Jeff Smith. Posing Techniques for Location Portrait Photography. 2008

the end in mind.” If you do that, you will almost always reach your intended

destination. When you begin with the final portrait in mind, you can tailor

each decision to produce the result you envision.

Choose the Clothing.

The next step is to help the client select clothing that works with that end re-

sult in mind. Most photographers, no matter how fashion-impaired they are,

can tell the difference between casual clothing, business clothing, and ele-

gant clothing. You can select the clothing to match the type of posing you

want to use, or you can match the posing to the client’s choice of clothing.

Whatever you select, the clothing and pose need to be appropriately

paired. Therefore, if your subject wants be be barefoot in shorts and a sum-

mery top, you’ll need to use a casual setting and a casual pose. Conversely,

you might have planned a shoot to include majestic architecture in the back-

ground; in this case, your subject should be attired in something more for-

mal, like a dress or a suit. (Note:Of course, you can also decide to use a

combination that isn’t the obvious choice, like an evening gown in the desert,

but you still need to make sure that everything in the portrait comes together

to visually make sense.)

CRITICAL DECISIONS 17

Clothing that is a bit dressier is well suited
to an architectural setting.