Positions to Avoid
When it comes to posing, there are a num-
ber of techniques to avoid, and even more
techniques you need to take into considera-
tion. A few techniques to avoid include:
✦Try not to use the typical year-
book pose excessively. Unless
you’re shooting yearbook photos
for a school or this is what your
client wants, try to stay away from
the typical head and shoulders
shot. Be creative.
✦Straight in front of the camera
poses. This pose only works well
for portraits where you want a plain
look. Otherwise, the subject stand-
ing directly in front of the camera,
looking straight at your digital cam-
era is rather dull. Try to avoid poses
where the person’s posture is
straight vertically (as in when the
spine is in a perfect vertical line), or
where the shoulders form a perfect
horizontal line in the frame. These
poses may be fine for snapshots,
but not creative portraits.
✦The chin too low or too high.
Head positioning is very important.
Make sure your portrait subject’s
chin isn’t pointed too low to a
point where the eyes aren’t illumi-
nated, and watch out for having
the chin too high so that your
model looks uncomfortable
✦Don’t instruct the person on how
to pose. Show them how it’s done
instead. When you demonstrate to
the person how to pose, he or she
understand your desires much
more clearly. Direct your subjects
by showing not telling, and the
shoot moves much quicker!
✦Negative body language. The last
thing your portrait subjects want to
see is a scowl on your face when
they make a pose you don’t like.
You want your subjects to have a
good time having their portraits
taken, so always remain upbeat,
positive, and constructive in the
words you say and the body lan-
guage you communicate.
Have some fun with your subjects— keep in
mind that a successful portrait session is
dependent on your subject feeling comfort-
able and your creativity. If you’re at ease, the
person you are photographing is going to be
more relaxed. Encourage your subject to act
natural; ask them if it’s okay for you to take
photos of them when they are not neces-
sarily posed. You may end up with some
photos your subject really likes and even a
few for your portfolio.
Planning Poses
Before you actually start working with your
subject, first determining what type of por-
trait you want to create is best. Are you try-
ing to shoot a casual, traditional, or a
glamour type portrait? Obviously, if you’re
hired by your subject, you need to find out
what the client’s preferences are. You may
even want to try mixing things up a bit,
shooting some traditional poses, photojour-
nalistic style poses, casual poses, glamour
poses, or maybe all of them. The important
aspect to remember is to talk to your subject
and find out what his or her expectations
are. Don’t be afraid to make artistic sugges-
tions— you’re the photographer after all.

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