How to pose for travel photos

Posing Guide for Portrait Photography - Posing Strategies

Quality-wise, the difference in classic, beautiful poses and moving expressions from photo to photo may not be that great, but the strategies used by photographers to create these effects are often quite different. Here are just a few of them.

Observing the Subject

Tim Kelly is one of the best-known names in American portrait art. All the professional organizations in North America recognize him among the best photographers.

He says of the process of photographing that while you are turning your attention to mounting the film, you may wish to glance at your subject, who at this moment may be fully revealing himself. This fleeting moment was Kelly's famous "13th film" - the one that was largely unused (referring to the Hasselblad cartridges that provided 12 or so films). He now pays special attention to the moments during and between shots.

His advice to students is to look at your subjects "before you press the shutter." Their natural movements often make terrific poses." Tim Kelly doesn't direct his subjects' poses; instead, he just suggests that they get into the "posing zone" and then leaves them to their own devices. This allows him to capture a more natural, spontaneous feel. In fact, Kelly calls his unique style of portraiture "capturing the moment," an almost photojournalistic style as opposed to posed portraits.

Of course, this is a far cry from the portrait photographer who controls every detail of the pose from start to finish. The differences are somewhat analogous to the difference between a traditional wedding photographer, who does 90% of the posing in a customary style, and a wedding photojournalist, who relies on high-speed lenses, high-speed film, and a journalist's instincts to capture the emotion of a wedding.

Bryan King took these four photographs of a little girl having fun. Bryan was coaxing her into these rare expressions with music and compliments.

Guiding the pose

Photographer Jerry Kiennes says, "I think it's important to shoot weddings in a way that makes the couple look more natural while still being glamorous. What we keep hearing from our clients is that our photos are too good to be true - too glamorous to be un-posed: but too natural to be posed. I don't pose my clients, I just give them tips and guide them into what looks natural. I will choose the lighting first, then the background and foreground. After that, I cue and guide the client into a general state of being (romantic hugs, a casual walk, letting the bride organize her veil, etc.). What I seem to get all the time during the shoot are guided and ever-changing poses, mainly based on the different characteristics of different people."

"I have what I call a 'wouldn't this be nice?' principle. Whenever I say to myself, 'Wouldn't it be nice if the bride suddenly laughed so hard that her eyes closed while the groom was leaning over her?' I would ask them to do that. Some people would think a shot like that was done on purpose, and I'd say that all the scenes in the movie were done that way, and who cares how the picture was taken? The result is good and the means are justified."

The bride won't judge how beautifully posed her fingers are in the photo, how perfect the lighting or background is. But will judge how good she looks in the picture. If you can get the lighting and composition right and make the bride look glamorous while framing a spontaneous moment, the shot will be a hit.

This is an excellent example of Tim Kelly's use of moment capture in his portraits. It's called "Punched in Silk Lantern Pants," which is a funny title. Kelly believed in capturing the natural moment. The pose is lovely, with a thoughtful expression, and the color palette of the scene is quite harmonious with that of the figure.

Active posing

There's been a recent trend in portraiture toward what's known as "active posing. It's a kind of stop-shoot-pose that separates a pose from a continuous action. This kind of posing is useful when photographing trained models, but it's also fun when photographing younger subjects. They can be coaxed to move back and forth in front of the camera. Putting on some music often helps to create a mood and keep the shoot active.

Jerry Kiennes has a clear view of how to get good poses: "I don't pose my clients, I just give them tips and guide them into what looks natural. I will choose the lighting first, then the background and foreground. After that, I cue and guide my clients into a general state of mind (romantic embrace, casual walk, letting the bride organize her veil, etc.).

Demonstrating the pose

Demonstrating to your subject the pose you're telling him about is a very effective way of communicating between you, removing the obstacle of being unnaturally on both sides of the camera. You need to use your sense of humor, especially when showing a pose to the opposite sex. Human sensitivity and the desire to try various poses is what breaks down communication barriers. When your subject sees you demonstrating a pose to them, it's not so difficult to use their imagination.

Posing Strategy by Jennifer George Volk

Jennifer George Volk is a promising photographer in the Southern California area. She has developed a lucrative and selective clientele in San Diego by practicing the art of natural-style, creative photography. Though new to photography competitions, she quickly gained a national reputation for her fresh and subtle style.

One of her best skills was her ability to pose. With the help of her assistant, Heather Valentine, Jennifer has developed her own posing strategy:

"The first thing I do when I'm photographing a first-time customer is to make them feel comfortable. A simple, hospitable and excited attitude towards the person I'm photographing, when they arrive at my home studio, is actually already influencing the final finished photograph."

"My excitement is evident from the moment I open the door and welcome my guests into the house. I would say their arrival made me very high. I tell them that we will work as a team **** together to reach an artistic goal. I showed them my previous work. And tell them that with their assistance we will create amazing art together. I always start my work on a shoot with a brief description of my lighting setup, where the best places to stand are, and which direction the light comes from best. These will give the subject an idea of how and where to move."

The title of this enigmatic photograph by Jennifer George Volk is called Embracing Hope. Jennifer is both a portrait photographer and a picture, and she creates art that pays her subjects. She has said of her work, "Forcing myself to work creatively in order to give my subjects something they haven't seen before." Such is the case with this piece: dramatically posed and lit, with the subjects in a tight embrace. This image was taken from a work group. Jennifer worked with them, experimenting with changing people's skin color. She says, "I used to think all day long that who you are is more important than your skin color. It doesn't matter what your skin color is on the outside, it's the beauty in your soul that's real. I played with body paint - the theater kind - and found this powder called ""Texaco"". It comes in all sorts of colors, and it got me thinking about painting my subjects a different color than their normal skin tone."

"I have found that there are two most important elements to a successful shoot, the first being, directing the subject and the second being, not moving to encourage the expression and attitude I want. When directing my subjects, I understandably show them where and how to pose. I demonstrate to them like a model and ask them to follow my movements. Once I'm behind the camera, I refine the posing, show them where to put their hands, etc. I do this quickly, but in a calm voice.

"And then later, to elicit the kind of emotion I need, I tell them who they're playing or what emotion they're expressing. Still using a calm and serene voice, I was able to induce the feelings I was seeking, as well as an artful expression.

"A photographer who has seen me work says. I have seen you use words and eyes to communicate with your subjects and induce the desired emotion. You speak to them in a soft voice and ask them to make the kind of feelings you want to show in your photos. You work with them until you have brought a certain emotion into them and it is revealed through their expressions, especially their eyes. Often, you like to play soft music in the background when you are inducing the kind of emotion you want. You know from the start that you want to see a certain emotion in your subject, and then you make them work for it. You also paint a mental picture of what you want for them, and you ask them to tell the story with their eyes."

Posing Strategy by Terry Diglow

Terry Diglow is a versatile portrait photographer who has been in the business a long time and has done a variety of jobs. He has devised a posing strategy that combines the spirit of a fashion photographer with the precision of a portrait photographer. Traditionally, Terry says, the posing process goes something like this:

1. Pose for the subject;

2. Set the lighting;

3. Read the exposure parameters;

4. Stand back in order to observe the subject and make minor adjustments to the outfit;

5. Move the camera to check the focus;

6. Ask for a Make a certain expression and finally press the shutter. Take another look at the engineering procedure for fashion photographers. The basic procedure is the same, with some minor variations:

- backing up to observe the subject and making minor adjustments to the clothing while in the dressing room;

- setting the lights;

- reading the exposure parameters;

- moving the camera and setting the area of focus for the model involved in the shot;

- telling the model where the pose is to be taken, the Move and turn on the light;

- Ask for a certain expression and finally press the shutter.

Here's Terry DeGraw's posing strategy, which he says is somewhere between a studio portrait photographer and a fashion photographer:

1. Position the subject and determine the pose.

A. The subject stands up straight, with both legs steady and facing the photographer;

B. Shift the weight to the back leg, and pose the front leg, with the knee slightly bent, for more movement;

C. Turn the hips a little to give the pose fluidity;

D. Rotate the shoulders so that the back shoulder is slightly lower than the front shoulder;

E. Tilt the body a little;

F. arranging the hand pose;

G. turning and tilting the head;

H. placing the lights.

2. Place the lights

3. Place the camera and select the shooting area.

4. Final check of exposure.

5. Start shooting. Talk to your subject. Start from the initial position and say "Turn this way, shift your weight onto your left leg, point your right foot towards me and bend your knee" or "Lean back against the rock, tilt your head a little and turn your face this way!" And so on, you can reach out and help him tilt and turn his head.

6. Ask for an expression - remember, your smile is telling them how much you want them to laugh!

7. Take four or five pictures with this procedure.

8. After you're sure a pose is taken, change the pose or camera position and try a three-quarter length portrait or a head-and-shoulders portrait. Adjust the lighting, position and dress.

This is a great example of Terry DeGraw's unique posing strategy. The canyon becomes a deep hole in the afternoon, and the skylight is high and dark blue, allowing a cool blue light to shine straight down from above. This type of lighting is not well suited for portraits. Terry used a DP320 Allure Norman lamp and a 22-inch (55.88-centimeter) softbox on the subject's highlighted side to chip away at the light above his head.The DP320 comes with full, 1/2, and 1/4 power settings. This image was shot with the 1/4 power setting and a 4-inch (10.06 cm) magenta filter mounted on top to increase the color temperature of the flash. You can still see the reflection of the sky light on the black leather pants worn by the subject. Terry used the posing strategy described above to produce this stunning portrait.