exact). This forms the bottom portion of the female hourglass, narrowing the
appearance of the calves and accenting the curves of the model’s hips. The
subject’s back is then arched and her front shoul-
der is pulled down (you can simply tell your client
to pull her hip and shoulder together on the side
of her body closest to the camera). The combina-
tion of back, hip, and shoulder movement slims the waist, while the shoul-
ders then complete the hourglass. Finally, the head is tipped toward the high
shoulder, completing the S. This head tip generally projects some attitude;
the more pronounced the tip, the more the attitude.
Both the C and the S pose can be either short or broad lit. If in doubt, I
suggest selecting a short-light setup. This means the light will skim across
most of her body rather than projecting directly onto it. When the light
crosses the body, the shadows created will accentuate the curves of her
breasts, hips, waist, and legs.
This brings up another helpful principle that may seem a little counter-
intuitive. If you want to accentuate a feature, your light should cross it (short
lighting). Conversely, if you want to diminish a feature, project your light
directly into it (broad lighting). Remember, shape is revealed through shad-
ows, and short light creates more shadows (revealing more shape) while
broad light creates fewer shadows (revealing less shape).
This sounds like a lot of information, and if you’re new to all the talk
about posing and lighting, it may be a bit confusing. Still, if you study this
information, it will give you a great foundation. In time, these concepts will
become pretty automatic and you won’t need to do the mental calculus step-
by-step. If you have a good client or female friend you could practice on,
you could offer her free sessions. Another option is to test with a model, ex-
changing her modeling services for your images.
Be a Posture Nag.
Just as poses start with the feet, posture starts with the back. I often tell my
clients that I want their bodies relaxed with the exception of their back. In-
struct your clients to keep their back tight. This doesn’t mean to stand ram-
rod straight. You’ll bend them a lot, just do it without slouching. With her
back erect, have her pull her shoulder blades together. “This will put the
Dollys and the J-Los in the right places,” as Robert Lino likes to say. Not only
that, it will elongate the neck, giving the body an attractive and graceful look.
Solving Figure Problems.
When you’ve collected a number of women’s questionnaires, you’ll find the
same problem areas keep coming up. These would be: stomach, breasts, hips,
chin, nose, and legs. Often, things that a woman sees as a problem can be
overcome, hidden, or even—and this is when the job gets really fun—turned
into an asset. My favorite way to address a problem area is distraction, get-
ting the viewer to look at something else.
50 MASTER GUIDE FOR GLAMOUR PHOTOGRAPHY
When the light crosses the body, the shadows
created will accentuate the female curves.