Jeff Smith's Guide to Head and Shoulders Portrait Photography

was also a problem with being able to use two of our popular props (the Harley

motorcycle and Dodge Viper) in the studio. Clients who were worried about

body size only wanted a head and shoulders portrait.

This idea is really not new—it’s just not one that many photographers think

of when working with paying clients. To include less of your subject and more

of the background, simply pose the subject in front of the car, motorcycle, or

other larger item and use that item as the entire background for a head and

shoulders pose. The larger the item, the more distance you need between the

subject and the item in the background.

This same principle is used when a young ladydoeswant to show her body,

legs, or shoes, but also wants the facial size of a head and shoulders pose. We

simply have the subject face the camera with her body, legs and feet receding

further and further into the background. To show more of the body, you sim-

ply turn it to an angle, so the head and shoulders aren’t hiding it.

Variations.

Variations is an exercise I make every photographer in my studio use (includ-

ing myself) in every session they do. It provides practice in posing because it

maximizes each of the poses you know. It also gives your client the maximum

variety from each pose they do.

POSING 93

LEFT—The subject’s own body can even be
the background in a laying-down pose like
this. To show more or less of the body, ad-
just the angle of the camera to the body.

RIGHT—Large props can be placed in front
of subjects—a good strategy for subjects
who want to use a particular prop but
don’t want full-length images.