I hate set-up shots. To clarify that a little, I hate obviously set-up shots. Sometimes I feel like a day at the paper is nothing but these and it is driving me away.
There is a way though, to escape this oh so obvious provincial newpaper looking image*.
My C.I.A mantra is a start only, but looking closer, I realised you can interpret that a lot of ways, so here is a more flexible version.
Control the elements, by putting into place (Composing) what you want and excluding what you do not.
Once placed, this couple, a pair of safe crackers by trade were quite relaxed when I simply said “talk amongst yourselves”.
The Interest value should evolve from the Interactions that come naturally from that space.
No posing, I just asked them to hold their place and look to the camera.
Action or Angle is the bit where you capture those interactions, quickly, quietly and intuitively (preferably invisibly), adding a level of enjoyment and accomplishment in the process.
The shot before the one above. No posing, just recognition and take.
This is looser than the original mantra probably sounds, but is the key to breaking that painfully ordinary look. There are ways to make bad look good, but to me the best is to simply avoid the bad.
*There are actually two, but the other requires lighting and more time than you usually have.