Lie Down.
Try Different Settings.Lying-down poses in glamour photography are
often associated with intimate settings, such as bedrooms or couches.
However, there are other possibilities, too. You could photograph a model
on the beach, in the barn with hay, or even on a boat. This is one body po-
sition that works on just about anything and I encourage you to look for
how you can place a model on a horizontal plane on your set. This will also
give you more choices at the end of the shoot—not just the same old sit-
ting and standing poses.
The Breasts.With lying-down poses—especially those that are nude
or photographed with the subject in a loose bra top—it’s important to re-
member that some models’ breasts are not as firm as others. As a result,
their breasts will naturally come down and to the sides when the subject
is lying on her back. This is the case even with bustier models. This will
give the subject a less busty look and her curves will seem to disappear.
Even if the model turns on her side, her top breast will come down toward
the bottom one and the bottom one will disappear in the sinking bed.
One solution is to have the model bring the top arm down and across her
chest until it hides the breasts—this is similar to an implied-nude type of
pose. The natural, imaginary diagonals formed by this arm coming down
and across can add nice appeal to the image, too.
On Hands and Knees.Once you have the body positioned horizon-
tally, try out some other poses, like the model on her hands and knees.
This is a classic pose that works well in a variety of settings—from a bed
or couch, to the beach, or even the hood of a car. Again, though, pay close
attention to the subject’s breasts; some will droop, while others will not.
You have to be the judge to determine if the pose works for your model
or not. I prefer to use this pose for a model with firm breasts; if it appearsFACING PAGE—Nikki created a relaxing
bath pose by bending one leg over the
other. I climbed on a ladder, then stood
on the wall between the shower and the
bath to capture this image. To help cre-
ate mood and accentuate the pose, the
main light was fitted with a Rosco #3411
gel (also known as a three-quarter CTO).
This gel converted the flash to a tung-
sten light balance. With the camera’s
white balance set to tungsten, the day-
light from the glass-block windows was
then rendered as blue. As a result, the
shadow areas illuminated by the daylight
have a blue tinge. The rose petals are
warmer in color, offsetting the cooler
blues. (Camera:Olympus E-500;Lens:
Olympus 11–22mm f/3.5, effective focal
length 29mm;ISO:100;Shutter speed:
(^1) / 60 second;Aperture:f/10;Lighting:
Hensel Integra Pro Plus 500 monolight
fitted with a Hensel beauty dish placed
to the camera left; White balance:
3400K)
Photographer Gordon Jones was called
in as an essential element of this fun
photo with Brie. Brie’s pose—including
her facial expression—was obviously de-
vised to fit the concept of the image.
(Camera:Olympus E-500;Lens:effective
focal length 50mm;ISO:100;Shutter
speed:^1 / 160 second; Aperture: f/8;
Lighting:Hensel Integra Pro Plus 500
monolights, including two with red and
orange gels to mimic the flames under
the grill;White balance:6000K)