FACING PAGE—It took multiple photo
shoots over many months (and the “I
Can Model God”; see page 9) to get Tess
comfortable in front of my camera—but
this headshot is proof that, with patience
and determination, a beginning model
can accomplish her goals. That is why
it’s important to work hard with your
models when you feel strongly about
their talents. It’s this hard work that will
allow the model to mature into posing
naturally for the camera. In this pose,
the diagonals formed by the model’s
hair spiraling down create a beautiful
frame around her face, and the slight
turn of her face away from the camera
places her irises off-center, which is im-
portant when a model has large, photo-
genic eyes. A model like Tess, with large
eyes, can get away with canoeing of the
eyes (see page 20), since the irises are
barely hidden by the upper eyelid. A
model with smaller eyes would lose a
much larger portion of the irises. (Cam-
era:Canon 5D;Lens:Canon 70–200mm
f/2.8L IS, USM lens, effective focal length
at 165mm;ISO:100;Shutter speed:(^1) / 125 second;Aperture:f/13;Lighting:
Hensel Integra Pro Plus 500 fitted with a
large Chimera Super Pro Plus softbox;
White balance:6000K)
64POSINGTECHNIQUESFORGLAMOURPHOTOGRAPHY
The Nostrils.You should also avoid poses or angles where you see up
the nostrils. This can occur when shooting from a low camera angle or
when the model’s chin is tilted up too high. You can subdue the appear-
ance of the nostrils by using Paramount lighting setup, which casts a
shadow under the nose, if you must shoot upward toward the face.
The Lips.
From the nose, I move to the lips. The posing of a model’s lips is not easy,
as you can’t walk up and move them as you might (with her permission
and after exhausting all other possibilities) a model’s arm or a leg; you are
at the model’s mercy.
Set a Relaxed Mood.If the model is in a bad mood, chances are you
won’t get too many nice or happy looks. As the photographer, you have
to recognize this and take control. I’m normally able to overcome this by
playing up my comical side to get the model to laugh. When a model nat-
urally smiles or laughs at a joke, her face and mind become more relaxed.
Sometimes keeping a box of chocolates around can even make a person
happier, thus giving you better “lip” poses. (Note:Remember the “I Can
Model God” mentioned in the foreword of this book? That was another
way of getting the model to loosen up and give the needed expressions.)
Encourage Variations.Often I’ll direct a model to give me the
sultry-serious look then the sensuous-seductive look. Most models inter-
pret this in their own way and just give me different looks. Many don’t
know sexy from sultry from seductive, but they are encouraged to work on
expressive variations, because I’ve given them a word to focus on that they
can relate to. What’s important is that the model start to move her lips and
give you some poses with them closed, some with them slightly parted—
even a chuckle or a grin for some interesting looks. You can even have the
model slowly recite the alphabet, just to get her to move her lips until you
see a look you want to capture.
The Perfect Smile.A smile is the most important human and emo-
tional element of a portrait—especially when showing teeth for a perfect
smile. With glamour photography, however, smiles take on a new role. In
this genre, the teeth are not that important. Instead, the harmony created
by the four corners of the lips and eyes is the critical factor.
This harmonious relationship between the eyes and lips is achieved as
a result of many things: the environment (including the natural scene and
the people around the shoot), your mood as a photographer (confident
and professional, not clumsy), her mood as a model (ready for the shoot,
confident), and a mixture of all the previously covered elements. You’ll
see it instantly when the model has found that perfect harmony. It’s the