a nice way of telling your client, without embarrassing her, that her arms are
too large for that kind of top. In referring to other clients and not specifically
to her, you save her feelings and the final sale. You can apply these same prin-
ciples to dealing with other appearance problems you may encounter.
Observe the Details.The key to good posing is being observant. Many
photographers are in too much of a hurry to start snapping off pictures. I
tell my young photographers to take one shot and wait for that image to
completely download and be visible on the screen. At that point, I want them
to study the image for at least ten seconds. By forcing them to take the time
to notice problems in posing, lighting, and expression, the number of obvi-
ous problems have gone down considerably.
Many photographers find that they don’t have an eye for detail. They con-
stantly find problems coming out in the final proofs when they show them to
the client—problems they should have picked up on before the portrait was
even taken. If this is your shortcoming, hire someone with a good eye for
detail to assist you in your sessions. Their eyes and focus on detail will save
you the cost of their salary in lost or reduced orders. For example, we have aThe key to good posing is being observant.
Catching problems before you shoot the pic-
ture will result in better images and less
need for retouching.