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Shoot: Fashion Posing Part 2

So let's try I'm going to pull out a little bit more than I'm going crop into the end of your skirt that so many so lower the light just slightly good and I can actually just lose the model out to sea like getting more like that you just judge from the model and where the hell is going on coming tio we'll see how that is so I'm gonna cross in you need I just don't see how that works but I think because outfit is so straight let's go with the poses that kind of throwing up so went completely straight look down the center of the lens gets it valley hands point your finger chin down just slightly I'm kind of open to me and let's try some looking to that way looking front looking that way as well yeah, just this hand those three fingers yet just kind of delicate, yet if I was ted that he probably and a screen here, you'd probably be looking and when I am tethered a swell when shooting for a client or I'm shooting from my apartment, the models like to come over and see a cz well or else som...

etimes go up in, you know show them the back of my camera, but it also depends because some experienced models just trust that it's fine, I'll see the final images but some new people are new models will be like I would really like to see how that worked how that didn't work like what do you think? And they were a little bit more interested in that kind of thing okay, I'm gonna cross a little bit more about the scut just place it over a little more like that kind of lean one side kind of in yep. Chin back and you can see how that lighting is really nice now she's got her chin just up like that beautiful rachel they're gonna come in a little bit closer to crop the cropping into about here it's a chin back yet got it I'm kind of facing this way and chin down again for me yeah, beautiful. Can you face this side to do one here one here and one here yet the time sorry. Start at the front yes and just turn your head to your body straight on kind of looking down story on and then that way as well just giving ourselves as many options as possible because it's always about client preference. So when you doing commercial or light work whether it's an art director on set you could have a vision of what works in opposing but their client could be light later on oh, but that dress needed the dress detail is at the back and for that credit for the magazine or the client it's important we show it at a different angle so I'm always trying to cover myself as much as possible that's beautiful yet just come back and often it's that moment that's why you just saw that moment where I was like wait and that's usually when I'm like okay that look really beautiful in camera let's keep let's stay there and kind of keep it that's why I shoot a lot of different angles and move myself a swell as the model yeah that's beautiful with her mouth open and just with the yet wide eyes yet just close your mouth slightly beautiful come down and let's now try the shoulders so kind of put your hands forward one kind of over like that and just pull your shoulders forward a little and kind of lean into the side yet I'm gonna company we're gonna come in quite close there some here and then down to about here yeah straight down the lens to me to never to hear down and then wide eyes straight to the front completely kind of just put your hinds completely down yeah stop there you find that you're in a pose that just doesn't work how quickly you come out of it yeah e question as well well that's it I think you know it and it's also to be expected when you've got that kevin and there's a big client on you kind of like quick, quick to take the next one is coming up from spain and its frozen on the screening you like but yeah, that's why I take a lot of shots and you instantly know it's like that moment where you're like wait, that was great and that's like training arrived pretty much that's what their best photographers in this industry do in the fashion industry and watch behind the scenes you khun see how they work and they don't necessarily know straightaway they move, they move themselves, they move the light, they get their assistance kind of moving background into a different place. It could be that I've tried this for an hour and then I say this isn't the direction I want to start out with let's scrap that lets change in a different outfit and let's have a lying down on the backdrop, so I'll have editors that sometimes will say to me, oh no that's not working in that pose we need to change it up we need to change the theme and you've got to just know how to kind of change it up and that's. Why it's good in fashion photography to kind of educate yourself on all the different themes because themes are repeated every year, you need to train your eye to understand how portraiture works there three or beauty how beauty shots opposed because when you're shooting a beauty shoot it's all about appear to the neck it's about hands delicate your model needs to have great hands and it's have great skin and he'd have a symmetrical face so when you're shooting like sixties all about movement it's about those poses so it's always first and foremost it's about their shoot theme it's about casting the model it's also about like what she is good at so often look in the models port folio as well all she's great movement she's got great beauty shots because some girls khun b incorrectly casted for the the type of job and it shows instantly there's nothing you can do with post its going to fix that it is important that casting plays a huge role in what you do yep that's great turn your body that way slightly but pull your arms back this yet not too much though to solution them and then chin down and let's try like with your arms kind of back and just kind of giving yourself that shape so again we're looking at triangles with this because it's like a strong kind of before we were doing kind of a delicate beauty come with eyes where this is kind of like a strong kind of pose so I wouldn't do kind of like a shy pose with the arms like that it would be kind of strong chin up a little mouth opening kind of gaze like a strong, more powerful woman okay chin up for me lo iran's just a little at the back great all right so let's try that kind of time to the side just slightly yet and it's all about going to be about that shoulder kind of coming in yet rachel's also really good at making this tiny adjustments in her eyes yeah see that's one thing that if you have a non model their eyes always going to be the issue can change them up with poses in the hands or you want but that engagement has to be there and that just comes from working making modest feel comfortable on set and also you know, taken a lot of shots because that first look might not be the best shot of the ten look she's shooting that day but then possibly repeat that look at the end I no idea shoots where if I'm working with a newer model I'm trying to figure out what I want to get from the model at first a few of the looks have repeated at the end of the day because that's the weakest bunch that's when in the middle of the day when people have eaten and they're ready to kind of go again that's when they best shorts kind of come about you have a question is that yeah we've got tons of questions coming in but from red smiles and you just talked about the strong triangle because they were wondering why a triangle instead of curves my eye seems to want to create curves and also chris a photography and fashion tv could you demonstrate an s and a c curve what does that actually mean and definite sika if you never heard of that I don't know I mean for me when I look at like masses in photography the way people are painted the portrait that was celebrated in the photography industry what is it about them? What is it about the mona lisa what is it about all of those people are like so drawn to because sometimes they're not even that special picture or the technique it's not that great but what it is it's just pleasing to the eye and I think triangles and the fact that if you look a triangle if you just do that pose again when you're out you've got this kind of shape but this is your focus so like if you have the body like this it's immediately drawn into this kind of equal where if you have this just something about it just doesn't kind of light and she'll feel that but if you want to matter we go into that pose you kind of want teo fall into that kind of character as well and dependent on the shoot like when I shot in l a I showed you with story yesterday with a girl with a car that girl I cast it because she was almost like maryland. She was like an actress you could kind of picture in a hitchcock movie on what I loved about hera is that she just kind of moved around. She was like, you know, her personality was very different on set to what she's like, but she felt it soon as you put those clothes on, and she was dancing around and, like, you know, let's, go shoot here and do this, and she was making suggestions because she was excited that we put her in this character. So when you think of putting someone in front of your lens that has that kind of, they're shy and they don't know what to do, you think about the way that you put them in the character in the way that they're styled and also, like, have them adjust something, be like, ok, what do you think? Because sometimes that kind of puts them on their toes like your doing the photography, but sometimes you could have, like, if you do a shoot on location and a photographer comes a team and you shot a few things you may want to suggest oh, let's, try this. So how about this, because it's nice it's like a collaborative effort between all people this way, actually. Is going to sound? We're gonna throw a rachel on the spot here if we could bring out a handheld way love rachel, if you don't mind, we'd love to hear from you kind of what you liketo have a faras direction and other sort of, uh, you know, guidance as your modeling is that? Is that something you'd be ok talking about? So everything that laura has been showing me has been very helpful, and most photographers that I've worked with haven't normally yeah, when there's like a new photographer shooting you and they don't know what to d d one d me for them, or do you like to get that kind of direction? I do, and I also like to look at the photos on the camera to see what looks good. Yeah, hey, hey, hey, never again beauty of live, all right, so I'm just going to go in and do a few more poses that kind of down to the leg here, but pretty much what I have to show you is my standard if I'm shooting a portrait in this kind of scenario and I do love to shoot this kind of beauty with a beautiful jewellery and the kind of dark, like, look and lace, this is really kind of what I work with, like shoulders. Triangles all about delicate hands. I want that gays kind of in the eye if I was shooting something that would say, like a stronger movement, like, you know, if you had a woman in high heeled shoes and you wanted that strong it's not really my cell, but you wouldn't have a kind of delicate you'd have that strong kind of pose is kind of a hand, perhaps on a hit like she's kind of empowered if you doing sixty said it's all about the movement, if you do not typical like david sims, like jumping on set, like for void, you would do that kind of you would get a model that's great for that kind of, you know scenario as well, but there's also like fifties twenties. So it's, always good to educate yourself on, seems in history of not just photography itself, but go back into fashion. And you know how with how would you feel being put in those clothes? It's? Almost. As I said, being put into that kind of actress scenario or active scenario where you kind of feel from in a great example of this is a company booked me for a shoot to kind of be, it was a few like lead kind of people. Within the industry, one was like a blogger, one was like a fashion editor, and then there was me is the photographer, and they wanted us in front of the lens, which I was like, I haven't done that for years, so no, I haven't got the control, so I was kind of worried about it, but what? I liked it on the day they bought, like loads of glasses and, like, big things and like bags, and at first I thought they're going to steal my identity, you can take my hair out, they're going to take my makeup off, and then I go on set, and as soon as I put these clothes on, I felt like I was a different person, that I could act. My mom used to be an actress, and she said to me, you know, I'm really shy, I would never speak in front of anyone, but as soon as she put, like, tweed hat on and had, like, stick in her mouth and, like, you know, this old tweed jacket and, like, do a little hunch, she was like, I'm a different person, a different person altogether. So if you have a model that is perhaps a bit shy or your subject is think about those themes and maybe suggest them. Oh, how about we do nineteen twenties and I'll put you in that role, you know, here's a photo of veronica lake here's a photo of you and use that inspiration and us that is even posing guides as well. Okay, so I just wanted to quick few with your legs as well. So just cross over again. Yeah, that's it. And can you try kind of one hand here? One hand kind of pointed downwards, that's it and kind of turn to the side. Yeah, you got it. So I'm doing this to kind of make it a little more interesting with the composition and also flattered the dresses. Well, okay, just put your hand up both hands up again because it looks so yet that's really nice. You at my civil hourglass shape now. Beautiful. Yeah. And you can see on the camera how if you do want straight on for me with the legs like that and then just do one with again, I just want to show the comparison. I'm one kind of leaning against and lean into it with ten up a little. You can see how sometimes it's more interesting to get that shape because everything is so strange. To kind of be off a little bit but then some people are also drawn to symmetry and I was sane for front covers of magazines. People are often drawn to that symmetry over everything being straight because of all the text and dizziness. So if I am shooting for front cover and I've got an outfit that perhaps has a strong brand like a huge name that you know the magazine will be attracted to put it on the cover, I take her aside, get some simple shots because I know that potentially that could be a cover as well. Okay, do you have any questions before I go on? I do. I like this one from fashion tv in singapore about contortion, so for because your fashion contraction is often seen in high fashion poses is that true? And when is it appropriate to strike poses with contortion, or do you do that like kind of strong but crazy larry hunching over this I think it comes down to a photographer style. You'll notice a lot of people that have quite well known in industry and not as much into that there's a few big photography is that sheet for certain campaigns where they do that, but they had it has to be done well in order for it to be visually good, so when you have like that pose it's kind of a strong it's usually a very tall model that can really pull off the dresses they're strong out for this strong dress onda client particularly likes that for their campaigns when you're shooting something that's more softer like the contortion thing of having my arms are like this to me it's not visual please and it's a little or could be kind of like what's going on there but for me personally is a photographer I like the delicate I kind of like that kind of innocents I would say like beautiful kind of portrait style which kind of lends itself to the pose and I do but there is some photographers that do that kind of again it becomes like that fine line of being done really well and being kind of like that tummy ache kind of pose that way see very often thank you anymore yes definitely let's just check here anyone have anyone in the audience okay great. Um so one thing that I saw earlier uh let's see for do you do anything different for beauty posing specifically like posing just the head and upper body yeah king I condemn me that well ok, so I've got an eighty five mil lens which is quite good for beauty I also have a seventy two, two hundred just take a photo with you yeah, you know how feelings just like casually gets in there without leaving this is that good but, yeah, I have a seventy two hundred mil lens, which is also great because I can stand back and really get that crop so beauty can be like here, it can be really tight, or you can give yourself space and crop later either way kind of seats, but I'm going to try on the eighty five because it's quite nice to give that kind of distance and then the crop in after a swell. So for beauty, we kind of still having feathers a little bit, but what we want to do is we want to kind of get those catch lights inasmuch as possible with putting in a white reflector that's kind of bouncing in and it's giving those really nice, engaging catch lights a little bit more commercial when you do beauty, so usually people do like beauty dishes, but I still kind of light using octo boxes because it gives that softness to the skin I'm going to go in, and this isn't the ideal beauty like, I guess, yeah, it definitely isn't the ideal beauty live, but we're doing it for just sake of posen just chin down a little and just breathe through your mouth a little bit, you see that that's such a quick, pretty shut it down, surprise. And again, when I'm trying to get beauty, and if it's like a fashion dt and I'm trying to look for symmetry, I really like straight on, and it also depends on the makeup as well, because I recently did a beauty story for hong kong tatler than I showed you guys yesterday with the blue background, and that is all about the credits. So when you're shooting beauty often it's about the makeup, so they'll want to see, like if it sessional eyeliner or like one of those and they got their eyes closed, it's about the angle of the head and how best that it seems so it's not all about the expression in the beauty, sometimes that focus on the makeup on what works best for that as well. For this particular maker, weaken deposes anyway, because it's like that beautiful jewish skin she's got that nice, like neutral tone on the lips. So for this, I would even think about putting this alongside a fashion editorial to break it up and have, like just a simple accessories credit of the year rings and makeup credit too. Okay, so what I usually do when I crop in the beauty is things like straight on so what I want you to do is some flow pose in so I'm going to shoot I want you to kind of move on every shot for me and they're not all going to be perfect, but what I want to show is sometimes you just get that moment where it's like yeah, just breathe out not too much teeth, just a little kind of that engagement in the eyes kind of looking down a bit, which is slightly back and you guys can't see this but laura's going like doing all this, I don't even notice they're probably thinking really like your little finger and why I'm cropping like this is because I could see it on a page of a magazine kind of like a tash sheet so the credits would be on the right hand side, so there's room for that and I kind of like the way it kind of gives that negative space just at the sykes we've got that really interesting backdrop. It's beautiful rachel great chin down just a little bit more yep and then straight on completely straight. Look down the lens. If you had more hair up, do you think it would change what you can do with her face? And her hair was like out? Yeah, that's a good point, so if the hair without and kind of you know, it really changes the way he would pose the model when you have that sleek and I'm always drawn to this I've done a lot of editorials recently because of trends works that middle part sleek on by side, I'm really attracted to the symmetry of that because of the middle part, but then if you had hair that was kind of over and big girl perhaps braids you would be more drawing if you were doing a braid like this to kind of shoot it from the side and have that kind of side profile, so get hair and makeup really affect the way that you shoot as well, beautiful and, you know, so I don't mind crop in the head a little bit because I'm zooming in enough where I'm giving myself enough space that the eyes kind of in the center of the shot it's beautiful and can we try some with hands if you put your hands up to your face and you're really good with your hands on your face? Yesterday's again point yeah before and they kind of just move around with that. Yet down to a little beautiful people are talking yesterday about the reflector we're just using a regular white reflected this one son bounce, but honestly, any brand will do or tin foil from way ready we've improvised a lot less to say that can you look away just slightly as well? So when you are doing beauty, remember you're selling a product. You sell any of the accessories. It's more commercial. So what you want is kind of an engagement with the model because that personal viewing the image has to connect with the subject. So that's why I like to use the reflector because of engagement kind of enhances the catch light kind of attracts the viewers while just looked to me just slightly. Alright, take a few more hand down or hand just up here like that? Yep. No. Come out a little. Just more delicate with the hand. Point your finger again, kind of like, yep. And just press it down. Got it. All right, a few more straight. And then I think go ahead and put your hands up again up here. Finger relaxed a bit more yet and then chin down to shoulder. Relax your hand a little more yet beautiful. And I'm just beaming back out because as I was shooting up beauty, something about her hand kind of inspired me to want to try a portrait with it as well about zooming out. You mean taking a step back and take it a step at not seeming on the timeline. Okay face into this yet and chin down delicate hand again so it's kind of like that yet and just drop it to around here yep that's really pretty right till great just watched that aaron in two and they're looking over to here for me and chin down over to here just drop that finger a little bit one more and then one more here yet profile completely just look towards the light and want him down before you noticed I give myself so many options to choose from four particular editorial look book as many as you can give so pair look I usually shoot like a hundred images out of that there's always going to be one that the client see they're going to be happy with you or say I'm gonna be happy with this well wei have one question right here and then one more question online using a reflector you're not bouncing it back you're feathering it into the face reflector oh because yeah this light it's feathered itself when we have that hair instead of bouncing that yet if we're doing too much here we lose a lot of the contrast so you should come from the same side of the light yeah always the same side and kind of just have that kind of down and kind of about because we don't want it to be too strong remember the way I shoot I have a lot of soft light I like soft kind of things kind of very out over power and when even went in the sign if you tease reflector I never use even the gold side directly it's always just a hint of a bounce kind of coming in with that and then I think a final request from nadav e and a lot of other people out there would you mind doing some full body aunt talk about posing legs and kind of actually thiss background is definitely not set up for full body sure, but just for the sake of it we'll try it just so people can see what would do is just meet the light down here so it's a little more yet we just want to make sure we're filling in the legs yeah we're gonna get everything if we shoot okay keep ask me my fifty and how many scenarios and the type of work that you do are you doing full body when you're showcasing full out if it's o r what percentage of your work again, I think it comes down to the preference if I'm shooting beauty and always going to be focused up here when I do test I like to try and focus on portrait small because that's why I'm drawn to but then after remember that shoes can be a really good credit for a designer so it's important that sometimes you get those shoes in but when you are, if I was to use this on a full length and I had it set up, this would be completely fucked, like far down here I would even have possibly the model like on the floor kind of leaning on the floor, so I usually give myself options for certain outfits but for this particular outfit especially cause it's quite tight and boxy when you see it it's just going to start to look really strange. So what I like is when you've got a silhouette like this to try and shoot it standing and just play with shape as well. Now if he was shooting a gown, you could get away with more of that kind of curves and because the gown kind of falls into that kind of shape as well so we really just come down to the outfit t okay, I just want to see how much of a full length we can get in there just step over that way from ealing. Yeah, and then when we made that nike or is always going to be in the can, you kind of crossed over that and let's try that I'm just going to shoot it just to test the light it was still a little hard on the legs there I could bring the reflector in here see if we can bring completely straight for me again yep, you really read what we going to do is just pull it complete we down, okay, take it away a little bit, wait a bit more, spread out? Yeah, she didn't full length is not always my favorite when lex usually have a makeup artist for knees who's going to fill in this kind of lumps and bumps to kind of match the skin tone as well. So we've got to be aware with your team like what you shooting because they may have something like, you know, they don't want that particular shoe in because they repeated it before. So it's always good to have your stylist on set in certain situations where they can come in and say, you know, that's not a good credit that shouldn't go with that brand or you know, that doesn't particularly look good because sometimes someone else's eye is better than your own on set because you're so focused on shooting as well, and I have time to pack up by three tenths because we've moved the light away a little bit so we'd lose a bit of power. So this actually looks really nice, symmetrical, but what it trying to do this but then with the arms just kind of make something interesting because everything else is very straight, so what I look for in full length as they ever wanted quite symmetrical again, it comes down to what was shooting. What theme? What? The outfit. If this was a gown, I'd like it kind of from the side to show, but considering this has a really nice silhouette from the front, I kind of love that it's really? You know, just straight on strong let's try somewhere kind of legs over one kind of, you know, knee, slightly bend and one from the side as well. Just to see larry always going into kind of a different place when you do fall in front. You like, not just the standing. Yeah was trying bend down to give myself like, a better perspective. I try not to shoot too far down, like up towards the model. What I want is to try and get a little lower and that, like kind of I love a little bit below eye level perspective here, that's. Nice. Kind of lean into your hip. A little more like you. Full length is not my favorite with this particular outfit, but just for the sake of showing you guys what it's? Like completely straight again to me and in one arm kind of over yet. And then straight with your body like that.