Jeff Smith's Guide to Head and Shoulders Portrait Photography

ages have on our clients. A few years back, Kate Hudson had a movie out called
Raising Helen.In all the ads and displays, she was laying on her stomach with
her feet up, legs crossed at the ankles, and a pair of Ugg®boots on. Suddenly,
that was the most requested pose—and many girls brought in the shoes and a
similar outfit to capture that same look.
As you can imagine, when clients see a striking image like this, then go to the
local portrait studio and get a portrait that looks the same as portraits have al-
ways looked, they’re going to be disappointed—and they’re not going to buy.
This is why I remind photographers: to succeed, you must fulfill your clients’
needs and desires. You must understand human nature and sympathize with
the human condition. I don’t care if the woman weighs two hundred pounds
and wants you take “sexy pictures”—if you accept her money for a sitting, you
had better be able to step up to the plate and give her what she wants.
While ideas for resting poses can come to you by watching people while they
are resting, glamorous poses come to you by subscribing to the magazines that

90 JEFF SMITH’S GUIDE TO HEAD AND SHOULDERS PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY

In a glamorous pose, the arms and hands

are often used to frame the face and cre-

ate interesting lines in the composition.