TheArtofPosing

Posing

- Therearenorulesforposing.Iteitherlooksgoodornot.Someposeswilllookgoodwithoneperson,butmaynotbeflatteringwithanotherperson.

- Makeyourposeslooknatural.- Don’tforceanuncomfortableposeonaperson.- Youneedtobeinchargeandguideyoursubject(s).- Formalposevs.candidportrait.- A candidlookingshotcanbeentirelyposed.- Lettheenvironmentinfluencethepose/position.- Applyyourstyleandvision.

Justbecauseyouhavepeopleinyourimages,doesn’tmeanthereareportraits.Aportraitinvolvesaninteractionbetweenyouandthepersonbeingphotographed.He/sheisfullyawareofthe

presenceofthephotographer.

HerbRitts

Hands(whattodowiththem?)

PosingHands

- Handgesturesareoftenoverlooked,buttheyarecrucialinanyportrait

Handsasasignificantcompositionalelement

ArnoldNewman HerbRitts

IrvingPenn(HandsandGeometricShapes)

AlbertWatson(confidentposes,hands)

RobertMapplethorpe(shapes,forms,hands,

lighting)

IrvingPenn(hands,interestingshapes)

Handsusedasaformofexpression

RobertMapplethorpe(left&middle)HerbRitts (right)

PeterYang(hands)

RichardLearoyd

Eyes“Theeyesarethewindowtothesoul”- Shakespeare

HerbRitts

Eyesclosed

RichardLearoyd

Directeyecontactisnotanecessity

IrvingPenn(sittingdownandnarrative)

SuzanneOptonhttp://suzanneopton.com

PoseusedtoconveyaNarrative

MartinSchoeller

ConceptualPortraiture

AnnieLeibovitz(theatricalposing,hands,studioprops)

AlbertWatson(dramaticlighting,shadowscreateasenseofvolume)

AdamFergusonhttps://adamfergusonstudio.com

Lightusedtoconveyanarrative

LightandShadows!

MarcoGrob ArnoldNewman

Props

PeterYang

DavidLaChapelle(sensual&sexual,color)

AlecSoth(props,photographyoursubjectintheirenvironment)

TwoPicassoPortraits

IrvingPenn(studioportrait,intense)

ArnoldNewman(environmentalportrait,morerelaxed,naturalpose)

Guideyoursubjectsandbeincharge,butoftentheposeswillhappenautomatically.Bereadywhentheyhappen

Importantistogetthetrustofyoursubjects.Thatoftenmeanstojusttalktothemforawhilebeforeevenattemptingtoshoot.Alwaysbehonestandexplainthenatureofyourproject

ArnoldNewman

Framingyoursubjectisagreatcompositionaltoolthatdrawstheattentiontowardsthepersonphotographed.

AnnieLeibovitz

Availablelightwithflash

Rineke Dijkstra(shootatrightmomenttocreateapsychologicallyintenseimage)

Beselective,findneutralbackgrounds.Simplicityisoftenkeyinordertofocusonthesubject.

Somemoreexamplesofavailablelightwithflash(cinematiclighting)

AlexPrager AnnieLeibovitz

Philip-LorcadiCorciahttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=So_FK4qnz5Q

Somemoreexamplesofavailablelightwithflash

ChipSimons

SageSohier ChipSimons

BruceGildenhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkIWW6vwrvM