the camera. With all three of these head poses, the shoul-
ders should remain at an angle to the camera. These views
are easily accomplished even with small children. Their
attention can be diverted to get them to look in the di-
rection that adds the right dynamics to the pose. Alter-
nately, you can prearrange the posing furniture at the
precise angle you want to the camera lens.
Seven-Eighths View.The seven-eighths view is when
the subject is looking slightly away from the camera.
From the camera position, you see slightly more of one
side of the face than the other. You will still see the sub-
ject’s far ear with this pose.
Three-Quarter View.With a three-quarter view, the far
ear is hidden from the camera and more of one side of
the face is visible. The far eye will appear smaller because
it is naturally farther away from the camera than the near
eye. It is therefore important when posing the child in
this view to position him or her so that their smallest eye
(people usually have one eye that is slightly smaller than
the other) is closest to the camera, thus making both eyes
appear normal size.
Profile.In the profile, the head is turned almost 90 de-
grees to the camera. Only one eye is visible. In posing a
child in profile, have your assistant direct the child’s at-
tention gradually away from camera position. When the
eyelashes from the far eye disappear, your subject is in
profile.
Tilting the Head.The tilt of the head is physically
complex. There are only two ways to tilt the child’s head:
toward the near shoulder or toward the far shoulder.
Which way depends on the composition and lighting.
You can ask your assistant to tilt his or her head slightly52 CHILDREN’S PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY HANDBOOK
ABOVE—Marcus Bell chose to photograph this baby in a full-length pose, revealing all of the beauty and character of the child. Marcus
photographed the child with a large softbox close to the floor, where the baby was posed. He wanted the entire child sharp, so he chose
an angle that would capture the sharpness from his nose to his toes. In digital printing, Marcus darkened the legs and torso so that the
face would be prominent, but left these areas open enough to see the beautiful detail throughout. This is a classic children’s portrait.
FACING PAGE—Brian Shindle makes exquisite portraits of children, sparing no expense and not overlooking a single detail. The beaded
dress is captured elegantly with dual softbox lighting. The little girl is almost head on to the camera, but her extended right arm gives a
beautiful base to the composition as well as displaying the very expensive dress. Her expression is reflective, in the manner of classical
portraits.The orange floral display adds a beautiful counterpoint to the rest of the warm-toned portrait.