In the previous chapters, you learned the six deadly sins of

posing. You learned how to pose each part of the body.

The next step is to bring everything together to achieve the look and

style that will please the client. We have already discussed the ele-

ment of style in a portrait, now it is time to put it to work. There are

a few additional suggestions that I have for you as you work toward

putting it all together.

a Full-Length Portrait. Pose Every Image as

I suggest that you create every pose as if you were taking the por-

trait full length. This achieves two things. First, it speeds up the ses-

sion by allowing you to go from head-and-shoulders, to three-

quarters, to full-length with a zoom of the lens. Second, posing the

entire body gives you practice in designing full-length poses.

This approach also makes the client feel complete. A certain look

comes over a subject when they are posed completely and know they

look good. If you don’t think this is true, imagine how you would

feel in an elegant dress with your arms and shoulders posed proper-

ly but your legs in some terribly awkward stance. It’s like being

dressed for success and looking good—right up until someone tells

you your fly is open. Just take my word for it: pose the entire body—

it’s good for you and the client.

Analyze the Lines.

When I start to teach my photographers how to pose the entire

body, which is usually about two years after they have started with

BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER 101

8. BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER.

I suggest that you create

every pose as if you were

taking the portrait full length.