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R O L A N D O G O M E Z ’ S Posing Techniques for GLAMOUR PHOTOGRAPHY Amherst Media ® PUBLISHEROFPHOTOGRAPHYBOOKS Copyright©2009byRolandoGomez. Allrightsreserved. Publishedby: AmherstMedia,Inc. P.O.Box586 Buffalo,N.Y.14226 Fax:716-874-4508 www.AmherstMedia.com Publisher:CraigAlesse SeniorEditor/ProductionManager:MichellePerkins AssistantEditor:BarbaraA.Lynch-Johnt EditorialAssistancefrom:JohnS.Loder,CareyA.Maines,CharlesA.Schweizer ISBN-13:978-1-58428-238-9 LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2008926653 PrintedinKorea. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Nopartofthispublicationmay be reproduced,stored,ortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,me- chanical,photocopied,recordedorotherwise,withoutpriorwrittenconsentfromthepublisher. NoticeofDisclaimer:Theinformationcontainedinthisbookisbasedontheauthor’sexperienceandopinions.The authorandpublisherwillnotbeheldliablefortheuseormisuseoftheinformationinthisbook. Table of Contents Preface .................................6 Foreword ...............................8 Introduction ............................10 1. Factors That Impact Posing .............14 CulturalPerceptions ......................14 TheSubject’sExperience ...................16 Models .............................16 Non-ModelSubjects ...................18 GentleCorrections ....................20 TheModel’sSelf-Esteem ...................20 TheStorytobeTold ......................22 2. Posing Basics .........................23 TheSubject’sComfort ....................23 SlimmingtheLegs .....................39 BeingSensitivetotheSubject ...............24 LengtheningShorterLegs ...............43 TakinganIndividualizedApproach ...........27 BareLegs ............................43 TallSubjects .........................27 TheFeetandToes ........................43 ShortSubjects ........................28 Direction ............................43 ThinSubjects .........................29 PointtheToes ........................43 HeavySubjects .......................29 AvoidDistortion ......................44 TheThreeMainBodySections ..............30 Grooming ...........................44 KeepanEyeontheClothing .............44 3. The Hips, Legs, and Feet ................33 FromtheWaistDown .....................33 4. The Torso, Arms, and Hands ............45 TheWaistandHips .......................33 TheTorso ..............................45 TheButtocksandUpperThighs .............33 AbdominalAreas .........................45 TheLowerThighsandCalves ...............37 Creases .............................45 OneSupportLeg,OneAccentLeg ........37 ABellyoraSix-Pack ...................45 BendIt .............................39 TheNavel ...........................46 TABLEOFCONTENTS3 ClothingMarks .......................47 HandsonHips .......................56 TheBust ...............................47 HandstoConceal .....................57 AccentingSizeandShape ................47 Fingernails ...........................59 UnevenBreasts .......................47 NaturalBreasts .......................48 5. The Neck, Head, and Face ...............60 AugmentedBreasts ....................48 TheNeck ..............................60 OtherConcerns .......................49 TheEars ...............................61 TheShoulders ...........................49 TheHair ...............................61 TheCollarbones .........................50 TheNose ..............................63 TheArms ..............................52 Don’tBreaktheLineoftheCheek ........63 BendtheElbows ......................52 NoseSize ............................63 SeparatetheArmsfromtheTorso .........52 TheNostrils ..........................64 SlimmingtheUpperArms ...............52 TheLips ...............................64 UsingtheArmstoHideProblemAreas .....52 SetaRelaxedMood ....................64 FramingtheFace ......................53 EncourageVariations ...................64 TheHands .............................55 ThePerfectSmile......................64 SideView ............................55 Lipstick .............................66 HandswithProps .....................55 TheTeeth ..............................66 Jewelry .............................56 TheEyes ...............................67 AvoidCanoeing .......................67 DirectionoftheEyes ...................67 UnevenEyes .........................68 OneEyeorTwo ......................68 Catchlights .............................68 Makeup ................................68 6. Sit, Stand, or Lie Down .................70 Sit ....................................70 HidingtheStomachArea ................70 PosingonBeds .......................72 The“PageThree”Pose .................72 ToAccenttheLegs ....................72 Stand .................................72 LookforSCurves .....................74 RaiseaFoot ..........................75 RearViews ...........................75 LieDown ..............................77 TryDifferentSettings ..................77 TheBreasts ..........................77 OnHandsandKnees ...................77 WatchtheLines .......................78 7. Composition .........................80 Lines .................................80 ImpliedLines .........................80 ImaginaryLines .......................80 InherentLines ........................81 DiagonalLines ........................81 LeadingLines ........................83 TheCameraContrived ....................83 Framing .............................84 MoveIn,MoveOut ....................84 GetCreative .........................84 SwitchLenses ........................87 DirectionofthePose ......................88 NaturalDirection ......................88 Cropping ............................88 ActionandMotion .......................90 8. Communication and Art Direction ........93 RapportStartswithYourFirstCommunication ..93 WhattoSay(AndWhatNottoSay) ..........95 BeObservantandReacttoWhatYouLearn ....95 OnthePhoneorViaE-Mail ................97 HelpfulDetails........................98 VagueCommunications ................101 WorkingwithModels ....................102 LargerNoses ........................119 ArtDirection ...........................103 DisproportionateHeightandWeight ......119 TheBottomLine .......................105 VisibleHairRootsorExtensions .........119 PoorlyGroomedNails .................119 9. How Do IGet That Pose? ...............106 TanLines ...........................121 TheHeadshot ..........................106 DiscoloredorCrookedTeeth ............122 TheBust-UpPose .......................109 ThinorUnevenLips ..................122 TheThree-QuarterPose ..................111 DarkorSmallEyes ....................122 TheFull-LengthPose ....................111 RoundorSquareFaces ................122 TheBacksidePose .......................112 TheTraditionalPage-ThreePose ............115 Resources ............................123 TheImpliedNudePose...................115 CommercialandInformationalWebSites .....123 MySponsorsandSupporters ...............123 10. What to Look For, What to Avoid .......117 TenQualitiesoftheIdealGlamourModel .....117 Conclusion ............................124 CorrectingWhat’sLessThanIdeal ..........119 LackofMuscleTone ..................119 Index ................................125 TABLEOFCONTENTS5 Preface I nmyfirsttwobooksforAmherstMedia,theprefacestartedoutwith, “Creatingabookissometimesfun,sometimeshard,sometimessad— and sometimes you just want to quit.” Well that sentiment rings true for this book, too (and I’m sure it will apply to my future books, as well). After all, writing takes dedication that’s often interrupted by life. Not to mention,writingislikephotographyorevenwritingasong;it’sanart,and allartistsworkbetterwhenmotivationstrikesthem. I’ve always provided “thanks” to my family and friends in my books, thathasn’tchangedeither.I’vealsoalwaysaskedpeoplenottoforgetthe menandwomeninuniform,alongwiththeirfamiliesandfriends.Thisre- questtokeeptheminyourprayershasn’tchangedeither.Ifyouseeamil- itary veteran, please thank them for their service; without them, these bookswouldnotbepossible.Writersrelyonfreedomofspeechandfree- dom of the press, and sometimes it takes a military to keep that going. Everyone,pleasecomehomesafe! AsIwritethispreface,whichismoreofadedicationpage,Iwondered Finally,someonecapturesagreatimage who I should dedicate this book to (while my previous books have the ofme.Ihatehavingmyphototaken! above-notedsimilaritiesinthepreface,theylaterbreakouttoidentifyspe- cificpeoplewhomadeuniquecontributionstoeachbook).AsIthought andthought,myminddrifted.DoIthankmy“best”friends?Theanswer camebackno;I’dsurelyoffendsomeonewhothoughttheyweremybest friend.DoIthankmycolleagues?Nope.Thisisanegotisticalprofession; manytakeyourthanksandthenturntheirbacks(ofcourse,therearetrue friends,likemymentorRobertFarberandadvisorJesseGámez).Likelife, photographicsuccessisbasedonrelationshipsthatgrowandchangeover time.Somegosour,somesucceedandturnsweetlyripe. When I chose to write this book, knowing the long hours I’d have toputinit,Ididn’tdoitbecausesomeonepromisedmeagoldenegg.I didn’t do it because my mother told me to (in fact, she is not a fan of 6POSINGTECHNIQUESFORGLAMOURPHOTOGRAPHY glamourphotography).NordidIdoitbecausemyfathertoldmeto(al- thoughheenjoysthephotosmorethanmymomdoes).Idecidedtowrite thisbookbecauseIfeltboundtosharemyknowledgewithallmyfriends, those I know personally and those Imay never meet but who share my passionforphotography. This book is also very personal—like a friend to me. Both of my last twobooksfeaturedsomeimagesfromphotographerfriendsofmine.This book, on the other hand, is 100 percent my photography (with the ex- ceptionoftheauthorphoto). Photographyismydearestfriend.Itkeepsmyheartgoingandmylife interesting.Ihopeit’sonefriendI’llneverlose,becausethenIknowI’ll berestinginabetterplace(evenifmymomdoesn’talwaysthinkso).God Bless,andkeepourveteransandtheirfamiliesinyourprayers! Igointoeveryshootwithaconceptinmind,butIalsokeepmymindopentootherideas.WhilephotographingCherie,Ilikedº herplayfulpose,soIturneditintoamoredramaticimagebycroppingittocreatemoreofanabstractform.Ialsochangedto asingle,highlydirectionallightsource.(Camera:OlympusE-1;Lens:OlympusZuiko50mmlens,effectivefocallength100mm; ISO:100;Shutterspeed:1/125second;Aperture:f/6.3;Lighting:HenselIntegraProPlus500monolightfittedwitha7-inchre- flectorand10-degreegridtotherightofthemodel;Whitebalance:6000K) PREFACE7 Foreword W ritingbooksseemtofollowmyage;theolderIget,themoreI write.Inreality,ofcourse,it’snotagethatforcesmyfingersto hitthekeyboard,it’smoreamatterofexperience.Evenafterthirtyyears ofshooting,I’veneverstoppedlearningaboutphotography—especiallyin today’sdigitalworld,wheretechnologyseemstochangefromminuteto minute.Still,though,therearesomethingsinphotographythatrarely(if ever) change, and that list includes posing techniques. What flatters the humanformtodaywillstillworkdecadesfromnow(andoftencalls on the same principles used hundreds and thousands of years ago by everyone from Renaissance painters to ancient Greek and What flatters the Romansculptors). human form today That is not to say, of course, that the same pose will work for everyone. People come in different shapes and forms, so an indi- will still work decades vidualizedapproachisrequiredtominimizeeachsubject’sunique from now . . . problem areas and to accent their assets. Each has their own per- sonality, as well, and the pose you use when photographing them can either emphasize or detract from that. People also have different ob- jectives and different comfort levels, particularly when creating glamour images,soit’softenuptothemtodecidehowtheywanttobeportrayed in their final images. In other cases, such as on a commercial or editorial glamour assignment, the photographer must help the model convey the look that the art director or client wants to see. Accomplishing this re- quiresamodelwhoiscapableofprovidingthedesiredlookandposefor thescene. What’s important is to realize that if the photographer understands thefundamentalsofposing(aswellas,ofcourse,lighting,exposure,etc.), thenboththemodelandphotographershouldbeabletoachievethein- tended image. A good photographer must also realize that models can sometimes have problems gettingthe requiredpose andlook.Whenthis 8POSINGTECHNIQUESFORGLAMOURPHOTOGRAPHY happens, it’s time to switch hats and work with thesubjectasbothacoach(givingthemthepsy- chological boost in confidence they may need) and instructor (drawing on your knowledge of posingtoguidetheminaprofessionalmanner). Forexample,duringthecreationofthisbook I began working with a new model who lacked confidence in her posing abilities for the camera. She’saverygorgeous,vivacious,photogenicper- sonwithatruemodel’sfigure,butduringseveral shootsshe’dgrownsofrustratedthatshehadlit- erallydecidedtogiveuponmodelingcompletely. I grew somewhat frustrated, too, knowing that she was loaded with talent. In fact, I’d often let her model at my workshops and everyone loved her(nottomentionthatanywherewe’dgo,men would miraculously become photographers and wanttoexchangephonenumberswithher). Then,ononeofourshootswhereshe’dgiven up, I took a break. I went to the store and pur- chased a carved wooden mask. When I returned to the shoot, I walked in with it on my face, looked at the model, and spoke through it in a deep, slow voice, saying, “I am the I Can Model God.” She broke out laughing—and from that pointonbecamesuchagreatmodelthatshe’sfeaturedmanytimesinthis Tessneverleavesforaphotoshootwith- out her lucky “I Can Model God.” Pho- book.She’sevenonthecover! tographersshouldbelieveintheirmod- Tessstillcarriesthemaskasagoodluckcharmandareminderthatall els and help them achieve success by modelstransitionfromgreentogold—justasallphotographerstransition giving them something to focus on— fromluckycharmstogoals. frombeginnerstoprofessionalswhenitcomestodirectingamodel’spos- ing. Today, Tess poses beautifully for the camera—like a natural. Some- times all it takes is something for the model to believe in, or someone to believeinthem.Alittlepositivereinforcementcanreallygoalongway. Basically, a good photographer needs to display faith and confidence so it can rub off on their subjects. Anyone can pose, but the path to a good pose will be a little different for each subject. For photographers, then, part of posing is knowing how to make it happen. Sometimes it’s easy,sometimesit’snot.Butdon’tletyourmodeljustgiveup;onlyquit- tersquit. FOREWORD9

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