Jeff Smith. Posing Techniques for Location Portrait Photography. 2008

this is our clients. You need to offer both styles of portraits and discuss with
your clients what is right for them.
Reflective Poses.Reflective posing works well in a storytelling portrait—a
bride glancing out a window as if waiting for her groom, a senior glancing
over the top of a book and thinking of the future, etc.
If the eyes are to look away from the camera, there a few rules that need
to be followed. First of all, the eyes should follow the line as of the nose. It
looks ridiculous to have the eyes looking in a different direction than the nose
is pointing. This goes for poses with the subject looking just off-camera, as
well as for complete profiles. Also, as you turn the face away from the cam-
era, there comes a point where the bridge of the nose starts to obscure the
eye farthest from the camera. At this point, you have gone too far. Either go

38 JEFF SMITH’S POSING TECHNIQUES FOR LOCATION PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY

Reflective poses show the subject looking off

camera.

There comes a point where the

bridge of the nose starts to obscure

the eye farthest from the camera.