woman, but it enlarges the bottom and
thigh, which isn’t salable for 90 percent
of women.
Just as the arms shouldn’t be posed
next to the body, legs (at the thighs)
should never be posed right next to
each other in standing poses. There
should always be a slight separation be-
tween the thighs. This can be done by
having a client put one foot on a step,
prop, or set. Just turn the body to the
side (the shadow side of the frame), and
have the client step forward on the
foot/leg that is closest to the camera.
Alternately, you can simply have the
client turn at an angle to the camera,
put all their weight on the leg closest to
the camera and then cross the other leg
over, pointing their toe toward the
ground and bringing the heel of the
foot up. This type of posing is effective
for both men and women.
Clothing also plays an important
role in the appearance of the hips and
thighs. The baggy clothing that has
been popular for the past few years, and
dress slacks for both men and women
that are much less than form fitting, can
sometimes make the thighs appear to
be connected.
Seated Poses.More can be done to hide or minimize the hips and thighs
in a seated position than in a standing pose, but there are still precautions
that need to be taken to avoid unflattering poses.
If you sit a client down flat on their bottom, their rear end will mushroom
out and make their hips and thighs look even larger. If, on the other hand,
you have the client roll over onto the hip that is closest to the camera, their
bottom will be behind them and most of one thigh and hip will hidden. (Al-
though this is an excellent rule, it is one that you may think I am breaking
throughout this book. I do, in fact, have young ladies sit flat, but only when
their knees are raised to make the body weight come down on the tailbone
rather than the fleshy part of the body, or when the legs will hide the bottom
from view.)
56 JEFF SMITH’S POSING TECHNIQUES FOR LOCATION PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY
ABOVE AND FACING PAGE—Here we have every-
one’s favorite posing aid: a rock—but when
you have a young lady lean against it or sit
on it, the hips and thighs widen. Just rotate
the subject and have her rest her weight on
her hip bone. The resulting look will be much
more pleasing.