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Posing Techniques for Photographing Model Portfolios
With detailed discussions and eye-catching, dynamic images, this guidebook shows professional photographers how to masterfully create beautiful images of a model to achieve any creative objective. Instructions illustrate basic poses as well as a host of subtle variations to provide photographers with an endless array of looks for editorial fashion shots, athletics, glamour or nude photography, and shots designed to show curves, reveal personality, or showcase the hands, hair, or legs. This comprehensive resource also provides expert advice on conducting a successful session, how to work with the model, how to work with a support staff of image stylists, and tips for designing a high-quality portfolio. Additional lessons provide a start-to-finish analysis of four different shooting sessions, each with a different model and a different objective.
- GenresPhotographyNonfiction
126 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 27, 2009
Read this and then go to any department store's lingerie department. Or look in a major retailer's catalog. It's like a whole knew consciousness has been opened up for me! There is such a science behind these models and the posing techniques employed. Especially the hands. I was fascinated in particular by that chapter.
This is a worthwhile read that provided many useful tools that can be put to great use when dealing with modeling or portraiture.
This is a worthwhile read that provided many useful tools that can be put to great use when dealing with modeling or portraiture.
March 10, 2024
photographers tend to be better at visualizing a pose than communicating it clearly to a subject.
designers, magazines, product manufacturers, jewelers, and any other industry where models are employed
In a model’s portfolio, you want the potential client to see something that he can relate to and want to hire her. Variety, is a key factor in achieving this goal.
Be patient during the shoot and provide plenty of positive reinforcement.
communicate feelings and add emotion to the photograph.
Emulate the Success of Others.
One way to communicate your intent is to show sketches or sample photos.
change one small element per shot—the tilt of her head, the position of her hand, the angle of her hips, etc.
Creating Flow. “Flow” is the term I use to describe how the viewer’s eye is directed or drawn through the photograph. In the Western world, our eyes are trained to look at the printed page from left to right.
elements that block the flow of the eye to the desired area must be eliminated.
It may help to turn the image upside down. This makes it less recognizable; instead of a body, the subject is rendered more as a series of shapes and colors. Observing these simple shapes can help you to visualize the flow more easily. Analyze the flow of the photograph upside down, then turn it right side up and see if it still has the same flow.
The S curve, in particular, is a beautiful and grace- ful form that is always pleasing to the eye (see below and next page). The Renaissance masters knew this was the most pleasing position for the female body and used it extensively in their paintings. Its appeal hasn’t been lost on today’s advertisers, either—notice, for example, how many automobile commercials are shot with roads that form a sweeping S curve across the screen.
Composition is the term used to de- scribe the placement of the subject in the frame and the overall visual interplay of all the elements within the frame.
Rule of Thirds. In most portraits and beauty images, this means that the subject’s face (in a full-length shot) or eyes (in a headshot) will be placed somewhere along the top one-third line. In other images, the product or logo may be placed along one of these lines to emphasize it. Aparticularly practical aspect of applying the Rule of Thirds.
or commercial and fashion work (see chapter 4), I find that a wide-angle lens (28mm or less) can combine with a dra- matic pose to create impressive images. There are very few pitfalls when using wide-angle lenses combined with reduced depth of field and dramatic poses
a well-executed leg pose will draw the viewer’s eye up the leg, through the body, and to the face
1. The spine should never form a vertical line
2. The shoulders should never form a horizontal line.
3. The hips should not be square to the camera
To straighten a model’s posture, have her imagine a string attached to either the center of her chest or the top of her head. Then, ask her to pretend that someone is pulling that string up to the ceiling.
Years ago, a model was expected to create a notebook of poses torn from fashion magazines, diagram each one, then practice re-creating the poses in front of a mirror. Then, she was taught to close her eyes to “feel” the pose so that she could assume it perfectly without the benefit of the mirror. Finally, when the model had memorized forty or so poses, she would string them together like pearls. The idea was to teach the model to move gracefully and smoothly from one pose to another.
I have the model make sure that one heel is always visible to the camera. This ensures that the viewer is seeing the front of one leg and the profile of the other. It also forces the model to position her hips at an angle to the camera.
Point the Toes. It also looks much more graceful than a flexed foot.
hips at an angle to the camera and you will create a much more flattering appearance.
A basic rule for hands is to make sure they are never both at the same level in the photograph.
The palm or back of the hand is actually quite large and will demand too much attention—often drawing the viewer’s eye away from the model’s face or the product she is selling.
Keep the fingers together and in a slightly bent position. Spread fingers create too many lines for the viewer’s eyes to read.
The hands should never be allowed to flop down; this will make them look lifeless
keep the model’s hands away from any problem area of her body.
I encourage models to relax their hands by shaking them, then letting them fall naturally at the wrists.
photograph it from such an angle that you show the entire hand—with all the fingers!
When showing pockets on a garment, the rule is still: hide the thumb, show the fingers. Otherwise, the thumb pop- ping out of the pocket looks quite unattractive.
In commercial shots, the model generally will look away from the camera, since the product takes first billing. For portfolio development, however, the opposite is true
clean skin, straight teeth, and good bone structure are always in fashion.
A continuous dialog is critical when shooting.
“golden hours,” the hour just after dawn and the hour just before dusk. During these hours, the light is warm in color and gives the skin tone a beautiful glow. Also the light is low on the horizon, so it will not cause the shadows on the model’s eyes that are seen with unmodified sunlight at other times of the day. This means that you can work without the need for fill flash or reflectors
paid jobs (called“tearsheets”)
designers, magazines, product manufacturers, jewelers, and any other industry where models are employed
In a model’s portfolio, you want the potential client to see something that he can relate to and want to hire her. Variety, is a key factor in achieving this goal.
Be patient during the shoot and provide plenty of positive reinforcement.
communicate feelings and add emotion to the photograph.
Emulate the Success of Others.
One way to communicate your intent is to show sketches or sample photos.
change one small element per shot—the tilt of her head, the position of her hand, the angle of her hips, etc.
Creating Flow. “Flow” is the term I use to describe how the viewer’s eye is directed or drawn through the photograph. In the Western world, our eyes are trained to look at the printed page from left to right.
elements that block the flow of the eye to the desired area must be eliminated.
It may help to turn the image upside down. This makes it less recognizable; instead of a body, the subject is rendered more as a series of shapes and colors. Observing these simple shapes can help you to visualize the flow more easily. Analyze the flow of the photograph upside down, then turn it right side up and see if it still has the same flow.
The S curve, in particular, is a beautiful and grace- ful form that is always pleasing to the eye (see below and next page). The Renaissance masters knew this was the most pleasing position for the female body and used it extensively in their paintings. Its appeal hasn’t been lost on today’s advertisers, either—notice, for example, how many automobile commercials are shot with roads that form a sweeping S curve across the screen.
Composition is the term used to de- scribe the placement of the subject in the frame and the overall visual interplay of all the elements within the frame.
Rule of Thirds. In most portraits and beauty images, this means that the subject’s face (in a full-length shot) or eyes (in a headshot) will be placed somewhere along the top one-third line. In other images, the product or logo may be placed along one of these lines to emphasize it. Aparticularly practical aspect of applying the Rule of Thirds.
or commercial and fashion work (see chapter 4), I find that a wide-angle lens (28mm or less) can combine with a dra- matic pose to create impressive images. There are very few pitfalls when using wide-angle lenses combined with reduced depth of field and dramatic poses
a well-executed leg pose will draw the viewer’s eye up the leg, through the body, and to the face
1. The spine should never form a vertical line
2. The shoulders should never form a horizontal line.
3. The hips should not be square to the camera
To straighten a model’s posture, have her imagine a string attached to either the center of her chest or the top of her head. Then, ask her to pretend that someone is pulling that string up to the ceiling.
Years ago, a model was expected to create a notebook of poses torn from fashion magazines, diagram each one, then practice re-creating the poses in front of a mirror. Then, she was taught to close her eyes to “feel” the pose so that she could assume it perfectly without the benefit of the mirror. Finally, when the model had memorized forty or so poses, she would string them together like pearls. The idea was to teach the model to move gracefully and smoothly from one pose to another.
I have the model make sure that one heel is always visible to the camera. This ensures that the viewer is seeing the front of one leg and the profile of the other. It also forces the model to position her hips at an angle to the camera.
Point the Toes. It also looks much more graceful than a flexed foot.
hips at an angle to the camera and you will create a much more flattering appearance.
A basic rule for hands is to make sure they are never both at the same level in the photograph.
The palm or back of the hand is actually quite large and will demand too much attention—often drawing the viewer’s eye away from the model’s face or the product she is selling.
Keep the fingers together and in a slightly bent position. Spread fingers create too many lines for the viewer’s eyes to read.
The hands should never be allowed to flop down; this will make them look lifeless
keep the model’s hands away from any problem area of her body.
I encourage models to relax their hands by shaking them, then letting them fall naturally at the wrists.
photograph it from such an angle that you show the entire hand—with all the fingers!
When showing pockets on a garment, the rule is still: hide the thumb, show the fingers. Otherwise, the thumb pop- ping out of the pocket looks quite unattractive.
In commercial shots, the model generally will look away from the camera, since the product takes first billing. For portfolio development, however, the opposite is true
clean skin, straight teeth, and good bone structure are always in fashion.
A continuous dialog is critical when shooting.
“golden hours,” the hour just after dawn and the hour just before dusk. During these hours, the light is warm in color and gives the skin tone a beautiful glow. Also the light is low on the horizon, so it will not cause the shadows on the model’s eyes that are seen with unmodified sunlight at other times of the day. This means that you can work without the need for fill flash or reflectors
paid jobs (called“tearsheets”)
January 13, 2020
Excelente
Excelente guía, súper recomendado me fue de mucha ayuda solo falta combinarlo con uno de iluminación y sería una bomba.
Excelente guía, súper recomendado me fue de mucha ayuda solo falta combinarlo con uno de iluminación y sería una bomba.
March 29, 2020
Good book with big emphasis on modelling career.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews