Photography Today

UNDERSTAND COMPOSITION

A fourth method of improving your posing skills   is one that is less direct than the foregoing methods, but equally as beneficial, and works well in conjunction with them. That is the improvement of your image composition technique. As you gain an understanding of how objects in an image inter-relate for good composition, you will begin to intrinsically know when a pose is a good one or unsuitable for the overall image. Having good compositional skills is invaluable in improving any picture, and will trigger an alarm in your head when a pose does not suit the other elements in your composition.

TAKE A COURSE

A third method of acquiring knowledge of posing technique involves instruction. Schools, camera clubs, community recreational groups and photography-instruction organizations have casual and formalized programs to improve photography. Posing technique is usually on the curriculum. You may not live near an institution that provides photography instruction, in which event you can turn to your local library for photography instruction books or consider reputable correspondence courses for learn-at-home instruction. A local photographer may also be willing to provide you with instruction.

CREATE A SWIPE FILE

Since you won’t likely remember every picture you come across that has a pose you like, we suggest you start a “swipe file” that you can refer to for ideas when taking future portraits. What is a swipe file? It begins with a pair of scissors or a photocopy machine, and a scrap book. Clip out magazine pictures containing poses that you would like your subjects to try, and save them in a scrap book, preferably organized in sections that define the types of pose. One section may contain only casual, family pictures, while another has only performers’ headshots. Use the photocopier when you come across a publication that you should not use scissors on. Not only will your posing swipe file provide you with an array of poses to stimulate your creativity, it becomes a tool you can use to show your subjects how you want them to pose to achieve the effect you are after.

LEARN FROM THE WORK OF OTHERS

The second method also involves self-teaching and therefore goes hand-in-hand with the trial-and-error approach. It involves emulation - the effort or desire to equal or excel others. Since there are few posing situations that have not been successfully done countless times before, the beginning photographer needs only to look at the work of other photographers to see how they dealt with a given type of portrait. Then, you try to match it and even to improve upon it. When you find out that the new pose works, it becomes part of your posing repertoire for all future, similar situations. Where do you find examples of good posing? Just about anywhere that photography and portrait art can be seen - fashion, art and photography magazines, museums, galleries, and Posing guides.

Practice Makes the master

The first and usual method for the novice photographer is trial-and-error. After having taken someone’s picture for your first attempt at a portrait, you look at it and realize it could be improved if the subject didn’t, say, look so unexpressive. The person may be just standing there. So you have another go at it, and take another picture, asking the same subject to perhaps lean against a tree and tilt his or her head, and the resulting picture is improved.

SUBJECTS RELY UPON YOUR POSING SKILLS

The portrait photographer, whether a top professional or a beginner, is expected by his or her subjects to have in-depth knowledge of the skills of posing. Subjects rely upon the photographer to provide them with direction regarding posing and expression so they look their best in front of the lens. This is perhaps an unrealistic expectation of most novice photographers, but it is the way it is. Therefore photographers must learn a good deal about posing if they wish to make good portraits. Fortunately for the beginning portraitist, there are many ways to acquire the knowledge and I will try to post them all in this section!

Every model will expect you to be a posing expert

Posing is a powerful psychological tool for a photographer. Along with expression, it plays a big part in conveying the photographer’s message, since the position and relationship to the camera of a subject’s body can reveal much about the subject’s character. The pose should not only complement the subject, but should also suit the type of portrait and its intended use. A judge in a formal portrait, for example, is often posed regally (think of a statue of a monarch) clearly demonstrating his or her authority and the dignity of the office. Frivolity is not the message. The same judge, photographed at home in a family setting, would be posed to look less severe and more inclined to warmth among family members, but no less dignified. As in the case of a judge’s formal portrait, convention often seems to dictate how certain subjects should be posed. This is because we interpret a subject’s body language as a means of identifying his or her state of mind and character. Stiffness in a judge’s pose, for instance, can indicate an unbending resoluteness - the kind of firmness and determination we associate with a judge. The same stiffness seen in a portrait of a pretty girl at the beach or a bride at her wedding would indicate unapproachability, stress or discomfort, and would be unsuitable for her portrait.

Break Trhough the window

Well don’t physically break your window, but find a window, any window, in your residence and study the light that comes through it. Figure out the best time of day to use it, and shoot some images with the natural daylight that filters through it. Toss in a flash and mix your light too. It's been said, "the eyes are the windows to our souls," well the windows in your home are a source of inspiration that will soothe your soul. Digital photography, unlike conventional film, is very forgiving in the shadow areas and will soak-up that natural window light your subject reflects. Don't forget to use the white-balance settings on your camera to your advantage, change your white-balance to around 6000K (Kelvin) or the electronic flash or even the cloudy day mode, the results should be beautiful warm-toned images that appear to be the late evening sun—color that light, pure daylight is boring.

Backgrounds

The background in a photograph is the most important visual element, second to the subject. Hair, make-up, clothes, and the foreground, are worthless without the proper background. Photographers shouldn't ignore these other elements of an image, but they should always be aware of the background and how it will appear in the final photograph Photographers should always be aware of their background in a scene and know the role the background plays in the finished product--create photographs, not pictures. Prior to a shoot a photographer should pre-visualize the scene including the role the background plays, so the photographer can spend more time on the model's "smile." Photographers should always remember one basic rule, there will always be a background in a photograph and junk in a picture

focus focus

The proper way to focus, is to find your subject’s eyes in the frame first, slightly depress the shutter-release button, holding the focus, compose the subject in your frame, then further push the shutter-release button to take the photo. This technique may slow you down a bit at first, but once you develop a feel for it, you’ll find it will ensure your subject’s eyes are always in focus.