car on the speedway pit-stop. Seeing this, most viewers will identify her as
a female race-car driver. Place the same model, in the same pose, in front
of the same car—but this time in a bikini. Chances are, viewers will now
assume she’s a glamour bikini model for a car magazine. The model in the
bikini will even be considered more feminine, while the same model in
the racing outfit will be viewed as more tomboyish (as race-car drivers are
predominantly male).
The same thing can happen if you take two models, a male and a fe-
male, and place them in identical surgical scrubs. Most people would label
the male as the doctor and the female as the nurse. Then, place the same
two models in a corporate boardroom environment. The male is sitting,
looking over at the woman standing next to him. He is dressed in a nice
suit and tie. The woman in a nice dress. The man has a notepad on the
table in front of him with his pen resting on it, the woman is holding her
notepad and pen. Both subjects are talking to each other. What does this
represent? Sociological programming tells us he’s the boss and she’s the
secretary. Have the man stand up next to her, holding his notepad and
pen like she is, and they will be viewed as co-workers at a meeting.
As you can see, the interpretation of identical poses is often based on
perceptions, precedence, and sociological patterns that actually have very
little to do with the pose itself. As a result, what makes a pose “good” or
“bad” depends on your societal norms. Because they are so subjective,
perceptions can sometimes be inaccurate, resulting in poses being misun-
derstood. Therefore, everything else in the photograph must work
harmoniously with the pose, reinforcing its intent. Great photog-
raphers keep these factors in mind and, by observing various ele-
ments in the scene, direct the model into the right poses.
The Subject’s Experience.
When it comes to glamour photography, not all subjects are mod-
els, but all models are subjects. Understanding this statement is
critical to success—especially in the private glamour business. It also affects
how you will approach posing and what poses are likely to work best.
Models.Let’s look at models first. Professional models don’t normally
come looking for glamour photos for their portfolios. Occasionally, how-
ever, models have asked me to photograph them in a style that is a bit
more glamorous or sexy to create an image for their significant other.
Some are even willing to trade glamour modeling for fashion, commercial,
or editorial images to use in their portfolios.
I’ve even had models ask me to photograph them for submission to
MaximorPlayboy.Usually this is no problem and easy to accomplish.
When it comes to
glamour photography,
not all subjects are models,
but all models are subjects.16POSINGTECHNIQUESFORGLAMOURPHOTOGRAPHY