Find Posing Aids.
When you work in the studio, you have a choice of posing aids when you
want to elevate a part of the body off the ground in order to achieve a more
diagonal angle in the pose. Outdoors, you need to look for a log, rock, or
other natural element to use as a posing aid. With groups, you usually need
to bring some posing aids with you—or at least relocate logs and small rocks
to the scene where they are needed.
Technical Considerations.
When I pose clients on the ground I typically use a longer focal-length lens
and a larger aperture. This allows the ground in front of the subject to fall out
of focus. I often position the camera on or near the ground to add depth in
70 JEFF SMITH’S POSING TECHNIQUES FOR LOCATION PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY
ABOVE—Poses on the ground should be resting poses.RIGHT—Finding a rock, log, or other pos-
ing aid in the scene can help you to create a more appealing image.