Posing Guide – C and B Levels
To help you learn about posing, Digital Photography School has created a set of B/W drawings that show you how to pose. This is a great place to start.
http://digital-photography-school.com/8-posing-guides-to-inspire-your-portraiture
Just a heads up. Note that the last few images of women are suggestive, although nothing “naughty” is shown.
Here is an expanded example from the same posing examples, with actual photos of a model.
https://digital-photography-school.com/women-posing-guide-in-action-7-sample-poses-21-different-photos/
There is a posing app based on these B/W drawings.
For general posing guidelines, here is another link.
https://designyoutrust.com/2015/12/6-little-secrets-to-help-you-look-absolutely-perfect-on-photographs/
In addition, here is a link to video on some basic posing tips by Montreal photographer, Ricardo Celere
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZrPYzNXZdU&feature=related
You can search You Tube for more if you wish. If you find a good one, let me know, so I can use it in future posing classes.
So here is your assignment or posing guide.
1 Open your word processor and create a 5 column table like the one below.
B&W Pose Internet photo Your photo 1 Your photo 2 Your photo 3
2 In the left column, select copy and paste 4 examples you really like from each of the posing web sites above – women, men and groups.
3 From the Internet, select a photo that best resembles each example you copied. Paste that example into column 2.
4 In column 3, 4 and 5, add photos you have taken that resemble the poses you have selected. Please use different students. You should end up with 36 poses.
5 In addition, take 2 examples of people posing with:
a: props such as a ball, a camera, a book or hammer, etc
b: sitting on stairs,
c: sitting on a chair (both forwards and backwards)
d: any other example you can thing of.
DON’TS
When posing, be aware of the following 5 categories and avoid them:
1 Poor posture and slouching
Your parents and now your teacher is telling you to sit or stand up straight. Here are two reasons why. Some people say a camera adds extra pounds to how you look in a photo. Mostly because you are going from being three dimensions to two dimensions. So standing or sitting up straight makes you look slimmer. It also helps you look more confident.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZrPYzNXZdU&feature=related
This is when objects closer to the camera look exaggerated, especially when a wide angle lens is used. Cell phones have a wide angle lens. So for portraits or headshots, use a telephoto lens.
https://www.xamou-art.com/word/foreshortening/
The simple solution is to turn the person to one side, so their hands or feet do not point straight at the camera. Then use a telephoto lens.
3 Mergers
When two objects combine to form one image, you get a merger. Mostly it is a branch or telephone pole growing out of person’s head.
Or it can be two colours that blend together.
http://photoinf.com/General/KODAK/guidelines_for_better_photographic_composition_avoiding_mergers.html
4 Hand posing
a. Be careful with how you pose hands. If the fingers are spread, they look like claws.
b. Do not rest you chin on you hand. It causes wrinkles and bulges on the face or cheek. Instead, just place you hand gently on the chin an do not put the weight of your head on your hand. See also foreshortening above.
d. Don’t’ have the back of your fist facing the camera. Turn your hand sideways or open you hand, especially for women.
There are several examples of posing hand on the links below. Make sure you scroll down to where it says posing hands.
Lindsay Adler's video on hand posing
e. Hands in front of your crotch. It looks like you are protecting the family jewels and makes you look like an amateur. On the link below, scroll down to the fourth photo.
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ibKo2A0K2zA/VUL2J0-psGI/AAAAAAAABps/S0ErM0hKR8A/s1600/lower%2Babdomen.jpg
f. Sagging skin under the arms
This especially noticeable in older people or person who has lost a lot of weight. The simple solution is have the person wear long sleeves.
https://www.google.ca/search?biw=1260&bih=702&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=25-VW93JMouTjgTKqarYCw&q=sagging+skin+under+the+arms&oq=sagging+skin+under+the+arms&gs_l=img.12...0.0.0.162215.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0....0...1c..64.img..0.0.0....0.vCtTwh5AFio
6 Nose crossing the cheek line
You hide one eye and it breaks the line of the cheek.
https://karsh.org/photographs/audrey-hepburn/
7 When you look down your nose at someone, you are saying I am better than you. For general portraiture, don’t do it.
http://competitions.teamtalk.com/sport/pochettino-looks-down-his-nose-at-arsenals-cup-triumphs-1107652.html