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Lesson Info

Posing Same Sex Couples

We're going to talk about same sex couples. Oooooh! (laughs) I get this question all the time, and I have several answers for everybody, okay. How do you photograph a same sex couple, different, or the same, or what do you do? All right, so here's my five guidelines. First of all, see couples posing, it's the same. (class laughs) I mean the guidelines are the same but really what it comes down to is, is there clearly a couples dynamic? Analyze it. So for example, if the couple is really touchy feely, then do really touchy feely poses. If they don't look so touchy feely, start off with less touchy feely poses and then you can get a little bit more romantic. Okay, so the big question that I get, is what happens if there isn't clear gender roles? And so, specifically today, there's not someone that you look at and say, oh I know how to pose them. So really, just don't go for the really, like, you're with the couple, don't go for like hand on hip, hand on shoulder, okay? Go for the pos...

es where's there's not clearly feminine, masculine movement. So what I would say, if you're struggling to determine the dynamics, pose kind of like friends but have more points of contact. Always have the heads tilted together. I mean, so if you don't quite know what to do, just pose less romantically, put hands together, and then until you feel comfortable, and you start seeing how they interact with each other, then just keep building. I personally have like no issues, I'm comfortable immediately, but if it's something for you, that you're like, okay, I've never done this before, I don't know what to do, start simple and then just say okay, I'm gonna go a little more romantic, see if they were comfortable. It's totally fine. So, that's made it for my first three. Follow the couples posing guidelines. Analyze the couple's dynamics. Pose king of together like friends then get more romantic. Vary eye contact. The same thing as before, tilting heads, closing eyes, looking at camera, looking down at one subject, the other person's eyes closed, eyes open. Do that whole thing around in a circle. And then, of course, still avoid the flat feet. So that doesn't mean that I'm saying of course, you know if somebody's gotta be... I don't mean flat feet like that, I just mean, again, two people side by side doing this, there's no dynamic to it. So keep that in mind as well. So, who do I have first? Yeah? Hi guys! Hi. How are you? Good. Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you. What's your name? Scott. Scott? Steven. Hi Scott and Steven. (class applauds lightly) All right, guys, you ready? [Scott and Steven] Yeah. I heard that you guys are super cute and gonna be really easy to pose. Mm hm. Okay, awesome (laughs) (class laughs) Yeah, I can tell, okay awesome. So I'm gonna move you guys this way just a little bit. And now turn your hips towards each other. Perfect, that's great. And I'm gonna have you put your hand right here on him and your hand on his shoulder. Great, and now put your back shoulders together. Back shoulders like this. Yeah, and then just turn in a little bit more and heads together. Okay, now, your hand looks a little stressed out there. Yeah, perfect, okay. So, for example, to put this blatantly, perhaps if you're going for really feminine, you'd be like, you know soft here, or like real soft. Okay, so just hand on shoulder if you don't know what to do. It's not saying anything in particular, okay? And it's not like hand on hip. It's like hand on waist, okay? Sorry, do you want to be like, oh but, do you mind if I touch you? Sorry. I've been having, posed people all week. (Scott speaks indistinctly) Yeah, I was gonna say that but I thought I'd give the sense that I've been touching people all week. And then of course, heads tilted together. Great, perfect. All right, I'll just move my... And notice they do have their weight on each foot, but they're not really flat-footed. They do have a little bit of movement, like they're not even weight on each hip. They do have kinda weight forward or backwards. That's okay. Let me raise this a little bit more. Perfect. Try not to trip here. And can I have a posing stool ready, or the back, I'm gonna need a tall stool and a chair, both. Okay, great. (shutter clicks) Perfect. (shutter clicks) Good. (shutter clicks) All right, and so, I'm gonna have you just put your foot forward just a little bit, your left foot forward just a tiny bit. Good. Just the way he was standing, was a little bit opened, and I just want body language little bit more together. Okay, and this hand still looks a little unhappy. Yeah, just like right there. Shook it. Yeah, exactly, shake it out, there you go. Perfect, perfect, perfect, perfect. Okay. Perfect. (shutter clicks) Great, now. (shutter clicks) All the same things apply. So if you wanna go kind of romantic... You ready to go romantic? Okay, all right. Now what I want you to do is can you grab the side of his face? Perfect. And you look right at me. Good, and I want to have both of you close your eyes. Now, wiggle your fingers. You have stressed fingers. Okay, okay, good. Just like that, perfect. All right, close your eyes. (shutter clicks) Great. (shutter clicks) Okay, so now. Other poses that you could do. Could you face straight forward? Great. Okay, you're gonna put your hand in your pocket. Front pocket, thumb out. Perfect. What you're gonna do is you're gonna wrap your arm around his arm. Perfect. And put your hand on his hand. This hand on that hand. Perfect, okay, great. Tilt your heads together. Right, it's all the same, right? Looks good, lets go you guys look great. Perfect. (shutter clicks) Great. (shutter clicks) And, if you think that maybe they look a little separated... Can you kick your right leg out a little bit and kick your left leg forward. Ah, towards him. Good. Okay, so now I'm just overlapping them a little bit more. Can you put your weight back towards him and your weight forward towards him. Okay, so just a little bit more interaction. Good. (shutter clicks) Great. (shutter clicks) Perfect. All right, so let's try with a prop. Would you, can I have the tall chair first? Great. Okay, I'm just gonna grab something over here. (paper rustling) All right, perfect. Okay, so I wanna have that face backwards for me. Oh, actually I lied, the other way, sorry. I always do that. All right, so both of you lean on that, one on each side. Perfect. Okay, great. And so what I have you do is I wanna have you grab onto his arm. Perfect, and I wanna have you put your other hand up. Good, all right. So can you make yourself a little shorter? Who knows, not super tall. It's just with your legs like that. That's fine, okay. And so whatever's comfortable, can you put your hand this way, perhaps? Or, you know what I mean, like I kind of move it around. Something like that, can you put... Let's do, too many stacked hands, yeah, that would be fine. Can you put your hand like holding hands there? Perfect, I mean like, so I'm just gonna like, all right, move around. Let's do both of you with hands like this. Okay, just like that first. Okay, and now put your hand here. Good, and now tilt your heads together. Okay, something like that. And I'm going to have you put your back arm behind him. Because multiple points of contact. They're both doing this, I want to show that they're together. And now can you move your hips that way just a little bit. Okay, so just watch for your body language that they're not like... You know. Getting too close, perfect. That looks great. (shutter clicks) And I'm gonna have you hide that hand so I can't see it. Good, perfect. (shutter clicks) Great. (shutter clicks) And you can you put your hand a little bit higher on his arm? Good. (shutter clicks) You guys look really cute. (shutter clicks) Awesome. Uh oh, it's a little dark, let me take one more picture. (shutter clicks) And chins out and down just a little bit. Good. (shutter clicks) Great. Okay, perfect, we're going through these fast, so I just wanna see if you have any questions. This is all making sense? It's all the same. (class laughs) Just don't, I mean, I don't mean it to mock anybody that doesn't know how to... You don't have to have super defined gender roles, just multiple points of contact, make sure the body language is showing that they like each other, heads tilted together, things like that. So, what I'm gonna do is I would-- One quick note from the chatroom, that was, it was kinda funny your comment about analyzing body language and seeing kind of the relationship based on the actions. It was really funny, and I hate to say I forget your names, but the gentleman on the left, when you told them to snuggle up, put his hand a little bit on the butt. (Lindsay and class laugh) And that was kind of a really good cue for some of the people in the chatroom, they were like, okay, so that's a cue to how the relationship works, and that's awesome to see. And it's also like, if you have, like immediately, if you tell somebody to pose romantically, and you can tell, they're doing what you said. They're putting the hand on face. They're putting hand on chest, but they're leaning away. You know that they're uncomfortable. So maybe just back off and you wait for that a little bit. You know, maybe you just do, so this is for any couple, though. Like I've photographed tons of couples where I say, okay I want you to grab his chin and kinda pull him in for a kiss, and go just before the kiss, and they're like, mmmm, they don't, we don't need that. Okay, never mind. (class laughs) Okay, right, okay. And the thing that again, I would point out is that it goes back to what you said, the same analysis of the relationship applies to anyone. Yeah, definitely. Like, you know, there are going to same gender, different gender couples, any relationship where people are more or less comfortable kissing or being romantic in different levels. So it's all about just analyzing the relationship regardless of the subject. And Lindsay, you would approach this the same way as any other couple where you would talk to them about the posing beforehand as well. Yeah, and so this is what I said, it's kind of a balance, you've gotta figure out what you're comfortable with. I've discussed this with a lot of photographers, afraid of encouraging their subjects to look at Pinterest because then they expect certain things. But honestly they all look at Pinterest. I mean if they're getting married in particular, they're looking at Pinterest, you know. So I would just say if there's any particular poses or shots that you've seen that you love, my take on it is, show me. Just so I have an idea of what you're going for. Oh, you want sprawled out with me shooting on a ladder straight down. I mean I still always do what I want, but it gives me an idea of the direction to go. So, okay. Cool. I actually want a tall stool. Can I like steal one of... No like where they gonna put their feet? Can I steal one of those? Yeah, Russell, sorry. Okay. Excuse me, I'll take this for a second. And, perfect. So all the rules apply about, still, how do you pose guys? All right, so, I'm gonna have... You. I just chose you by height. I'm gonna have you sit. Put one leg up on, yeah you have a thing over there. And put your front leg, your left leg, up on that, it's on that side. There's only one rung on that side. Good, put it up higher. Higher rung. Good, okay, perfect. And so I'm gonna have you come over here. So I'm gonna pose him like a guy, remember, like uneven feet. I'm gonna have you lean out on one elbow. Right, what would you comfortably do? Like arm down, just kinda lean out on it. Okay. And give me like a half fist. Okay, perfect. All right, so, for example, I pose him, it's nice, the suave guy pose, right. Too cuteish, okay. Just make sure that height-wise that he's not slouching, he's okay. Just always elongate the back a little bit, that would just mean leaning forward a little. He was fine, so don't worry, wasn't critiquing. So then okay. Well where can you involve another person? I could, for example, stand somebody here. Makes sense, you know. Something like that. I could stand over on this side, which I'm gonna do, I'm gonna have you stand on that side. Perfect. Put your hand in your front pocket. Great. I want to have you, actually I might... Multiple points of contact, right? Put your hand on his arm. Great. Spread your legs a little bit more so you're a little shorter. And tilt your head to his head. Great. And you can put your arm around. That's perfect. Something like that. And I'm gonna have you put your arm around just even more, just a little bit more. Okay. So multiple points of contact. Posing like guys, except for heads together. Multiple points of contact, same thing. So I'm only gonna do one more, and then (shutter clicks) we'll switch it up. (shutter clicks) And can you sit up just a little straighter? Like a little bit better posture. Great. And you don't have to put your head all the way down, it doesn't actually have to touch, just whatever's comfortable. (shutter clicks) And right here, okay. (shutter clicks) Okay, perfect. Ooh, that is out of focus. (men laugh) Well done. I have my lens on manual. Okay, good. Let see if I can put it on (mumbles) Again... (shutter clicks) And one more. (shutter clicks) Okay, so I'm gonna just do one more pose to show you guys. But, all make sense? Okay, can I have you guys stand up? All right, and so I would do the same thing. I could also do the, we're talking about couples, everybody go watch the couples section, the making the rounds. I could do that same thing since it takes so quick. So, can you stand there with your hand in your pocket. Good. And so I could have him, will you stand in front here with your back towards him. Perfect. And now lean back, you lean forward. Okay, now turn around and face him. Perfect. And now look back over at me but but turn your shoulders towards... That looked good. Something like that. All right, now stand a little bit more on the side. Just perfect, like that. Heads together. Okay, great, put your hand up to the side of his face. Good, okay now stand behind. (class laughs) Okay, and lean forward just a little. Okay, right. Hand here. All good, I'm gonna take one more picture 'cause they look cute. Come this way a little bit. Scoot this way a little bit. All right, good. And notice proportion. You don't want him completely hiding behind. I mean they're equal parts, you don't want him to be hidden. So, just do this. (shutter clicks) Great. All right, perfect, okay. So what I really was gonna do besides saying that was posing on the ground. So, step out for just a second. I want you to plop on the floor comfortably, sit how if you were watching TV. Okay, perfect. That's pretty good pose, right? Not so bad. So what's wrong with it so far? (several students speak indistinctly) All right, so turn to the camera. So can you rotate to your right? (class laughs) (Lindsay laughs) Good job, guys! (a few students laugh) I wasn't like, criticizing you. Okay, all right, cool. And just scoot your whole body this way. All right, great. So now, I'd say okay, well where can I pose another person? And how can I pose another person? So I could pose somebody on this side, for example. I could pose somebody like this. I could pose somebody like this. I could pose somebody the other side, so I pose one person and I build around. So I'm just gonna say for now, do what's comfortable. Just go snuggle. Perfect. Okay, so that would be totally fine, but what I would say instead is maybe put your hand on his leg. Okay, multiple points of contact. But now you look a little bit... Yeah, that's fine. So you look a little slouchy. Yeah. And can you put your knee that way just a tiny bit. Good, great. All right. (shutter clicks) And don't put so much weight on your back arm. It makes your arm look muscular but it already is, so it's okay. (shutter clicks) And tilt your heads towards each other just a little bit. Good. And, right now, I'm gonna have you turn, can you actually put, is it possible for you to put your forearm on his leg and his knee? Good, perfect. (shutter clicks) Great. Okay. So you get the idea. One more shot, can you put your hand on your leg meeting his hand. Great, yep, right there, that's it. (shutter clicks) Okay. So, I am going to photograph two women unless we have questions. Yeah, just a really quick question before you move on. Explore Discover Share was the username. Would you still rotate one subject around the other? You usually do kind of establish one person and then rotate around. Do you still do that with same gender couples? Yeah, but I might do both ways (laughs) Like rotate one around the other, and then the other. It doesn't really matter. So a little dosey doe. Right. And I usually can tell who's maybe a little bit more comfortable posing. So maybe one person looks better cupping the other person's face just because he's more comfortable with that. Or maybe he just wants to be a little bit more into it. Is like with any couple, often, like I've had plenty of times where the guy in a wedding is like, okay, no I wanna go do a pose over here, and she's like, oh my feet hurt, you know, and it's really cute. So I just figure out kinda who's more into the posing and pose them more. Hey Lindsay, I'm... Real quick, Cale asked about the gentlemen here with the 90 degree hand to arm The wrist. I didn't include it in the shot. Yeah, okay So it was okay because I cropped it out. Perfect. If I included it, I would have had him put less weight on his hand. Great, thank you. I just figured it was kind of a wider shot than he needed. And it's a nice support. Great. Yeah, exactly. So let's say thank you to our models. (class applauds) And, I think we're good to move on to our next. Okay, great, okay. I know these people. (men and class laugh) Hey! All right, can you come up here for me? 'Cause people always ask, our last couple were a real, live couple, and these folks are wonderful employees of Creative Life, are not an actual real couple. I told them I wouldn't do making out shots for them, but then they don't know that I don't ever do making out shots. (scattered laughter) You know that, you don't know that. What don't I know? I don't take making out photos. Usually. People don't make out pretty. (class laughs) I'm just sayin'. They usually don't. Okay, so now that you've come up here, you can still stand there, but I still gotta go through my little intro. So, what we're going to cover now is how to photograph same sex couples, female. Okay, there's not really like a difference. Oh, that went forward too far. Actually, just go back. Go back to the same sex couple again. Okay, so my whole point was, I was gonna have two slides. The whole point was, same thing! (laughs) Like it's supposed to be identical. So, there you go, same thing. So it's not like you're liking at those two, most people go like, so is there clear gender roles? No, okay, oh well, you know, no big deal. You don't have to pose somebody super feminine, someone super masculine. And so I'm just gonna run through... We saw a bunch of poses already that would work the same. Great. Okay, so, now, I'm gonna tease Heather. Okay, no, you're okay. I want to tease her 'cause she's doing this. Okay. So first of all, what did I say that you never want to happen. (scattered laughter) (man speaks indistinctly) Okay, and the other thing is, it shows that you're stressed. (laughs) I'm tormenting you, I love you, I love her, she like makes a great deal of this possible. So yeah, so she's actually not just like somebody who works up in the office that I don't know, like I rely on her for this, for real. Anyway, okay, so I can do a lot of things. You can absolutely pose just like they did by themselves. The only thing I would do is I might have your hand up just a little tiny bit. This hand, awesome. That is a like amazing posed hand. Have you modeled? No I just love Heather. Ohhhhh! Okay, cool, will you tilt your head towards each other just a little bit. And Heather, you're a little bit flat-footed. Just comfortably put your weight one way or the other. Like, yeah, that's fine. Just that it's not... Perfect, let me take one photo here. Great. And I'm gonna have you turn your head towards each other, and you can just close your eyes. (shutter clicks) And now look at me. And be happy. Good. (shutter clicks) That was a good happy. (shutter clicks) Right, awesome. So we can do making the rounds. Okay? So I'm going to have you stand behind just a little bit, and you are going to put your back right up against her. Perfect, just like that. Great. You're gonna put your hand soft on your hip. Just like that. You're gonna put your hand just a little bit further over. Perfect. Heads together. Just like that. Okay, we're gonna do that. And hide your back hands for me. Oh, sorry, that was Heather. Heather, could you hide your left hand for me? Great. (shutter clicks) Well, I'm looking here and I don't have too many multiple points of contact. So let me try... Can you put your hand up to her hand. You're uh... Yeah, okay, and just soft. Good, just like that. Okay, they can do that. And I'm gonna have you put your hand just a little bit lower. Perfect, okay. (shutter clicks)] And turn your head just a little bit this way. And you are slouching a little. So, spread your legs a little bit, comfortably. Perfect. And, can you stick your butt back just a little bit. Good, 'cause she's just doing a little bit of this, 'cause they don't know each other, so it's not natural to like, you know, shake around. (scattered laughter) So, (laughs) she's like oh, it's so natural for me. I can tell this. Good. And one more. (shutter clicks) Okay, now turn around and face her. Perfect. Put your hand up on her shirt, left hand right there. Yep. Look at this body language right now, okay. (class laughs) Okay, they are literally like, eww, stay away! Okay, come closer. Come closer, right okay. Put your hand soft right here, hand on her hip. Good, and look this way and tilt your heads together. Good, perfect. Good. (shutter clicks) Good, and all the same like romantic good work. So what we did before, Heather is doing this way, Kit is standing this way, you can do that. All right behind, gonna have you face forward, Heather. Kit go behind here. Oh, sorry. Whoa, whoa, okay. And can you make yourself super short for one sec? Like that, good. And what I'm gonna have you do is put both of your hands real soft. Just like that, great. And come around this way a little bit. Proportion, she's hidden. So come that way, great. Just like that, heads tilted together. Perfect. And you close your eyes and you look right at me, Heather, chin out and down. (shutter clicks) Put your hand up and touch her arm. Multiple points of contact. Other hand. Great, up a little bit higher. Great. And then let me just right here. Yeah, no I was figuring it out still. And right now, what is she doing? She's tucking her chin in. Will you stick your chin out a little bit. Good, perfect. And chin out and down. Heather just down a little bit more. There you go, good. You're kinda doing chin up just a little. (shutter clicks) And serious, both of you. Okay, Heather, close your eyes. Turn your head towards her. Good, and Kit, back up just a little bit. Good. (shutter clicks) Okay now, face each other one more time. Good. And I'm just going to have you... (class laughs) Gonna have you put your hand on her face. Good, can you put your hand on her hip. Okay, now look like you know each other. A little bit closer, good. And just soft hand... Yeah, exactly. Soft hand, I'm gonna tuck your fingers just a little bit. And now you are gonna tilt your head to the right and just move in just a little bit. Heather's head to the right, just like that. Good, good, close your eyes. (shutter clicks) Okay, let me do one more pose, 'cause then we'll wrap up with this. Right, I'm gonna have them do a sitting pose. So I can find what I was gonna show them. Okay, perfect. So what I'm gonna have you do... Would you take a seat? On the floor? Yep, be comfortable, whatever's comfortable. How would you normally sit? Okay. Rotate. Great, okay, now do something where you're sitting forward. And could you put your... Okay, good. Bend your knee maybe? Can you bend your back knee? Can you like bend it up? Like that? Yeah, some people can't. I mean that sincerely, some people you ask them to bend their knees and they can't. Perfect. Put your right hand there, like comfortably. Perfect, okay. So I can do something like that. And with you... So I'm like, where can if fit somebody in? I can put somebody on this side, or I can also maybe come right here, so I can kind of tilt heads in. Trying to figure out where would somebody sit. So would you just kneel here-ish. Whatever's kind of comfortable. And whatever gets you so that your head can be close to hers. Maybe lean on your hip. Maybe like that. Good, but kick your feet out to the side, 'cause right now, she has no leg. (scattered laughter) Don't worry, I'm not looking, not looking. Okay, so let me just lower this. Okay? Awesome. Perfect, okay great. And so I'm gonna have you open up your shoulders a little bit towards her, just a little bit. Great, and right now, she's leaning back, so she looks reduced. So yeah, just lean forward, perfect. And now, head can go that way. And don't, you can do a closeup shot here. If she's laying, I wouldn't do full length with her head laying. If I were doing a full length I might have it a little bit further back, 'cause it breaks up this strange extreme angle. If it's close it doesn't bother me. So, let me do a closeup like that, you can rest your head just like that. But you need to sit up a little straighter. Yeah, okay, good. Okay. Tilt your head back just a little. (shutter clicks) And can you bring your chin out just a little bit more? Yeah, right there, good. And don't actually rest your head. Yeah, right there. (shutter clicks) Heather, tilt back just a tiny... Good, right there, I like that. (shutter clicks) And last one, can you take your hand and put it on her hand, put it back where it was again. Good, just like that. And actually, can you, no that's perfect, okay, good. Both of you sit up a little straighter and lean toward me a little bit more. Chin out, down until it's towards each other. So good. And chin up just a little bit more, perfect. One (shutter clicks) Two and three (shutter clicks) Okay, perfect. All right, so I would do, as you can tell, it's really all just the same thing. How's your body language, your heads tilted together, multiple points of contact, are the fingers stressed? You can tell... Heather was more, Heather was a little more stressed. So we get it like, confer, you know. She was all about the posing, so when I'm like, okay, I need you to lean... That's how I would decide, I would figure out who I need to pose more. Whoever's more willing. So, (woman laughs) not to call her out on that, but I'm just saying. Okay, so great. (class laughs) Okay.