Posing for Portrait Photography

coming of another. If Dad has a large stomach, place Mom or one

of the kids in front of this area to hide it. If the whole family is larg-

er, you will find that no one wants to be in front. In this case, look

for foreground elements to hide what you know the clients won’t

want to see.

Purpose of the Portrait.

Photographers also have to be especially conscious of the purpose

of the portrait when they are creating full-length poses. If a young

woman wants a portrait to give to her grandmother, the posing will

obviously need to be quite different than if she planned to give the

portrait to her husband or boyfriend. Some photographers have a

tendency to photograph all of their clients of the opposite sex in the

HIPS AND THIGHS 85

For every shoot, the photographer needs to
determine the purpose of the portrait and
design the image accordingly.

Look for foreground elements to

hide what you know the clients

won’t want to see.