Posing for Portrait Photography

almost to the point of arching it. This will stretch the area and flat-
ten it out. The second solution is to have the client put on a looser
pair of pants.
Many photographers who lack an eye for detail also create the
appearance of rolls simply by failing to fix the folds in a client’s
clothing around their waistline. Believe it or not, as a professional
photographer you are responsible for every detail in every session
(assuming you actually want to sell the portraits you are taking).
That includes wrinkles in clothing.

The Emotional Factors.

As you have probably noticed, posing involves the emotions as much
as the body—you must be tactful when discussing the client’s
appearance and sensitive when making decisions about how they will
appear on film. If you fail to do this, you’ll irritate or embarrass your
client, and you won’tsell portraits.
Technical Skills vs. People Skills.I love telling the story of a
photographer I encountered one morning as he was working at the
same outdoor location as I was. While the senior I was photograph-
ing was changing, I had nothing better to do than watch this other
photographer work with his client. He told the young woman he
was photographing to “sit her butt on the rock.” I was intrigued at

72 POSING FOR PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY

In a seated position, clothing and skin wrinkle

(left), giving even the thinnest person a roll. If

the person is thin, simply have her straighten

her back, almost to the point of arching it

(right).

If you fail to do this, you’ll irritate

or embarrass your client...