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T alk to me in six months! That was my response when my brother told me he enrolled in a photography course in college and wanted to build his portfolio. Just because Sebastian's my baby brother didn't mean I was going to cut him slack. If he wanted to pursue photography, then he was going to have to prove it on his own...far away from my opinion or assistance. My family thought I was being too harsh. JD agreed.
I didn't care.
Those who've attended one of my workshops can attest I'm a pusher, a tough coach if you will. When it comes to pursuing a passion, you have to work hard--very hard--at it and I pull no punches. In like manner, if Sebastian was serious about photography, I wanted to see him hustle for a few months and figure things out on his own. For the past semester he built a portfolio and was ready to pick my brain for posing tips, since he sometimes struggled working with his subjects.
I walked him through a very basic process and I thought I'd share it here as well. It's geared for new-ish photographers, so please forgive me if it's too simple....
As we walked, I told Sebastian there are a few things to keep mind before you even press the shutter for your first image:
1. Put yourself in your subject's shoes. Think what they're thinking, feel what they're feeling. If you suspect she is uncomfortable/feeling awkward, your first priority is to put her at ease. When you put yourself in her mind, you can articulate what you want in a way that makes sense and is comfortable.
2. Find good light. Sebastian looked for a cool location to shoot and I cautioned him to focus less on the environment and more on natural reflectors and natural light diffusers, like tree branches or bushes. When you master light, you can make any environment magical.
3. Move into poses. Often times photographers previsualize a great photo, but when it comes time to position the subjects, the pose is right, but they look stiff, or robotic. Then the photo loses it's appeal because it looks so darn fake. If you have a pose in mind, find ways to coach your subjects into that pose with distinct articulation. It's not enough to have a bride hugging a groom...how can you have them move into the hug so that the pose is natural and a true reflection of them? If you can answer this in advance, live posing becomes less daunting.
4. TALK. I can't stress this point enough. If I was working with models, I suspect this wouldn't matter as much, but since I work with average girls {albeit fabulously average}, it's important to give feedback and assurance that they're doing it right. Whatever it is. More than anything, I don't want to make my subjects feel like they're alone in front of my camera. I talk, engage, and participate as much as possible to get the type of photos I want. If you're subjects look lifeless, perhaps you're not doing enough to bring out their true colors.
5. Get photographed. If you want to get better at posing, try getting posed. If it's a strong photographer, you'll find ways to get better. However, even if the posing isn't that great, at least you know what not to do and that's just as valuable. Experiencing the emotions of being in front of the camera is just as valuable as being behind the camera.
Moving on. This is Dani... |
Dani is Sebastian's girlfriend and I love her...no, adore her. If Sebastian does anything to mess things up with her I've warned him we're trading him for her. F'reals. Anyway, we asked her to pose for us as I explained a few things about photography. In the photo above, the sun is behind her, but the light is broken up by the tree in the background, easing us into shooting her backlit. This is a great place to start if you're just starting out since shooting backlit can sometimes be difficult.
After we photographed Dani in a few locations and demonstrated how I pose subjects, it was time to challenge Sebastian. I put my camera down and said it was time to use the things he learned to photograph me. I made sure he managed his camera settings (we were shooting past sunset, so the light was tricky)...kept the focal point on my eye...talked to me...moved me into poses...and put himself in my shoes. Ahem, boots. |
Before we left, I said I had to photograph him...so he knows what it feels like to be in front of the camera.
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| I hope this helped a little bit if you're struggling with posing. If not, please let me know how I can expound on it and, perhaps, find a better way to approach this subject again. If you're still looking for more, click here for more photography posing tips. Happy Thursday! |
    
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FAQ : Posing + Choosing Favorites
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I 'm sitting in my hotel room in Seattle listening to the soothing sounds of morning traffic and JD getting out of bed. He always starts his day by swinging both his legs over the side of the bed. I'm a one-leg-at-a-time kind of girl. Left, then right. Anyway, for those who have offered support for the creativeLIVE course, thank you. And then thank you a thousand times more. I appreciate it more than I can express.
Today's FAQ post will deal with something that might be hard for me to fully explain over the web, but I'll try. Like always, these posts are just MY opinion and I'm definitely not authoritative on the matter. Everyone has their own way of posing, selecting, and labeling as favorite...but let's get a little more into it...
Earlier this week, I posted Marie+Charlie's Los Angeles engagement session. An average engagement session yields around 60-65 photos for the couple. About 10 images will be blogged, and about 40 will be used for the slideshow (my 10 favorites are included in the 40 for the slideshow). Obviously, the photos I post on my blog are my favorites and help define my style for future clients. But how do I choose my favorites? What helps me prefer one photo over the other? Essentially, it's a matter of preference.
I'm a photographer...but I'm also a purveyor of style. My style. I will choose online portfolio pieces that fall in line with my personal business trajectory. In any given location, I will likely shoot more than one photo, most of them being quite similar. How then do I choose what I want to feature? Here's an example (and Marie granted approval for me to use her and Charlie as my example)...
This is how I first started the pose. There happened to be two folding chairs on the street (hey, it's LA...randomness is everywhere!), so I placed them against this colorful wall. I instructed Charlie on how I wanted him to sit, as well as Marie. I stood on the street and snapped the following photo (all photos I used the 50mm, 1.2): |
| While I liked the bike racks in the first photo, I suspected they might have been a distraction for someone who'd like a more traditional photo, so I moved from the street onto the sidewalk for the following photo: |
Marie looks adorable in the photo above. I love it. But I also realized that I was not accentuating her body, her form. By instructing her to lean forward, I--essentially--removed her torso and shortened her legs. But I still like the photo. It's cute and I really like the way Charlie is looking at her.
The photo below is an image I blogged. For me, it felt like 100% my style. Charlie looks confident, handsome, and strong (in body formation). By simply changing the position of Marie's legs and asking her to lean against Charlie, I brought back her torso and elongated her legs. In order to make the pose more natural, I asked her to tilt her head against Charlie's shoulder. Once that happened, the photo took on a new life and became one of my favorites from this section of their engagement session. |
I know this is a lot of info and I don't know if I was able to explain myself in the best manner, but I hope it helps a little bit! I'll be talking more about posing and my shooting style today on creativeLIVE, so feel free to join the conversation from 11am-5pm PST!
Happy Thursday! |
S ometimes it feels like a marathon. And I’m not talking about a 5K. I’m referring to a legit-loooooong-shaky legs-sweaty pits-scrunched brows-achy knees marathon. The summer wedding season can sometimes feel like a marathon for a photographer. And the month of September is like the final stretch to the proverbial finish line.
There are moments when I wonder, honestly, if I’m as fresh and electrified as when I first started my season in May. Whenever I find myself doubting, I actively search for inspiration. On the streets. On billboards. In art. In architecture. In fashion magazines. I cut and save pieces of inspiration and file them away, only to unearth them before a wedding or shoot.
When I find a picture I like, or a pose I’d love to get my clients to do, I rip out the image and I study it. I study the lighting, the pose, and the formation of each body, so when my chance comes, I ready to pull a little from that one W Magazine cover, a tad from the Banana Republic ad, and flavor it with a little sauce from a photoshoot in Blender magazine. I’m constantly trying to learn how to be better…because I know I can. And should. Be better, that is.
I had to wipe the drool from my keyboard when I saw Banana Republic’s recent ad campaign. It’s as simple as they come: A boy, a girl, in hot clothes. Much like a wedding, right? I ripped out the photos from my magazine and studied it. If I could have branded it to my forehead, I would have. And somehow explained later to my husband that, yes, I happen to LIKE THE BLACK IMAGE SEARED TO MY SKIN!
Here’s the Banana Republic ad:
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| And though I have yet to make this pose my own, I mix things up to see if I could emulate a similar feel. Obviously, the lighting—and the couple—in the above photo are professionally synthetic, but I tried creating a similar feel with this image. |
Here’s a recent cover of W Magazine:
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| The following picture is vastly different than the one above…however, the W picture made my brain think in a different way, so I tried using that difference to capture the following image: |
To read more of this article and see poses I find inspirational, be sure to visit PRO PHOTO RESOURCE for this month's publication.
Thanks for your feedback and if you have future ideas for my PPR articles, please feel free to holla back! No, really, please leave some ideas in the comment box because I feel like I'm running out of things to say! :) |
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