Professional Photography Poses!
Seeking out and learning a lot of photography poses is the fastest and simplest route to becoming a sought out photographer. Even if you never decide to go “pro”, mastering the basic photography poses will put pizzazz in your photography. If you want to start getting YOUR share of “oohs and aahs”, keep reading…
The Football player…
The most typical error I see in recreational photos – and in more pro work than you may guess is what I call the “Linebacker” pose.
Consider a pro football player. (The United States kind, not what we in the U.S. call soccer.) Size is a major factor of their job. The more massive they appear to be, the better. In posing for for photographs, they try to face the lens straight on – with their shoulders looking as wide as they can. They’ll want their hips and thighs to appear huge as well.
The more of the frame they can fill, the better – intimidation is their aim.
Now picture almost everybody else in the world…few of them are trying to appear daunting in their pictures.
Remove The Appearance Of Excess Size…
To help our subject’s desire to shed that “linebacker” appearance, simply have them twist their shoulders so they are about 45 degrees to the lens. This appears natural, and is the most slimming pose. If they’re visible in the photo, the subject’s hips, legs and feet should be turned too.
Rule of thumb…Shoulders, hips, legs and feet should never be straight on to the camera.
Avoid The “Sumo Wrestler” Look Too!
While footballers want to look broad – they don’t necessarily want to appear fat! The only photo model I can think of that truly has a use for looking fat is a Sumo wrestler.
Throughout the world, and even more so in the United States we almost ALL think we look too fat! (With good reason.) It’s become almost an obsession. How often have you heard the phrase “the camera adds 10 pounds?” To make our subjects to visually lose some pounds, think about what makes us appear visually heavy! It’s the highlights and shadows!
We define shape by highlights and shadow. If we minimize shadows, people will look thinner. Have your models wearing dark clothing and the shadows disappear – and so does the weight.
Begin employing these two photography poses ideas and you’ll see instant improvement in your photography.