Well, my link to PhotoNet didn't work, so here's my answer:(posted 8749 days ago)Think you have problems? Try painting a portrait sometime.
Three options:
1) Buy a 35mm.
2) Gain an understanding of why our greatgrandparents looked so morose in those old pictures and make more like them.
3) Go with the flow. Your subjects will need to be relaxed, both mentally and physically to handle these exposures without looking stiff. And I think you are going to have to redefine your idea of rapport. Your subjects are going to have to feel completely at ease posing for you - not just amused by your presence. Look at traditional (painted) portraiture forinspiration - as the attached picture by my favorite artist, John Singer Sargent.
http://photo.net//bboard/big-image.tcl?bboard_upload_id=29984