Posing the Question

Shelton Muller discusses the basics to posing your subjects for more successful people pictures…

It is a language we all speak and read – Body Language. Body Language is the language of posing. So much about your subject is conveyed through facial expressions, the placement of hands, feet, head and shoulders. These simple movements and placements can speak volumes about the people in your pictures. This language is used to interpret unspoken feelings and attitudes, personalities and moods. However, our assumptions may not always be correct since the study of body language is by no means an exact science. It is open to very wide interpretation and much is dependent on timing, context and, of course, the subjects themselves. Nevertheless, an understanding of the general meanings associated with body language can be helpful in posing your subjects. In this article we do not intend to get scientific or exact, but rather reveal some principles and techniques that will remove the tension and falseness that can often appear in our people pictures. But these aren’t rules – and if they were we would ask you to consider breaking them when you saw fit to do so.

Body language – like any spoken language – requires context to be clearly understood. In photographs, this context is not always possible. While crossed arms may be considered a negative and defensive pose, it is not always true in photographs. Usually, it is a combination of several components of body language that permits a more correct interpretation of a person’s mood, attitude or personality. In fact, changes in body language can often convey meaning more clearly than simple positioning. For instance, a picture of a person with their back to the camera doesn’t necessarily mean that a change of attitude has occurred because it is not accompanied by the actual motion itself. This isn’t possible in a single picture. Therefore photographers should have an understanding of common interpretations of body language as seen in the context of a single image.

Therefore, poses and expressions assumed by the person in your picture may or may not mean that they actually felt the emotions or attitudes usually implied by that kind of body language. However, when you are taking your portraits, you need to be alert to the fact that the viewer may incorrectly assume a certain attitude on behalf of your subject because of the pose or facial expression assumed. Be alert to how body language can be interpreted and how to alter a potentially negative pose so that it portrays your subject in a more positive manner.

For more formal posing, there are naturally many rules and professional portrait photographers are usually particularly proficient with them. However, even these can sometimes appear contrived and uncomfortable. The key to successful posing is unpretentiousness and honesty. Portraits are about people as the really are, and while each person has many sides, your photograph should truthfully depict one of them.

Assume the Position…