As I’m primarily a portrait photographer, I’ll speak specifically about that. When it comes to portraits, I truly believe anyone can look wonderful in a photo, as long as they’re relaxed, content and comfortable. Although part of a photographer’s job is to understand the technical aspects of what we do, far more important is for us to genuinely connect with the subjects in our photos.
I refuse to shoot portraits in contrived situations or places. I also refuse to ask people to fake a smile for the camera. What makes a photograph powerful, is the spark of feeling it conveys. If the feeling is false, what’s the point?