Preliminary study on portrait photography posture

Lead: Guiding models to pose is the secret of taking high-quality photos. In this article, we will discuss how to guide models to pose. Hands, eyes, body steps? We have everything!

basic knowledge

It is the key to take a good portrait that the model poses and conveys the meaning to the audience through the lens. The photographer's job is to make the model understand this intention. There are many photos with good posture and lighting, but the model's expression is like falling into the clouds and fog, ruining the whole photo.

The pose of the model is also important because it creates lines and arrangement elements in the picture. Bad posture is not the fault of the model. Your object doesn't know how to pose, how to handle their hands, or how to behave. As a photographer, your job is to tell them. In this article, I wrote some thoughts about posing, hoping to help you.

foot

Feet should be put first, no matter what kind of film is made. If your model's feet are not set properly, she will feel uncomfortable and look unnatural during the shooting. The model's expression will be stiff, and even taking pictures will not be a pleasure.

In most cases, the back foot should be at 90 degrees to the camera and the front foot should face the camera. This way the model will look slim and lively. If your foot is facing the camera, it will appear aggressive, which is not advisable in most cases.

Legs and hips

What I often hear about legs is:? Don't be straight if you can bend. ? So, relax one leg and see what posture it is in the natural state. If the center of gravity is only on one leg, the buttocks on that side will be raised and exposed. Some people like this sexy, but most people choose to focus on their hind legs and hide their buttocks.

hand

This is probably the hardest part to deal with. The hand is a person's second face, from which we can see the personality, and the hand also gives the picture a sense of movement. Therefore, you should make sure that your hands don't stand out too much in the picture. Remember, the focus of the audience needs to be on the model's face, so don't have too much light on your hands, because too bright light will attract attention.

If you really don't know where to put your hand, it will leak through the lens. Hands, like shoulders, look better sideways than on the right, because sideways makes hands look thinner and less prominent. If your hand is above your waist, hold it up, so it looks more elegant.

If it is below the waist, let your hands relax and droop naturally. You can also put your hand in your pocket, but don't put your thumb outside your pocket, so you won't lose sight of your whole hand. Don't make a fist, it's another aggressive gesture.

Body posture

Everyone knows the terrible photos of suspects. Die in front of the camera, head straight and shoulders flat, listless. If the model is facing the camera, because the shoulder is the widest part of the body, it will make your model look disproportionate, too wide, like a floor tile, and even aggressive.

The solution to this problem is to lean your shoulders a little bit, which will make you look slimmer. Focusing on the hind feet will make the back shoulders sink slightly and make your model look more natural. In addition, avoid shoulders or other bad posture.

head

We walked to the end. If you ask a model to make an expression and then set her feet, legs, hips and body, do you think she will still keep the same expression at that time? My usual practice is to put my head first at the end.

Some photographers like to use the position of their eyes as a flat line? This is desirable in most cases? However, if you want your photos to be different, try to be higher than your eyes or lower than your eyes. You can ask the model to look up, down, or at the camera. The other is to show them the distance.

When you relax, your head will naturally lean to one side. So, when you want your model to look natural, it's a good idea to tilt your head a little. If the head is slightly raised, it will make the nose look short and lovely, and it will also flatten the neck and smooth the double chin. Bowing your head a little will make your model look more intimate, but only those cute people with short noses can, not everyone can.

Just like shoulders, turn your head slightly, and a seven-point face will make your model's face thinner and her chin rounder. If your model's face is already thin, doing so will make her face thinner and longer, which may have some bad effects.

eye

The eyes are the most important part of the whole portrait. Eyes can make photos or destroy the atmosphere. By closing your chin, your model can have a more charming expression, because her eyes will look bigger. If allowed, it must also match the mouth and eyebrows.

The whole facial expression needs to be consistent, so that the photos will not be confused. Keeping the model's eyes away from the camera will increase the difficulty of capturing eyes. People say that the eyes are the windows to the soul. If you can control your eyes, your photos will be stronger.

More tips

Here are some suggestions, hoping to help your model become perfect.

1. If the subject is bald, you need to shoot the back, so there will be less hair in the picture. Don't use headlights.

2. If the subject has a big nose, let them look straight into the camera and shoot backwards, so that the nose will not stand out so much.

3. If the subjects have big ears, let them turn their heads slightly, so that only one ear can be photographed, and then the light source is softened, and the other ear disappears into the shadow, so that it will not be noticed.

4. If the subject has many wrinkles, there will be no shadow if the wrinkles are directly illuminated by light.

As mentioned above, if your subject has double chins, let her raise her head slightly, so that her neck will look slender and her double chins will disappear. You can also try to shine directly on the top of your head, so that your chin will disappear into the shadow and not be noticed.

6. If your subject's face is too fat and round, let her show seven points sideways. The lighting should also be coordinated so that one side of the face disappears into the shadow.

7. Another trick is to make sure there is some space between your body and your arms. In this way, you will be surprised to find that they are much better.

label

Now, you have learned some skills of posing as a portrait. These skills are basic but important. Now go out and try to apply these skills to your work. Remember, putting it in the camera is really a failure.

Also, natural posture is much better than rigid posture. Try to make your model feel comfortable. Let them sit in chairs instead of standing in your studio. One more thing to note, don't count down, it will make your model show a prepared fake smile. If I were you, I wouldn't let that dull, crafty and unnatural expression appear in the film.