I love taking photos of inanimate objects, well, because they don't move. With peole photos, I'm terrible at those -- any tips there? Do you tell people to do a certain thing or pose a certain way? Or do you just snap away and hopefully catch them in a pleasing manner?
Rule #1 - use lots of film (or digital equivalent). At first - all people are stilted and unnatural - they loosen up after a while - but they need to get used to you and your techniques and that can take 10 to 20 photos. By all means - pose people, and don't be afraid to correct little things wrong in their postures - they will be a lot happier when they see the photos. Make sure their shoulders are back and no bent wrists. You should compose a group shot just as you would a still life.