Posing-How did you learn?

[dsanders]

Posing people has got to be my biggest problem. I have most of the technical stuff down and decent equipment. Unfortunately I don't know much about posing people. So I bought a book "Posing for Portrait Photography" by Jeff Smith. I have only read about 10 pages, but I have learned some very good basic stuff already. Most importantly were the 6 sins of posing.

1. Make sure the face is never turned away from the main light
2.Never square the shoulders torso or hips to the camera
3.Make sure the arms are never posed in contact with the side of the body
4.Make sure the chin is never lowered to the point of diminishing the catch lights in the eye
5.Make sure the spine never forms a vertical line or the shoulders a horitzontal line in the frame
6.Never have an expression on your face that you don't want your clients to have on their face.

I hope this helps some.

(Keep in mind that these guidelines are for photographers who are selling their portraiture to the people posing. He mentioned that these are not guidelines for art.)

What a start! Then it goes into what you should do. I am not going to plagerize the book here with all the details, but I just wanted you to get a glimpse of what was in this book.

I am sure that there are others that have had problems posing others. I would like to know what you did to over come your posing dilemas. My first attempt was to use pose cards. But I found that they work better with someone who has had a little experience with posing and not with someone who doesn't have much.

Please tell us what sources you have used to become better pose masters.

[srwatters]

The Victoria's secret catalog works well for my models. I also like to use the Neiman Marcus Big Book and for high fashion there's always Vogue.

[dsanders]

Originally Posted by srwatters

The Victoria's secret catalog works well for my models. I also like to use the Neiman Marcus Big Book and for high fashion there's always Vogue.

How do you use them? Do you cut out the poses you like and put them into a scrap book. Or do you just have pages ear marked?

[srwatters]

Originally Posted by dsanders

How do you use them? Do you cut out the poses you like and put them into a scrap book. Or do you just have pages ear marked?

I guess the answer is it depends. I find that any one of those books will have so many varaitions that I find something close to what the model is wearing, then place it on the floor in front of them and work with them to come up with a variation that suits their body style. Some models of course need no direction, but those are few and far between (or professionals ).

[CaptainTom]

A big mirror near the camera position that the model can see her poses in....

[MyKey]

Using Catalogs can work, but my greatest help when I shot fashion was by far movies and TV ads. I tried to recreate the lighting and framing of romantic ads or certain programs and movies. Professional dramatic lighting from these kinds of programs have simply pushed my work up a notch! Just an idea!

[Liz]

I am like Scott, I look at magazines/catalogs alot for ideas, but have gone on a few seminars to help me develop a better technique with using light. I watch alot of music videos too, and get alot of ideas from them as well. I prefer when people do not look directly at the camera. But that's just my weird style, lol.

[dsanders]

I think I am going to try the catalog route, this weekend. Wish me luck.

[Liz]

Borrow your wife's Victoria's Secret :) They do some amazing things with light in their images.

[srwatters]

Originally Posted by dsanders

I think I am going to try the catalog route, this weekend. Wish me luck.

Good luck! And don't forget to use the best tool available; your own two eyes. For a moment, forget the lighting, camera, and all the other technical stuff and look at the model. Use your fingers and make a frame around them. Does it look pleasing to your eye?

Sometimes I get so wrapped up in the technical issues, I forget to look at what I'm shooting. Don't do that. Don't be a Scott

Oh, yeah. Have fun. I wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't fun.

[Gordon]

Yes honey, I'm just spending hours with the Victoria Secret catalog for urm, research. Yes, research that's it. I'm studying their bodies 'ow' I mean poses for educational reasons. 'ow'

[srwatters]

Originally Posted by Liz

Borrow your wife's Victoria's Secret :) They do some amazing things with light in their images.

My wife's Victoria's Secret catalog? I seriously doubt it. They come addressed to me. I'm the only one in the house who buys stuff from them. And no, they don't have my size. I just like to make sure my wife has plenty of pretty things to wear

[engstrom]

Scott, has Victoria told you her secret? My wife says that it's a secret only girls get to know it but I figure if I'm persistant I might find out what the secret is.

[David Price]

Originally Posted by engstrom

Scott, has Victoria told you her secret? My wife says that it's a secret only girls get to know it but I figure if I'm persistant I might find out what the secret is.

I don't think Victoria has any secrets left.

[rose]

You guys are funny, you know we have secrets we won't tell..,,,Its stuff that can't be verbalized.and possibly stuff that can not be communicated in any way