POSING TIPS FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS

Normally people do not stand stiffly upright, unless they are a guard for the Royal Palace! Yet this is the first pose that most people will do when a camera is aimed at them, along with a big cheesy smile. For a photographer, learning to pose your subject so that they look relaxed and comfortable will definitely improve your portraits.

And if you are going to be photographed by Albedo Photography, the following offers a glimpse into the behind the scenes and why Richard and I might be telling you.  We find that when we do a photoshoot, be it a wedding or engagement session, my subjects will end up learning quite a bit about how to pose. By the end of the night at a wedding the entire bridal party know to stand, to turn their body sideways, and they’ll know what to do to avoid a double chin!

Relax your subject: As a portrait photographer it is your job to chat to your subject, encourage them, excite them, to suggest basic poses and even demonstrate how they should pose!

Bring props: Before the photoshoot, encourage your model to wear their favourite clothes and accessories. You can even ask your subject to bring props, such as a favourite toy or instrument.

Ask your subject to put their weight on only their back foot, which causes t

heir knee to automatically bend and their back shoulder to automatically be lowered, making thesubject look relaxed.

By turning the body on an angle to the camera, the body looks thinner. In general you should ask you subject to turn 45 degrees away from the camera. If you are taking a group photo, split the group down the middle and ask everyone to turn 45 degrees inwards, so they are facing towards the centre of the group.

Keep space between arms and body. To make your subject look more slim, ensure they leave space between their arms and their body. This can be as simple as asking your subject to put their hands on their hips.

The side of the hard looks much slimmer and more flattering than the back of the hand. Hands can easily look dominant in a photo, which will detract from the subjects face, especially if you have a hand facing front on to the camera, or clasped hands.

In a group photo try and hide as many hands as possible. You can hide hands behind the subject. If you are hiding hands in the subjects pocket, ask them to leave just their thumb hanging out as this looks better than hiding them completely.

Move everyone is close for group photos. In a group photo, even a small gap between people will look huge in a photo. And no matter how much your subjects will want to do a “rugby tackle pose” with their arms around each other neck, you need to discourage this.

If their chin is forming a ‘double chin’, ask them to lift their head slightly, or to push their chin forward a little. No matter how excellent you lighting and composition, if your subject has a double chin then they will not like your image at all!

When the subject is looking away from the camera, be aware of the whites in their eyes. If they are looking too far to the side, or to high there will be a lot of the whites showing, and this can look creepy. If you can see too much of their whites, guide your model by telling them where to look.

Don’t just take photos of you subject looking at the camera. For variety, I recommend you take a mixture of photos with the subject looking at the camera, and then looking away.

Take photos of mixture of happy and neural looks. If you find that you are only getting big smiles, ask you subject to do a soft smile. Then ask your subject to do a serious face- although it must be noted that trying to do this usually ends in a burst of laughter- which is great!

Don’t be afraid to experiment with motion. One of the benefits of digital photography is that you can be more experimental as you are not limited by the number on a roll of film. A spin, a jump, a flick of the hair, can both engage your subject and help them to relax in front of the camera and enable you to capture much more natural image of them.If I am asking my model to experiment with different poses, I will just let them know to wait until they hear the shutter click (or the camera flash) and then move into their next pose.

Bring inspiration.  For inspiration, take a few fashion magazines along to you photoshoot, and try to replicate the poses. This will give you a good starting point to begin some learning and experimentation.

TIPS FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS

What makes a ‘good’ photo can be subjective, but after judging local and national photographic competitions I thought I would share some tips on what I think makes a successful image. Below is an outline of the key criteria for selecting which image to enter, whether you are submitting it in a local or national competition, and also some ideas to keep in the back of your mind when you are taking photos.

1. The first step is to remember it is better to submit something than nothing.
The only guarantee I can make is that if you do not submit anything, you definitely will not win!

2. Subject Matter
If there is a theme or topic for the competition, make sure the image you submit is relevant, otherwise you will not be eligible to win.

3. Impact Does your image stand out?
People are drawn to rare or difficult photographs. Some ways to make your image stand out is to:

• Communicate a story or message
• Capture the moment
• Focus on excitement, appeal, emotion or mood

4. Visual
In this section you need to carefully analyse the basic elements of the image: – Composition. How does your eye move around the image and where does it land? In general, stronger images have obvious focal point, which is a centre of interest that your eye is drawn to. When taking a photo you can change your composition by changing you framing, viewpoint, background and perspective. – Design elements are the basic elements that form an image. They are line, colour, shape, texture, form, tone and space. – The design principles are movement, unity, harmony, variety, contrast, repetition, emphasis and balance. Do they improve the photo? – Have you applied appropriate post-processing techniques?

5. Creativity
What are the creative elements that enhance your images impact? The more creative, unique or original your image is the more it will stand out.

6. Technical
Do the technical elements enhance its impact? The key technical areas to consider are:

• Lighting. Does it enhance the photo?
• Exposure. Is it correct?
• Colour and tone. Are the contrast and saturation appropriate?
• Depth of field. Has it been used to enhance the image?
• Focus and sharpness. Is the most important part of the image sharp?

Where to find competitions to enter

• ArtSource offers an extensive list of local, state and national photography competitions.
• The Australian Photographic Society lists many national and International Photography competitions
• You can join your local camera club, as these usually have monthly members only competitions.

The best way to improve you photography is to not only take many photos, but to spend time analysing what worked well and what didn’t! And remember, you have got to be in it to win it!

We recommend you consider the sunset time for the day your wedding is being held. This is because the best time for photography, and the most flattering lighting is close to sunset. Of course we do have our strobes and  reflectors to  create lighting if the lighting available isn’t ideal, but you can’t beat an amazing sunset!

Once the sun has set we have about 25 minutes to capture the beautiful colour in the sky. (Less time if the day was very cloudy.) After this time the sky will appear black in your photos,  and no matter how many flashes we bring, we can not light up the whole sky!  Take particular note of this if you are holding a wedding in winter, as the sun does set quite early, something that is easy to forget when you are enjoying Perth’s balmy summer evenings!

Another idea to use the sunset time to your advantage is to plan a quick photoshoot with us in the middle of your reception. This is an opportunity to capture the colour in the sky as the sun sets and  can take place whilst your guests are eating entree or their main, food always works as a great distraction! Richard and I can have our gear set up and ready to go, we will happily photograph you for as long as you can spare time away from your guests. This can also work as a nice romantic break away from everyone, and most definitely results in spectacular photos!

Below are the sunset times Perth, WA, to assist you in your wedding timeline planning. Just look for the nearest date to your wedding, as I have only included the sunset time in 10 day blocks. Please keep in mind that the colours in the sky will appear from sunset time listed below, and usually intensify over the next 25 minutes after the time listed.

If you are getting married elsewhere in the world, just contact us and we can advise you on the sunset time for your location.

Perth Sunset Times (PM)