Exercise: Eye contact and expression

Outline: Set up a portrait session of just torso/head and shoulders and while shooting direct your subject to look at you and away at times.

I am using a shoot of my boyfriend for this exercise as I regularly get him to look in different directions while shooting. I like photographs where the subject looks away from the camera but this goes back to me being less comfortable with set up shots. I find that people can look really uncomfortable when trying to 'pose' for a photo so I shy away from more formal shots and focus more on capturing more natural poses.

Head and eyes turned away

 I don't really like this image. I don't feel any connection to the subject whatsoever in this image.  I feel this pose is very passive.

Head and eyes to camera

 This feels more natural and the viewer can connect more with the subject.

Head to camera, eyes turned away

 I like this one even more than the last. I feel connected to the subject as he is facing the camera but I still get a sense of natural and coyness with him not posing to the camera.

Head turned away, eyes to camera

 This image works too. We have the eye contact so we can connect with the subject and I feel this pose is slightly more aggressive than comfortable.

Body, head and eyes to camera

This is a more successful pose. Very comfortable and confident. The eye and head as well as the body are all connecting with the camera and the viewer alike.

Conclusion: 
This exercise has shown how important eye contact and body language are to a portrait photograph. Eye contact helps the viewer connect with the subject and the entire photograph and slight changes to the direction of the subjects eyes, head and even body can affect the overall final image.