POSING PITFALLS CHECKLIST 5 THINGS THAT RUIN A POSE & HOW TO FIX THEM

POSING PITFALLS CHECKLIST 5 THINGS THAT RUIN A POSE & HOW TO FIX THEM

PROBLEMS: SOLUTION: Causes shortened neck, compressed height, gathering in midsection. POOR POSTURE Direct your subject to Pull up through the top of the head, elongate. Be conscious of leaning back in a chair or collapsing into shoulders. HEIGHT notice the height difference when posture is elongated. subject appears shorter. NECK collapsed shoulders. bunching of clothing. SITTING neck appears almost twice the height. subject away from back of chair improves posture providing a long, elegant look. 2 POSING PITFALLS CHECKLIST

FORESHORTENING PROBLEMS: SOLUTION: Perspective appears to compress appendages (arms, legs) and body looks shorter or cut off. Change pose or angle to avoid anything coming directly toward or away from camera. Make a perspective or pose adjustment. ARMS elbow facing camera compresses arm for an unflattering pose. elbow placement out to side for a more theatrical look (left) and in towards body (right) provide two good solutions. LEG PLACEMENT forward facing with arms close to body and legs toward camera creates boxy look; the arms and legs both are compressed and appear shorter. this pose hides legs; appearance of floating torso. BODY COMPRESSION same pose, but changing either the subject s position or your position (perspective) makes this a better pose. changing perspective shows good form (left), but with good posture (above) pose is fixed. 3 POSING PITFALLS CHECKLIST

PROBLEMS: SOLUTION: Elements of the body blend together to make the subject have unflattering form or silhouette. This includes arms tight to body, overly baggy clothes, feet appearing out of the head, and more. ARMS - LONG SLEEVE MERGERS 1: CREATE NEGATIVE SPACE There are three main solutions. Create negative space, utilize in-body posing, or contour the body with arms. Try to avoid too baggy clothing. arms tight to side; long sleeves merge with body giving wider solution example 2: solution example 1: open arms create pleasing negative space. negative space with triangles (here, two). solution example 3: negative space and hand riased gently on jaw. SIDE POSE (left): same principles apply with a side pose; arms to side creates mergers; (right): elbows bent back slightly creates a negative space solution and a stronger pose. 4 POSING PITFALLS CHECKLIST

MERGERS CONTINUED 2: UTILIZE IN-BODY POSING before: crossed arms with elbows at side and flat leg position create an unflattering boxy look. after: in-body posing is created by bringing the arms and legs within the frame of the body; by meeting the arms in the center, an hour-glass shape is created and the hands are placed to create elegant leading lines. 3: CONTOURING before: arms at sides of body create a merged and boxy pose. after: contouring the body with the arms bends one elbow in near the waste of the subject, enhancing pleasing shapes and curves. Here, the subject has one hand on the hip to create negative space; the other arm is contoured against the frame by having the subject shrug her shoulder back, allowing the arm to bend at the elbow and hand slide upward. AVOID BAGGY CLOTHING (a) (b) before: baggy clothing makes the subject look wider, not flattering; (a): popping up elbows slightly to create negative space not working here because the clothing is filling in the space; makes subject look even wider! (b): hand placed on hip inside of jacket gives definition to her waist, and opens negative space; after: other hand placed higher on jacket, slinking in arm, gives definition to other side of waist; perfect! 5 POSING PITFALLS CHECKLIST

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PROBLEMS: SOLUTION: Poorly placed hands distract from entire pose. Bad hands include covering the jawline, hands pushed into the face, tense or claw-like fingers, too much palm or back of hand is visible. BAD HAND POSE Usually pose with the pinky side of hand toward the camera. Aim to have relaxed hands. Try moving hands into place for believable hand pose. Wiggle and set them back down to relax more. be sure to be look for these bad hand poses near the face which distract from the entire pose: white open palm distracts from face the pinky toward camera on the after shots creates more elegant lines and flattering hand placement; to create relaxed fingers, fingers are often wiggled and set back down for a gentler look. front of hand facing camera hand covers entire jawline white open palm distracts from pose open fingers spread on neckline 7 POSING PITFALLS CHECKLIST

BAD HAND POSE CONTINUED clenched fingers on the waist are distracting and create a mood of tension in the image hands placed gently on thighs, with back shoulder shrugged to bend back elbow slightly, hand slightly raised. this pose is awkward and not relaxed hands raised slightly above waist, bent at wrist and elbows back slightly; a more relaxed subject and a much better pose. 8 POSING PITFALLS CHECKLIST

WEAK EXPRESSION PROBLEMS: SOLUTION: Tense, uncomfortable, or unbelievable expression detracts from entire image. Relax the forehead, eyebrows and lips. If using eye contact, be sure you achieve a strong connection with camera. Get to know your subject to help them relax. Use positive reinforcement and their name often. wide open eyes and raised eyebrows having subject release tension and relax produced natural smile and relaxed eyes. eyes show no expression lips have tension and look uneasy a smile or smolder to their eyes pulls out a soft and natural expression for a great pose. a big breathe in and out relaxes the subject for more natural looking lips. 9 POSING PITFALLS CHECKLIST

LINDSAY ADLER Fashion photographer Lindsay Adler has risen to the top of her industry as both a photographer and educator. Based in New York City, her fashion editorials have appeared in numerous fashion and photography publications, including, Marie Claire, ELLE, InStyle, Noise Magazine, Zink Magazine, Rangefinder, Professional Photographer, and dozens more. As a photographic educator, she is one of the most sought after speakers internationally, teaching on the industry s largest platforms and at the most prestigious events, having been named one of the top 10 best fashion photographers in the world. Lindsay has worked with some of the top brands in the photographic and related industries, such as Canon, Adobe, and Microsoft. A clean, bold, and graphic style has become the hallmark of her work, whether shooting advertising campaigns, designer look books, jewelry, hair campaigns, fashion editorials, or professional athletes. Lindsay is renowned for her creativity and collaborating with designers and stylists in order to create fresh looks. An author of four books, she is always working on new ways to share her passions and knowledge with others. Each year she teaches tens of thousands of photographers worldwide through prestigious platforms such as creativelive, KelbyOne, and the industry s biggest conferences.