Jeff Smith's Guide to Head and Shoulders Portrait Photography

For the Guys.Guys typically aren’t gender benders when it comes to posing;

they usually do look better tilting the head toward the lower shoulder or not

tilting at all. Again, the pose and the circumstance dictate the direction the head

is tilted or whether it is tilted at all.

The easiest way to learn about the head tilt is to first pose the body. Then,

turn the face to achieve the perfect lighting and look. Then stop. If the person

looks great (as about 80 percent of clients do), take the image. If the subject is

very uncomfortable and starts tilting their head in an awkward direction, cor-

rect it. It’s that simple.

The Neck.The neck really isn’t posed and it really isn’t part of the face, but

there are a few points that should be shared about this area. First of all, the

neck is the first to show weight gain and age. In many clients, as you turn the

face toward the light, the little cord-like tendons pop out, making the subject

look like Jim Carrey doing his Fire Marshall Bob routine on In Living Color (if

you don’t happen to be familiar with the character, then trust me—it’s not an

appealing or flattering look). The best way to handle the neck area is to cover

POSING 65

A variety of poses can be used to obscure
the neck and the under-chin area.