13 Aug 09 The Posing Guide (2)

In my search for posing guides I came across the posing guide of the Film Photo Academy. Although their guide is based on nude photography it is the most useful guide for all sort of model photography I have came across (and I have seen many). Simon Walden is taken you through many series of posing which are organised as follows:

• Lying – Working on the floor
• Sofa – using a settee
• Top Down 1 – Using drapes
• Top Down 2 – Looking down
• Standing 1 – Long shot standing poses
• Standing 2 – Mid shot standing poses
• Headshots 1 – Waist upwards
• Headshots 2 – Close up headshots
• Sitting 1 – Sitting poses on the floor
• Sitting 2 – Close to sitting poses on the floor
• Sitting 3 – On a posing block
• Sitting 4 – Other posing block positions
• Chair – Poses using a chair as a prop

As you can see a lot of variation BUT what is so unique about this posing guide is, is that it allows the photographer and model to go in sequence from one pose to another and make the session painless, something I haven’t seen in all the other posing books in the market.

For a price of £9.50 you get all the poses in PDF format (so you can print them) in automatic sequence slideshows and manual slideshows. Those last slideshows are specially handy for models who want to learn those sequences and become models who can pose.

This is what Simon himself says about the guide:

For photographers

This guide has a collection of shows you can run through in several ways. The automaticguides page through the poses in sequence – from this you can see how your posing session can move from step to step – building on each pose as you go – giving you lots of styles of posing,

quickly but effectively. Watch these sequences and note how the model moves from one to another – often small moves make big differences.The manual guides let you page through each style of posing, one image at a time, you can take your time to examine how the pose works, what works well, what areas you need to be careful with and how you can translate it to your own working method.

By the end of this book you will have learnt new, time saving techniques for creating professional poses. You will know how to sequence a photographic set to make your model look their best – and give you control and professionalism in your posing.

For Models

Watch the automatic sequences – in particular note how the model is quickly moving from one pose to another, in this way you show your photographer client your many different looks. You will be more professional and more rewarding for the photographer.

As well as looking at the overall pose shape, look at how the details work, what shape are the hands, how are the feet posed, how is the tummy held and where are the hips supported. Use the manual guides to look more closely at the poses.

By the end of this guide you will have learnt new poses, and be able to offer a better and more professional service to your clients.

Tags: artistic nude, glamour, guide, model, model guide, nude, photography, portfolio, portrait, posing, Simon Walden, Studio

Leave a Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.