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Stretch, point, support: corrective posing for flattering portraits

By Ilex
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Learning to pose your models effectively could be one of your most valuable lessons when it comes to getting the best out of a shoot and ensuring that you’re not left with photos that don’t really flatter or hours of retouching to correct for creases, bulges, and wrinkles. You need to position models to exploit their features and minimise any of their perceived flaws. It’s always worth looking at your own photos to see where you can improve, but here are eight of the most useful corrections to have up your sleeve.

Shoot downward toward the subject to eliminate any concerns of a double chin.
Shoot downward toward the subject to eliminate any concerns of a double chin.

Slimming angles

One of the simplest rules is that photographing a person directly from the front will make her look wide. So have your client turn in a bit, either her whole body, or just her upper body. The half- profile will appear much more flattering. Shooting upward from a lower standpoint is very likely to cause trouble if your model is anything other than very slim. Perspective will cause everything closer to the camera to look bigger, and in that case it will be thighs, belly, butt, and jaws—exactly what you don’t want! Shooting from a slightly higher standpoint, on the other hand, will hide double chins and bellies and will make the eyes appear larger.

Have your subject turn slightly away from you for a slimming effect. This works for all body types.
Have your subject turn slightly away from you for a slimming effect. This works for all body types.

Slouching

Correct your model’s posture if she slouches or hunches her shoulders. If her tummy is a bit larger, slouching will pronounce it even more. While standing or sitting, an upright posture makes a person appear thinner and will enhance the bust.

Use a pillow

If your model has to hold up her head or upper body while lying down, the stress and discomfort in doing so can show in her muscles and ligaments. It’s unpleasant for her and doesn’t look great in the photos. You can ease the position by supporting her upper body with a pillow.

Lying on her tummy is great for flattening it, but a supporting pillow helps the upper body.
Lying on her tummy is great for flattening it, but a supporting pillow helps the upper body.

Thighs

If your model is in a kneeling pose, resting on her thighs, it can have the unfortunate effect of compressing them, making her thighs, and probably her calves, look far bigger than they are. To avoid this, your model needs to ease off her thighs a bit, even though this might not be very comfortable. Just let her rest whenever you are not shooting.

Have the subject raise her legs slightly when sitting to keep her thighs from looking larger than they are.
Have the subject raise her legs slightly when sitting to keep her thighs from looking larger than they are.

The same compression of the thighs happens when sitting. Try having your model turn to the side with her legs crossed, or have her sit on the edge of the chair or bed or whatever it is she’s sitting on to help keep her legs looking slim.

Stomach

Another common problem zone is the belly. I have had few clients who are completely happy with it, and even slim bodies can have creases there when bent over. Generally, a forward bent pose will always pronounce what’s there—straightening the back or even arching it helps, as does turning the upper body away.

If the belly area is an issue have the client use a pillow as a prop or lay on her back to help flatten the area of concern.
If the belly area is an issue have the client use a pillow as a prop or lay on her back to help flatten the area of concern.

Feet

Most women are happy when their feet look small and elegant. Having your client stretch her toes downward will provide elegance and a slight tone in the calves (that’s exactly what high heels do). Posing feet with shoes pointed slightly more toward you will also make feet look smaller.

Lying down

Lying down can lead to a few different problems. When lying on her side, the model’s hip can show creases if she has her upper body erect. To counter this she can push her hip toward her feet on the side she is not lying on. If she is resting on her elbow, a pushed-up shoulder can occur, making the neck appear shorter and the pose not looking relaxed. Pushing the shoulder down helps. You want the legs to look long in a side-lying pose, and often the models tend to put one leg on top of the other. A more elegant way to do it is to slide the top leg in front of the lower leg, with both legs slightly angled and the toes pointing away.
When a woman is lying on her back or side, symmetry of the breasts can become an problem, depending how much support is provided by a bra or other lingerie. Sometimes slightly turning the upper body will balance it out. If nothing else helps, a bit of adjustment in post-production will do the trick. The same holds true for any creases that are unavoidable or that escaped your attention while shooting. But don’t rely too much on post-production.

Distance

Always watch your distance to your model; the closer you are, the more the perspective will distort the body features, and it may emphasize unwanted details even more. This holds true for head and face just as much. Elliptical head shapes and large noses will not make your client happy. Remember, objects will get more distorted the closer they are to the edge of a wide-angle lens.

When shooting close-ups be sure to use a standard or telephoto lens. Wide-angle lenses force you too close, causing significant perspective distortions.
When shooting close-ups be sure to use a standard or telephoto lens. Wide-angle lenses force you too close, causing significant perspective distortions.

Boudoir Photography is Critsey Rowe’s guide to a genre of photography more sophisticated and collaborative than old-fashioned “glamour” shooting that has snowballed as more and more women commission intimate portraits of themselves. With advice on pre-production, wardrobe and makeup, a dedicated posing guide, and post-production techniques covered in detail, Boudoir Photography will help the shooter work closely with the client to come up with a portfolio that is technically perfect, beautiful, and completely unique.
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