photographer who has been with us for some time. He, like most mature
men, has no idea what makes one hairstyle look good and another look messy.
Therefore, I pair him up with one of our younger posers/set movers, who
acts like she is a member of the fashion police. She can spot a stray hair or a
bad outfit from across the studio. Between the two of them, we have excel-
lent portraits for clients.
Don’t Rely on Digital Fixes.By the way, many digital photographers see
a problem and think, “I shoot digital, I can fix anything!” Well, no—you
can’t. Once we went digital, it took our staff about six months to get out of
the “we can fix anything” mindset. Every time an employee told a client we
could fix something, I would sit them down at a computer station and tell
them to fix it. When they were still working on it an hour later, I would ask
if we could “fix anything” or not.
Time is money—and even if youcanfix a problem in Photoshop, it isn’t
easy trying to get your client to pay extra for all the time it takes. Problems
with posing need to be dealt with at the shoot, not fixed later. Your client also
needs to know how to dress to look their best and hide their flaws before the
session day. If they don’t wear the clothing that you have suggested, then
they must be billed for the time it takes to fix the problems that their deci-
sion created. This information has to be given to them verbally and in writ-
ing (in a session brochure) or in the form of a video consultation.
The Head.
Tilt.The head, and especially which direction to tilt it, is a bit of a mystery
for some people. I receive many e-mails from photographers who get con-
32 JEFF SMITH’S POSING TECHNIQUES FOR LOCATION PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY
If you find that you don’t have a good eye
for detail or fashion, be sure that someone
on your staff assists you. This is the only
way to ensure client-pleasing images.Problems with posing needto be dealt with at the shoot,not fixed later.