Deviation Actions
Make poses that suits the model, or adjust a pose to a model.
Many images of an overall nice pose starts to fall apart as you start to notice problems that should have been dealt with during the posing process
Pose every part of the body to make it look its best
Models have different shapes and sizes. A model in a source photo may look perfect, but using the same pose for an XNALara model may produce unsatisfactory results
That’s why we need to know how to design a pose. We need to know why some posing decisions are right for one model and wrong for another.
Learning a full pose and replicating it does not work most of the time. Instead we need to learn to build poses that look good, tailored to the model we are working with.
Make small changes to your pose to create variations and options. You can turn a pose into 10-20 new poses this way.
General posing don’ts:
- Make sure the face is never turned away from the light, otherwise the shadow behind the nose will increase and make the nose look big.
- Make sure the shoulders, waist and hips are never squared off to the camera. Otherwise the model will look wide. By turning the hips, waist and shoulders, preferable to the shadow side of the frame you can create a thinner view of the body.
- Make sure the arms are never posed in contact with the body. When the arms are allowed to hang along the sides of the body, the body shape is not defined. It is one mass, making the body appear wider. When the arms are away from the body, the waist is defined and looks slimmer.
- Make sure the chin is never lowered to a point where it diminishing the eyes. Elevate the main light so it is positioned too far above the model. Then slowly lower it until the proper lighting effect is achieved. Adjust the light with each pose, and make sure there are always visible catch lights in the eyes. To complete the light, add a second light that hits the face from below.
- Make sure the spine never forms a vertical line and the shoulders never form a horizontal line. In a portrait where the shoulders are horizontal, or the spine vertical, the model will look stiff and uptight. By leaning the model slight back, forward, or to the side will tilt the spine and shoulders and create diagonal lines.
- Make sure the face expression matches the expression of the body. If you have a happy pose do not compose it with a sad/Serious face expression. Face expressions sells. You can a perfect pose with perfect light and have it all ruined by a poor face expression.
Leg posing don’ts:
- In a standing pose, never put both feet flat on the ground in a symmetrical perspective to the body. This makes the model look stiff.
- Never position the feet so close together that there is no separation between the thighs/legs.
- Makes the thighs look wider than they are
- Never do the same thing with each leg with one exception. If the knees are raised you can have them side by side.
- Do not allow both feet to dangle in seated poses. One foot must be grounded.
- Never bring the accent leg so high that it touches the stomach area.
- Don’t ever expect one pose to work on every model
Power Poses
-Posing is linear with only slight changes to the angles of the body. Still the arms should not rest on the sides of the body. The face expression should be subtle as well. Laughing smiles are a big no no.
The face should be relaxed and serious.
Casual Poses
Study people when they watch tv or speaks on the phone. These are classical casual poses. They are for comfort and relaxation. Casual poses are resting poses. Capture people as they really are.
Glamour Poses
These poses are designed to make your subject as appealing and attractive as possible. You can pose a fully clothed model and make her look extremely appealing. You need to finish the pose with the right face expression. The lips should be slightly parted. Good examples of glamour posing can be found in magazines, such as Victoria’s secrets and Fredericks of Hollywood. These photographers are masters ofmaking the human form look good to the opposite sex.
The face is the most important part of a pose. The eyes are critical. Let the nose and eyes follow roughly the same direction. Don’t put long hair behind the shoulders. Long hair is beautiful and should be shown.
Choosing the right setting and clothes.
The clothing needs to be matched with a pose style that communicates the same message.
Dresses = Glamour
Summer clothes = casual
Business clothes = power
You can mismatch clothes and pose, but you have to make sure that everything comes together to make visual sense. If a woman is in a dress, you might find her in a casual pose in a living room among close friends, or at home after the party is over.