Posing for Portrait Photography

The Shoulders.

A client’s shoulders form the compositional base for every head-
and-shoulders pose you take. As mentioned previously, this base (the
line of the shoulders) shouldn’t form a horizontal line through the
frame. A diagonal line makes the portrait more interesting and the
subject less rigid.
The shoulders of a man should appear broad and at less of an
angle than the shoulders of a woman. Women’s shoulders can be a

56 POSING FOR PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY

The client’s shoulder’s should never form a

horizontal line through the frame.

A client’s shoulders form the

compositional base for every

head-and-shoulders pose.