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12/29/2005 09:56:54 AM · #1 |
Does anyone know of a good book that explains how to pose correctly to get the best image when you are doing outdoor portrait shots.
I am having a problem with posing people im not sure what angle and hight and placment of limbs and what not.
Do you all just have a set number of poses you use like 10 different ones and stick with that. |
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12/29/2005 10:07:36 AM · #2 |
I just got this month's shutterbug and there are some book reviews inthere, and one is on posing - i plan to get it (sorry, i don't recall the name right now)
there are some web sites about this too here is one
I would htink to start learn 3 then 5 then 20 and go on from there. I am still learning too.
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12/29/2005 10:10:09 AM · #3 |
| wow. that book gets down to buisness, thats what i was looking for thanks prof fate. |
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12/29/2005 10:23:20 AM · #4 |
My advice would be to simply look at magazines mimic what you like and give good directions to the model. I assume you can learn as much experimenting with a few magazine poses without buying a book. Comfortable poses are an important thing to keep in mind.
Nothing big but these are some test shots taken a few days back much of what we were trying for was images for a Print Ad portfolio.
What I've found with a few models is that they appreciate good direction, which starts with knowing what you want or are feel you are looking for. That old line "make love to the camera" is no joke.
That book looks like it cover some good ground.
  
Message edited by author 2005-12-29 18:55:57. |
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12/29/2005 10:57:37 AM · #5 |
I thought that book looked familiar; I have it on my shelf. hehe
What kind of photography do you want to shoot? Family portrait type work? Fashion? Commercial/printwork?
Posing will be different for each. The book Chris referred you to is predominantly dealing with individual portraits for more high school senior/family type shots.
[pause]
Well, looking back through it there is some decent info on other types of posing. Guess I was thinking more of Posing for Portrait Photograpy: a head-to-toe guide by Jeff Smith B&N link.
My posing isn't great but the ones that are consist mostly of the movement and ease of the subject. He/She must be at ease to be able to get into most poses that I end up liking (there are some noteable exceptions for me where the tension added to the pose). Making that connection with the subject is primary and then you can start working on poses. Some of the best images on DPC aren't from people who seem to have spent time with models or who know how to pose others but from people with whom the subject seemed at ease and trusting. Being able to make that connection is the first step but then there's another level of looking through the lens and "seeing" if that's the shot you want and, if it isn't, what do you need to change to create the shot. Sometimes it lighting, sometimes it a wrinkle here or a button unbuttoned or some little niggling thing that'll bug you.
If you really want to take it to the next level then there are some pros on here that can help you in terms of visualizing a shot before the subject arrives and then taking all the time necessary to set that shot up and get it. If I had that much creative energy after a full-time job and a business on the side I'd love to do that but I find myself pretty much drained and I'm satisfied for now with the shots I get when interacting with the subjects at the time of the shoot. I do prethink my model released stock work and maybe a few scenarios but often we just start with basic ideas and collaborate to build something we think we like.
Hope you find something useful here.
Oh yeah, working with someone who knows what the heck they're doing also helps. You can learn as much from a seasoned model as you'll ever learn in a book. Watch how he/she moves and what effect it has on the shot.
Kev
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12/29/2005 11:44:26 AM · #6 |
Kevin mentions some really good stuff.
I wanted to add one thing that I've been trying to do and seem to be getting better at and that's having my models look in different directions away from the camera and move their eyes in various other shifted directions...which was inspired by Susanna Hoffs (sp?)of The Bangels.
If you recall the video Walk Like An Egyptian she does some crazy cool...sexy things with her eye movement...going from side to side which drives me crazy...can't get enough.
In short, look for some nuance within images that you really like and practice or learn how to bring those details out.
(I have more unedited examples of that eye-play thing but look for degrees of it in all the images I've posted so far and you'll see what I'm talking about)
Message edited by author 2005-12-29 12:06:20. |
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