I should note that getting clients to bring in the types of clothing that are
generally best for portraiture (classic styles, dark colors, long sleeves, etc.) is
always a challenge. My view of clothing is the opposite of my clients’ views.
They buy or bring in clothing they like and want to see in the portrait; I look
for ways to hide the clothing and the problems that it makes visible. I want
the viewer’s focus to be on the face. Everything else is secondary, even in a
18 JEFF SMITH’S POSING TECHNIQUES FOR LOCATION PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY
Scenes with linear backgrounds are tradi-
tionally regarded as having a masculine feel,
but today those “rules” just don’t apply. If
you want to use train tracks as your back-
ground, you should not work on operational
tracks. Safety must always come first.