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Posing and lighting technique

August 24, 2015 Neil vN 3 Comments

Posing and lighting technique - posing in relation to the lighting

When taking a portrait, the pose needs to suit the lighting. And vice versa, the lighting needs to be done in relation to the intended pose. Especially so when the lighting is dramatic. This is such a key idea - lighting and posing are tightly correlated. Started again: you pose the participants in relation to the light. You light the people you photograph, in relation to how you position the light. When lighting a couple, I tend to favor the woman in terms of flattering light. So in setting up a pose, the lighting  Read more inside...

Posing people: Tips for improving your portrait photos

June 8, 2015 Neil vN 12 Comments

posing people: tips for improving your portrait photos

Posing people: Tips for improving your portrait photos

Throughout the numerous articles on the Tangents blog, I'm often asked about how I go about posing people. I've described some of it in the article, adjusting a pose with incremental changes. Instead of a traditional way of posing, it's mostly a "feel" thing, looking at my subject and seeing if there are elements that could be better balanced. This studio portrait of a model, Adrienne, doesn't follow rigid guidelines of formal portraiture. Her shoulder is a little scrunched up, and her head is tilted to the side. Yet, to my eyes,  Read more inside...

Posing technique – Adjusting a pose with incremental changes

July 14, 2014 Neil vN 8 Comments

Posing technique - Adjusting a pose with incremental changes

I'm not a huge fan of "flow posing" where someone is rigidly posed according to formula. I feel this doesn't allow as much for personality and individuality as a more organic approach. I much more prefer a low-stress approach where a pose is adjusted, to where it looks good, and looks flattering. This does mean that I have to find that balance between allowing "faults" and finessing a pose. Sometimes it just works better for the flow of a photo session to not micro-adjust to the point where your subject might feel it as  Read more inside...

Becoming more confident in posing people

June 9, 2014 Neil vN 8 Comments

Becoming more confident in posing people

How to confidently pose people for portraits, is likely as big a challenge for new photographers, as how to use light. Even a model as professional and inventive as Ulorin Vex has told me that one of her biggest frustrations with photographers is when the photographer expects her to drive the shoot, and pose herself and come up with ideas. So yes, even when working with professional models, you need to guide them. For me, the first step in becoming more confident in posing people was to practice. And practice by posing  Read more inside...

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