
That Killer Look! The Theory and Practice of Posing a Model Written by Rick Trottier Introduction Many elements make the difference between “just taking pictures” and the art of photography. High quality equipment certainly helps, but having impressive firepower doesn’t insure beautiful imagery. You can put a top notch camera in the hands of someone without skill and knowledge and the end product can be underwhelming to say the least. Superior lighting technique and first-rate editing skills are undoubtedly “musts”, but even these essentials don’t insure capturing that memorable image. Even the presence of a stunningly beautiful model does not guarantee success. Beauty must be sculpted into an image that draws overarching attention, that creates emotional impact, and which leaves a lasting impression, and the only way to “sculpt” that loveliness into a photograph that endures is achieved by carefully, thoughtfully and strategically posing a model. Theory Like most of the components of photographic artistry, learning how to pose a model is best accomplished through three pathways of knowledge acquisition. One of them is study. Judiciously observing the reputable works of your colleagues and finding inspiration (NOT childish emulation) in their creativity is a good place to begin. Another outstanding source of studious inspiration is reviewing classical sculpture and painting. There is a good reason why I used the term “sculpted” in the first paragraph. A sizable percentage of my knowledge of posing theory has been attained through painstaking analysis of the other avenues of artistic expression. The hyper-idealized [ Read More ]