Photograph Alley

DSC_6091, a photo by mylla7777 on Flickr.

Posing: one of the hardest things to do!
Posing people as a photographer: try, try again.

Some people are naturals in front of the camera. Others need help. So how do you make a good pose?

Remember, it's very important to make your victi--subject comfortable while you're "shooting" them. Talk to them, make jokes, talk about the weather, anything... Giving instructions should be paced or else they will feel overwhelmed.

I will give some tips on posing from my experience starting with the head all the way down to the feet.

Head: Tilted or straight-on? Consider the angles of your subject's face. Move around to find their best angle. Don't be afraid to ask their opinion. Here are basic things to look for:
- Deep-set eyes: tilt face upward or use reflected light to allow light shine into sockets.
- Wide-set eyes: turn face to side to narrow
- Small forehead: take picture from slightly above subject, having them look up to emphasize forehead and eyes.
- Prominent nose: profiles are not friendly here! Try to minimize as much as possible by taking the picture with face fully toward you. Petite noses make very lovely profiles, however.
- Prominent chin: same as small forehead
- Prominent cheekbones: turn face slightly to one side to minimize face wide-ness and emphasize amazing cheekbones!
- Smile or no smile: Some people have a hard time smiling in front of the camera - a natural smile is always best! Teeth or no teeth, as long as it's natural and open.
- Hair: this may not be often the case, but if your subject is lacking in the hair department, pleaaase don't take shots from above subject--get as little of the top of their head as possible. In other cases, make sure that your subject's hair looks nice. They're not in front of a mirror, so they don't know. If a strand is in front of the face, sticking up funny, or casting a strange shadow on their face, adjust it.