Variations are simple, effective changes you can make in a single pose to give
it a completely different look. By changing small elements, like moving just the
hands, countless variations become possible. This takes one posing idea you
know and turns it into five or ten different poses. With each pose, the photog-
rapher is to demonstrate the client’s selected pose, determined before the shoot,
as well as show the client at least three other variations on the pose.
Male photographers hate this. I have heard it all—“How am I supposed to
pose like a girl?” or “I feel really dumb!”—but I don’t care how they feel. Until
you can pose yourself, feel the way the pose is supposed to look, and demon-
strate it to a client, you will never excel at posing. Yes, you get some pretty
strange looks when you’re not a petite man and you’re showing a young girl a
full-length pose for her prom dress, but that is the best learning situation I, or
any other photographer, can be in.
Using variations also keeps each of your poses in your mind, so no matter
how much stress you feel, the poses are there. It’s just like multiplication ta-
bles—once they stick in your mind, you’ll never forget them. This is an impor-
tant factor, since I have many shooting areas in our main studio and often need
to go as quickly as I can from one shooting area to another, working with up
to four clients at a time. As you can imagine, this requires some real speed at
posing demonstration; I assist each client into the desired pose and then refine
it. Then I am off to the next client.
Demonstrating posing variations will also help your client to relax in the
pose. Just think of yourself doing any new task. You feel kind of nervous—es-
pecially if you have the extra pressure of wanting to look your best and do this
task at the same time. Wouldn’t you appreciate a person to guide you through
the task and demonstrate how to do it as opposed to telling you to “go stand
over there and do this”? We always need to put ourselves in our clients’ shoes.
94 JEFF SMITH’S GUIDE TO HEAD AND SHOULDERS PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHYLEFT—You might look and feel a little silly
demonstrating poses, but it’s the best way
to master them and help your clients
achieve the results they want.
FACING PAGE—Using variations can quickly
turn one pose into five or ten.No matter how much
stress you feel, the
poses are there.