Portrait Wednesdays: Back to the Sixties
In the book, One Face Fifty Ways by YouTubers Imogen Dyer and Mark Wilkinson demonstrate lighting, posing and other portrait techniques to capture the many looks and moods of a single person. This is similar to the approach Gary Bernstein used with Kay Sutton York in their 1988 book, Burning Gold, that I mentioned last week. With Wordy Wednesdays running for many years I thought it was time for a change and inspired by Burning Gold...
Portrait Wednesdays: The Many Moods of Pamela
“Look, I’m not an intellectual – I just take pictures.”—Helmut Newton With Wordy Wednesdays running so many years I thought it was time for a change and inspired by Gary Bernstein’s book Burning Gold decided to see how many Wednesdays I could publish a different portrait of the same model, in this case Pamela Simpson. Over the next who-knows-how-many Wednesdays I’ll be showcasing a different image of her...
Putting Your Best Face Forward
People’s faces are not symmetrical and most of us really do have a “good” and “bad” side that photographs better or worse than the other side. Experienced models know this and will only give you what they think is their best side but they can be wrong. That’s why it’s a good idea to shoot a few test shots and determine which side of their face looks best. Keep in mind any pose is lighting dependent, so what looks great under...
Studio Tuesday: Posing on Seamless Paper
Posing a portrait subject against a seamless paper background is the ultimate tests of your ability to make something from nothing; you’re shooting without a net—naked, even if your subject is wearing clothes. All that stands between you and a good portrait is your imagination. Because there’s nothing for your subject to interact with, your posing directions are going to have to be more precise than normal and you better cross your...
Posing Tips: Expressions & Hats
There is an old photographer’s expression—ESP—Expression Sells Portraits. The expression on a subject’s face tells the story of who they are. If they only have one look on their face, their portfolio will look monotonous. Be sure to look at both sides of a subject’s face. Most people—even supermodels—have one side of their face that photographs better than the other side but don’t let that stop you from posing them one way or...
New Year’s New Book Giveaway
I recently received a few author’s copies of my new book “Posing for Portrait and Glamour Photography: Techniques for Digital Photographers” that is currently available at Amazon.com for $29.75. Since I believe that posing is one of the most important aspects of successful portrait and glamour photography, I’m going to give away two signed copies of the book on December 31st. That way two lucky photographers...
On-Location Portrait Posing Tips
Portraits—no matter where you make them—are all about light, so start by searching for places where the light looks good. When the weather is nice, I’ll shoot at a local park that’s a few blocks away from my home and for swimsuit shots I shoot at a nearby lake. I typically make portraits during the week when there is far less activity in the neighborhood, at the park, or the lake. Tip: Many state park systems have annual passes that...
