Posing

Posing has got to be one of the toughest things to master when you haven't done any modeling your self. It doesn't help if you're shy like I am, or get nervous and forget the poses you had on lock before you got to the shoot. So with this Posing topic on my mind I thought i would give my top 5 things to keep in mind when posing anybody. I welcome your thoughts in the comments as always.

1. Nose to the Light! This might be my favorite, because you can never go wrong with "nose to the light". I first heard this from Scott Robert Lim on one of his videos and never forgot it. Nose to the light.  Check out his gallery and look to where the nose is going. Thanks Scott!
2. Connection is also a biggie. Connection between couples, is where im staying for this one because this could get really deep and could go in many directions. I think there are many books on the subject but basically, if you're shooting a couple, and it's for a engagement shoot or worse a wedding, and you see lack of connection between them...Whoa! This has got to be fixed and brought to their attention. They should be close, looking at each other with love and passion. Laughing together, or playing together. Nothing worse then space between couples and there not being something meaningful in their expression or body language.
3. Give hands something to do. Hands aren't in every shot, but when they are and you're like "okay, now the hands" give them a purpose. Something to hold, or someone to hold. Easy! Of course there's a heck of a lot more to hands and we'll save that for a latter post.
4. Avoid strait lines and create angles. Angles in the feet, legs, arms, coller bone, and head. This always creates a more pleasing image over strait lines every time.
5. Pop that hip! For women, this is one of if not the best thing for slimming and creating wanted curves. Weight on the back leg, bend the front and point the toe. BANG, instant slimming and hourglass curve.

These again are some of the things I keep in mind when Im on a shoot. This topic could go on for ever and everyone has their own way of posing people that works for them. As long as you have a basic understanding of these 5 posing tips I believe they will better your photos right away. If you would like me to go into these a little deeper, let me know in the comments.

Cheers.