Basic Portraiture/ Posing Guides

Here's a simple posing guides for all models out there. It can give you some basic idea on how to pose to get different kind of feel. Read more after the jump.



Full Face

This is produced when the model is facing directly into the camera. In this pose, both ears are visible. A full- face pose is good when you want to show the symmetry of a model's face, or when you want to convey an assertive attitude.

3/4 Face

When the model's face is turned slightly away from the camera, the far ear disappears. This is a three- quarter view of the face. The pose is good for revealing the shape and contours of the face. It is also more demure and less assertive than a full- face view. Normally, it is recommended that the face not be turned so far that the nose extends past the line of the cheek.

Profile

When the face is turned at a 90- degree angle to the camera, the pose is called a profile. In this pose, only one side of the face is visible. this is a classic type of portrait that exudes grace and abiding beauty.

Head & Shoulder

When taking head shot and upper body portraits of people one simple posing tip that is high effective to angle the shoulders of your subject rather than to have them even or squared in your shot.

While the shoulders might not seem like an important aspect of a portrait they can actually set the tone for an image as they're the widest part of your subject and they are visually what the main point of focus for your image (the head) is sitting upon.

Generally speaking, angling the shoulders slightly gives you shot balance and helps lead your viewer's eye into the shot towards your main foal point. It also stops your subject seeming out of proportion as it lessens the width of the shoulders slightly.

Getting this effect might mean actually getting your subject to lean in one direction or another or it could simply mean getting them to turn their body a little so you're not photographing them directly front on. Another technique can be to frame your subject slightly off centred so that one shoulder is actually out of the frame.

Of course- this isn't a hard and fast rule and sometimes the completely front on symmetrical shot can leave a shot can have a very powerful (and often confronting) impact upon your readers also. So as always- experiment with posing your subject in a variety of ways and see what works best for you and your subject.

Here is a guide on different methods on how to solve different portraiture issues. Follow this guide and you can never go wrong.