Portrait Posing Techniques - What to Tell Your Model to Get a Dazzling Shot
When you're working with people as your models and you want to get the best possible portrait of them as you can, there's some things you need to be paying attention to.
It can be hard to stumble upon these without having read about it first, so get ready.
The thing with people is that they naturally tend to be afraid of the camera (expect for some few, but they are few and far between) and get apprehensive.
This almost always shows in stilted and unnatural poses.
That is not good portrait photography.
The number one key in taking portraits, especially if it involves any dynamics at all, is to get your model feeling comfortable being who they are.
This is your responsibility - start on this as soon as they enter your studio.
Be open and warm towards your subjects.
Be curious about who they are, strike up a conversation, joke around with them, make them feel like you've known them for years.
Because as a photographer you are working with people as much as you are working with your camera and other equipment.
Now, here's some things to pay attention to: 1.
If you've got no clue how to pose your model, then test out different ideas.
Before you even enter the studio, buy some magazines where you can see people in different action shots (you probably have many ideas where to find such shots).
Now start paying close attention to these shots and start picking out ones you think might be interesting to try.
Before the shooting, have a selection of poses close by which you can test out.
This way you won't run out of ideas and you will get a lot of experience with many different poses.
Remember, practice makes perfect and this is the best way to move towards becoming the photographer everyone wants to visit.
2.
Your model's most important parts on a portrait are their hands and their face.
We have grown up and learned to control these parts the most, to hide our emotions or exaggerate them.
That's why they tend to be the most common source of awkwardness on a portrait photo.
If the pose is not working out, tell the model to try out a different emotion.
Have them consciously express a different feeling with a face, and exaggerate it.
Also, give their hands something to do, maybe some place to hold on to.
These are two good starting points to begin to learn the whole subject of posing your models in a way which looks natural.
It can be hard to stumble upon these without having read about it first, so get ready.
The thing with people is that they naturally tend to be afraid of the camera (expect for some few, but they are few and far between) and get apprehensive.
This almost always shows in stilted and unnatural poses.
That is not good portrait photography.
The number one key in taking portraits, especially if it involves any dynamics at all, is to get your model feeling comfortable being who they are.
This is your responsibility - start on this as soon as they enter your studio.
Be open and warm towards your subjects.
Be curious about who they are, strike up a conversation, joke around with them, make them feel like you've known them for years.
Because as a photographer you are working with people as much as you are working with your camera and other equipment.
Now, here's some things to pay attention to: 1.
If you've got no clue how to pose your model, then test out different ideas.
Before you even enter the studio, buy some magazines where you can see people in different action shots (you probably have many ideas where to find such shots).
Now start paying close attention to these shots and start picking out ones you think might be interesting to try.
Before the shooting, have a selection of poses close by which you can test out.
This way you won't run out of ideas and you will get a lot of experience with many different poses.
Remember, practice makes perfect and this is the best way to move towards becoming the photographer everyone wants to visit.
2.
Your model's most important parts on a portrait are their hands and their face.
We have grown up and learned to control these parts the most, to hide our emotions or exaggerate them.
That's why they tend to be the most common source of awkwardness on a portrait photo.
If the pose is not working out, tell the model to try out a different emotion.
Have them consciously express a different feeling with a face, and exaggerate it.
Also, give their hands something to do, maybe some place to hold on to.
These are two good starting points to begin to learn the whole subject of posing your models in a way which looks natural.
