Posing

Posing isn't my biggest strength as a photographer. I also prefer to focus on capturing expressions over perfect poses. I'd rather people look like themselves than a perfectly posed model looking stagnant and with no story to tell. Also, when I am working with a family with small children or babies, I tend to focus on getting the little ones happy and it is easy to overlook the way their parents look! That said, however, some posing is required when you want photos that are flattering and that don't exaggerate in unflattering ways.

Another note is that our camera is translating what we see in 3D into a flat 2D picture. Think about that. While we see an entire person, and know how wide the person is, and can see how nice they look, the camera will only show the angle it sees.

Here I'm going to post a few tips that I try to keep in mind, but remember, there are plenty of times where "rules" are broken for effect, and it isn't wrong.

First and foremost, look at where the light falls. When we look at the human face, it looks most natural to us when the light falls at an angle from slightly above and either in front or to one side or the other. This is the way sunlight falls on our faces most of the time, and it emphasizes the shape of the face - the forehead, cheek bones, mouth, etc.

When I take a picture of the human face it is also more flattering for the camera to be slightly above. I want the eyes to be clear. I don't want to emphasize under the chin, and when someone is looking down, it is easy to produce what appears to be extra "chins"! This, of course, applies more to adults than to children. Sometimes we can produce fun pictures of kids from all angles.

If someone's body is posed slightly at an angle to the camera, the person's width isn't emphasized. Most of us appreciate that. My husband visited India for a month before we met. He showed me his photos. Every one with him in it shows him standing square to the camera in front of some neat place. He is a big guy (he's 6' 4"!) and these photos were not flattering at all. Try to look dynamic in a photo!

Groups: I used to make the mistake of lining everyone up like the old school photos. Tall people went in back, shorter in front. Everyone was in neat straight lines. This produces BORING photos! What you want is the faces arranged in such ways that they aren't in straight lines horizontally or vertically. If every face is at a slightly different level or even angle, the photo is a lot more interesting to look at. On another note, the faces should also all be at a similar distance from the camera, so you can keep them all in focus. It helps a lot to get up on a step stool (or other convenient object) so that you can put your camera at a level that makes the faces approximately the same distance from it.

Hands look better from the side than from the top - they don't look as large or as square.

Try not to cut off hands or feet that gives an "amputated" feel. If you crop, try to crop at a 3/4 ratio (across the upper arm or forearm, or middle of lower leg - but not at joints).

Last of all, You are the photographer. Try different angles, try different croppings. Don't get stuck on thinking you've got it with one shot. Take LOTS of photos, and then look through them to see what you like. It takes experimentation to learn. And have fun!