great shoot than the other way around."Tristan
Bianca added a few pageant tips for the practical side. Vaseline on the teeth, and dry shampoo or talcum powder for hair when you are called in at short notice. She also likes asking to see the first few frames on the back of the camera. I think that is a good habit. Photographers get into their own zone, and a model who has no idea what is happening will start to second-guess herself. Tristan admitted that by the time you notice, you have probably taken 20 photos. Communication has to go both ways.
Plan the Shoot So Nobody Is Surprised
Tristan asks the model what they want from the shoot, then builds a mood board of lighting, wardrobe and style references. Bianca's checklist starts with coffee or a call, then agrees on costs, location, and who else is involved, such as a makeup artist. She also insists on a model release form, so both parties are protected.
Conrad's Advice: "Your model should not be surprised by anything. Everything that's gonna happen on a day needs to be pre-planned, obviously pre-discussed with the model."
New ideas will pop up on the day, but a stack of unplanned ideas can overwhelm a model.
Conrad's Advice: "If something else jumps on me on a day in terms of a new idea, preserve it for another day."
And be on time.
"If you're early, you're on time. If you're on time, you're late. And if you're late, you're fired."Bianca
Keep the Set Safe and Professional
This matters most, especially for male photographers who may not realise how their behaviour comes across. Tristan suggests models bring a friend, parent or partner, and feel free to film the whole shoot.
"If a photographer denies that, like say you're not allowed to bring somebody, that's a massive red flag."Tristan
He keeps a strict hands-off policy from film sets, where only wardrobe touches a collar that sticks out. Ask the model, the chaperone or the makeup artist to fix it. Bianca added that photographers should keep a record too, so there is documented evidence of what happened.
Bianca was clear that this applies even if you have already been paid. We all agreed on one more rule: no alcohol or drugs on set. A drink for Dutch courage can seem harmless, but it changes how a shoot goes, and if someone drives home afterwards, it becomes your problem too. Celebrate afterwards if you want to, but keep it off the shoot.
Handle Feedback and Fix It on the Day
Tristan takes criticism with a pinch of salt: art is subjective, and if you, the model and the client like it, the job is done. With clients, he borrows animation's approval stages. He shows a few frames early, fixes issues on set, then edits one or two images for approval before editing the rest.
"If you can shoot it correctly, as closest to your vision as possible on the shoot day, that's fantastic."Tristan
On one film he worked on, the production shot a branded product without permission. The manufacturer said no, and 75% of the VFX budget went on replacing it in post. One phone call would have avoided it.
Build a Portfolio That Gets You Booked
Conrad's Advice: "In terms of your portfolio, you're only as good as your first three images that people see."
Tristan keeps a consistent look on his main Instagram profile. He posts the black and white version first, with colour in the swipe, and adds dry Jack Handey-style captions to show the person behind the camera. Bianca puts her personality on her page and ignores grid layouts.
Her advice to models: think ahead. Clients follow their pages, so revealing material can cost you work, and once it is out there, more photographers will ask for the same.
"Try and be as timeless in your photography and your pictures as possible, because they will be selling items for you forever."Bianca
She also recommends updating a model portfolio at least every six months to a year, and more often if you can.
Start Without a Budget: TFP and Collaboration
A viewer asked how new photographers can work with models when they cannot afford professional fees. Tristan's answer was TFP, time for prints. Be open that you are building your portfolio, explain what and where you want to shoot, and let the model bring ideas too. It becomes "our vision" rather than "my vision".
Bianca suggested offering free portfolio updates to agency models, who always need current images. In my experience, models will often forgo fees for an interesting concept, and Tristan added that inviting a makeup artist with an open brief can snowball into a full creative team.
Bianca's tip for models: record a makeup artist's steps on your phone. It is a free lesson on your own face.
Tristan shares his setups openly, and people are often surprised that his "crazy light setup" is one light and a modifier.
Conrad's Advice: "The more you skillshare, the more you spread knowledge around, and the more people do the thing, the more demand you create for it. So it's good for everybody all around."
Their Advice for Newcomers
To finish, I asked for their advice to new photographers and models. Tristan's answer: experiment, have fun, don't be afraid to fail, and talk to other photographers and models about how they work. Bianca added that no question is stupid. And failure, as we all agreed, is how you learn. Keep going.
Meet the Guests
Tristan is an animator and VFX artist who works on film sets, and a self-taught portrait photographer known for his black and white work and one-light setups. @tristwin
Bianca is a theatre singer, actress and model, and Tristan's creative partner in front of the camera. @bianca_russell_
Related Guides
Working with Models FAQs
How do I help a model look natural instead of stiff?
Bianca suggests putting the weight on the back foot, giving the body a direction of movement, dropping the shoulders and keeping the hands soft. Keep the model moving from pose to pose, and use the look down, look up trick just before you press the shutter.
Should a model bring someone to a shoot?
Yes. Tristan encourages models to bring a friend, family member or partner, and says a photographer who refuses that is a red flag. It keeps everyone comfortable and protects both sides.
How do new photographers work with models without a budget?
Tristan recommends TFP (time for prints) shoots. Be upfront that you are building your portfolio, explain what and where you want to shoot, and let the model bring their own ideas so it becomes a collaboration.
Conrad Knuist
Head of Marketing and Photography Specialist
Conrad Knuist is Head of Marketing and Photography Specialist at CameraStuff, South Africa's specialist camera and lighting retailer. With over 18 years of hands-on experience across portrait, event, and commercial photography, Conrad hosts CameraStuff's In the Limelight conversations with South African photographers.
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