Factors That Impact Posing

Posing is about crafting the desired results, not settling for contrived confusion. The wrong pose can send the wrong message to the viewer. It can also cause the subject to feel insecure during the shoot or when viewing the end result. In glamour, beauty, and nude photography, posing should convey a message and, in most cases, tell the viewer something about the subject. Use the wrong pose, the wrong light for the pose, the wrong clothes for the pose, or the wrong scene for the pose, and you’ll wind up with the wrong image—usually an uninspiring image that no one will want to purchase or publish.

Introduction

Over the past seven years I’ve taught almost three-hundred glamour, beauty, and nude photography workshops and seminars from Maui to the Virgin Islands, from Europe and Mexico to Canada, and throughout the United States. At these classes, the most commonly asked question is, “How do I pose a model?” That’s a tough question to answer; as in most genres of photography, there are infinite possibilities when it comes to posing a model for a glamour, beauty, or nude image. However, there are fundamentals that come into play, concepts and principles that help a photographer manage those infinite possibilities. These principles are like a road map that will lead to wellposed subjects.