Posing is HARD. Heck, photography is hard. Sure, today’s DSLR’s take better photos in auto mode than the average point-and-shoot, but as a professional photographer, it’s so much more that pushing the shutter button. Looking for (and creating) beautiful or dramatic light is one topic; and posing is another. As a lifestyle photographer, my clients are NOT models, and having a camera suddenly put in front of you and your fiance is intimidating! It’s my job to look for the best light and backgrounds, as well as guide my clients into poses without them looking too stiff.
This freaked me out a little earlier in my career, but the longer you work with clients, the easier it comes to you, I promise! I am also always finding new inspiration by following other wedding photographer blogs. I have Design Aglow’s Inspire Me cards, which are very handy to look through prior to a session.
Another great source is magazine ads! Some of them are too high-fashion for me, but I’ll rip out ads and keep them in a binder. Here a couple examples:
This ad is a pretty good example. I like the closeness of the couple, and I like the woman’s hand placement. The only thing I don’t like is her downcast stare. I’m actually a fan of having one person look at the camera while the other looks away, down, or closes her eyes, but she doesn’t look happy! I try to go for the happy vibe if at all possible :)
This ad is gorgeous! I love the woman’s serene expression. The light is what really makes the photo, though. You can see the light is coming in from the right side, and the left side of her face is cast in shadow, although it’s a soft shadow. You can also tell the light source was large because the highlights in her eyes are large. Large light source = soft light.
I’m not a fan of this posing. Granted, this was a two-page ad and the pose DOES fit in with the ad campaign. But, this is not a pose I would use for an engagement session. Well, I would with modification. The fact that they’re looking in different directions makes for a huge disconnect. So I might have the man look at the woman, the woman look at me, and she could ditch her gargantuan purse and place her hand on his forearm.
This an exercise I do quite frequently, actually. I’ll take a look at a pose and make a lot of adjustments in my mind and see how many different poses I can come up with. Livin’ la vida loco, I know!
LOVE this ad! I love how they are tangled together, her hand on his chest, their relaxed expressions into the camera. Of course the fact that they are each roughly the same height as a giraffe doesn’t hurt, either.
Now pick up that Vogue and get your own inspiration! :)
Facebook comments:
Thanks for always being a source of instruction and advice, C! I always have the “duh” moments when I’m in the middle of a shoot and my mind is devoid of posing ideas and the scariest thing is when 2 pairs of eyes are looking at you for direction. Ugh.