What you need to know.
Whether it’s a simple snapshot or a rigorous test shoot, if your child knows how to pose rather than just standing there for a photograph, they will help create shots that stand out in a positive way. This will also put them in good stead when decision time comes.
Here are some tips from our experts for how to help your child pose for photographs during your studio experience. Remember practice makes perfect, use a mirror and follow the steps.
Compare the above photographs, which one of you think is more interesting? Most people will say the one on the right because it is asymmetrical: One side of the model’s body is doing something different to the other.
Poses To Try
Tilt Your Head
One of the easiest ways to create an interesting and natural-looking pose is by slightly tilting your head to one side or the other.
Bend Your Joints
With exceptions and without taking it to the extreme, the more bends in your body the better. Including elbows, wrists, knees, ankles and toes.
Don’t Hyperextend Your Joints
Locked joints especially knees and elbows can look like that part of your body is bent in the opposite way that it’s meant to. So try to keep joints bent or at least straight.
Create The Shapes Of Letters
A lot of interesting poses can be created by forming the letter ‘C’ or the letter ‘S’ with your body. The above photographs show some of the ways to achieve this.
Create Movement
Models are often required to ‘hold’ a pose (keep still). But you can still create the illusion of movement, such as walking. Try planting one foot in front of the other on the ground and stepping forward with the back foot. Practice holding poses at different points during the step.
Pose Your Hands
Posing with your hands so they look natural is a real skill. So it is well worth spending a considerable amount of time just on practising posing hands.
Don’t Cut Off Your Limbs
Referred to as foreshortening, pointing, arms, hands, fingers, legs or feet directly towards or away from the camera can create the illusion that they have been removed.
Shift Your Balance
Another simple way to create asymmetry is by shifting your balance (or planes of your body), e.g. Try dipping your shoulder or your hip.
Create Shape
Posing can be looked at as creating shapes with your body. When you’re posting, think about the basic outline of your body and try to create interesting asymmetrical shapes with it.
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