The thighs must be separated, if possible. Obviously, if the client has on a
short dress, this isn’t possible. Instead, simply have her move her lower leg
back and bring her upper leg over the top of the lower one. If pants are worn
in this same pose, the back foot can be over the front leg and the foot can be
brought back toward the body, causing the knee to raise, again achieving a
separation between the legs.
When you separate the thighs, in this or any other pose, you need to make
sure that the area between the legs (the crotch area) isn’t unsightly. In the
aforementioned pose, you may find this problem occurring when the subject
is wearing baggy jeans. The problem also occurs when you have a guy seated
with his legs apart, then have him lean forward and rest his arms on his knees.
The pose works well because this is the way guys sit—and it sells well because
it looks comfortable. The problem is that the crotch area is directly at the
camera. In this situation, you can use the camera angle and the arms to hide
or soften the problem area.
58 JEFF SMITH’S POSING TECHNIQUES FOR LOCATION PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY
ABOVE—When the knees are raised, you can
have the subject sit flat on her bottom, as
this area will be concealed by the legs. You
can also shift the weight onto one hip.
FACING PAGE—A high camera angle can help
keep the emphasis on the face and off the
hip and leg area—especially when the lower
part of the body blends tonally with the
background.