chin. This will cause her raised arm to help hide
the tummy area. Depending on the lighting, this
arm pose may also cast a shadow that further sub-
dues the tummy area.
Another trick is to have the model sit back-
wards in a chair that has a nice back to it (basically
straddling the chair). In this pose, the back of the
chair will automatically conceal the entire ab-
dominal area, thus eliminating a lot of issues, in-
cluding creases and lines.
Posing on Beds.Be careful when a model
sits on a bed; some beds tend to swallow the
model up and you’ll quickly lose some view of her
bottom curves. Sitting on a bed will, however,
help models with thick thighs as you can strate-
gically place pillows around the legs. Pillows also
work as a prop to conceal the stomach area in
seated poses. Just have the model hold one across
her stomach.
The “Page Three” Pose.Another popular
sitting pose is the “page three” pose (see page
115 for more on this). In this pose the model gets down on her knees,
then sits her buttocks back on her heels. Her body is photographed in
profile while her face is then turned back toward the camera for a full view.
To Accent the Legs.Sitting doesn’t always mean making the model
appear like a small package. A model can sit on a high stool and pose with
her legs profiled to the camera and toes pointed downward. This is a won-
derful pose for making the legs look long and shapely. (Note:And speak-
ing of tall chairs, your seated model should always be able to touch the
floor with at least one foot. Legs that dangle look awkward.)
Stand.
The variety of positions you can use with a standing model is huge—there
are tons of them. And once you have your model in this position, you’ll
find that most poses will work one way for one model and another way for
a different model. As a result, you often have to try a few posing variations
before you find one you really like for whoever your model happens to be
on that day. The key to most standing poses, though, is to rest most of the
weight of the body on one leg and utilize the other leg to accent the pose.
This leg should have less weight applied to it and be posed with a slight
bend.
The Many Characters of Chairs
Chairs come in many shapes and forms and are constructed
from an almost limitless variety of materials. This makes
them a great posing aid for models. Don’t get caught up in
believing all chairs have to have four legs. While working in
the Virgin Islands, I recently photographed a model sitting
on a palm tree that came out almost horizontally before it
rose vertically—thus it was a great chair. (Though you must
be careful when sitting a scantily clad model on a tree; there
can be ants or other bugs!)
Chairs are filled with character. Sometimes the chair back
itself has a nice carving that accentuates the model’s pose.
If the back of the chair has vertical slats, they can literally
point the viewer to the model’s face—especially when the
model is straddling the chair and facing backwards (which is
a great way to hide the tummy)!
The ideal chairs have a solid form, unlike beanbags. They
have character in their wood, steel, or even fabric, that add
to the image. Additionally, ideal chairs allow the model room
to maneuver her body in various poses, including the ability
to kick her heels up.
If you can place a bottom on it, it’s a chair!When posing a model leaning into a wall
have her step back first,thenlean into
the object—as seen here in Mel’s image.
This allows for her back to curve, creat-
ing the ever-pleasant S curve used widely
in many forms of model photography.
(Camera: Canon 5D; Lens: Canon
70–200mm f/2.8L IS, USM lens, effective
focal length at 100mm;ISO:100;Shut-
ter speed:^1 / 200 second;Aperture:f/16;
Lighting:Hensel Integra Pro Plus 500 fit-
ted with a medium Chimera Super Pro
Plus softbox with a Chimera three-quar-
ter CTO Velcro fitted front panel;White
balance:3400K)72POSINGTECHNIQUESFORGLAMOURPHOTOGRAPHY