Caveat: This post is about the current warm up technique that I’m using with models for in-studio glamour shoots. The process would be different for a non-glamour shoot and also different for an on-location shoot. This is what I do you may prefer a different approach. Before I begin shooting it’s discussed with and agreed to by the mode. To further explain, I’ll show her some of the warm up sequences I’ve made with other models so she understands how the shoot will progress.
Today’s Post by Joe Farace
My inner goddess has her sequins on and is warming up to dance the rumba.—E. L. James
When I was a young photographer I attended a seminar on posing with five other people that was hosted by a well-respected Colorado gentleman who was known for his classic portraiture, It went something like this:
He started by showing us how to pose a subject that was seated on a traditional, adjustable studio posing stool. His system was that you started with pose A, then made an adjustment to the pose and moved on to pose B, and after another change to Pose C. There may have been more steps that he showed during the first part of the presentation but it’s been a while. After a few minutes he asked me—maybe he thought I wasn’t paying attention or looked like the dumbest student or just wanted to embarrass me, I don’t know—to demonstrate to our group what he just showed us and pose the model we were working with. I didn’t remember a damn thing. Maybe it was because his system had too much detail for my brain to handle or maybe I really was the dumbest student in the group, so I won’t burden you with too many details but here’s what I do.
Before a shoot: Once a model is happy with their hair and makeup, it’s time to begin shooting but—and this is most important—I like to give a client time to warm up. When working with newer models, I don’t expect them to walk in front of a camera and move effortlessly from post to pose. So the first shots that we make together are designed to help the photographer and subject get into sync. As each subsequent photograph is made, the subject should be more relaxed and the photographs will get better and better. At least that is always my hope.
How I Made this Portrait: For a glamour images I usually ask the model to wear as much or as little as they are comfortable wearing.The first part of a good, even great, glamour shoot is that the model should be comfortable. Only then will you be able to make great images and great poses.
Props help too. And for this shoot with Erin Valakari, I used a stool–it’s not a real photographer’s posing stool, just one Mary gave me as a gift—and let the model interact with it. She can sit on it the way Erin did here or use it as a prop. This image was made midway through our warm up and during the latter part she changed how much she was wearing. (This photograph was selected as the least offensive to the Internet’s use of Nanny Software.)
I photographed Erin in my home studio with a lighting setup that utilized a Paul C. Buff DigiBee with Plume Ltd Wafer softbox that was placed at camera right. Another DigiBee with a 18-inch OMNI reflector mounted was placed behind a 42 x72-inch Scrim Jim with a white translucent cover that, during the session alternated from being used as a large diffusion scrim with the DigiBee turned on or as a reflector with the DigiBee turned off. In the back of my studio (camera left) was a Paul C Buff Alien Bee with 16 x 30-inch Westcott Apollo Strip soft box being used as fill. A Savage 5 x 7-foot Infinity grey vinyl background was hung on my JTL background stands. The camera was a Panasonic Lumix GH4 with a Lumix G Vario 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH/MEGA O.I.S lens (at 31mm) with an exposure of 1/125 sec at f/8 and ISO 200.
Do I have a system? I don’t know, maybe yes, maybe no. If you read the above “How I Made” section,” you may have a rough idea of what I am currently doing. I believe that if few portrait subjects are perfect, no pose if perfect either! As you look at the images throughout this blog, you will see real-world examples with real world people working toward a single goal, making the best possible images. That means compromises are inevitable and any “rules” should really be considered guidelines or suggestions because the art of posing combines reality with what the subject and photographer can accomplish on a given day.
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The original title of my book Posing for Portrait and Glamour Photography was The ABC’s of Portrait Posing. On this blog there are many posts about posing. Use the Search box in the upper right-hand corner and type “posing” to find appropriate posts. If you want something more lasting, take a look at my book that’s available new from Amazon for $29.95 or used starting around sixteen bucks, as I write this, Kindle version is $28.45 for those who prefer a digital format.