Lesson Info
5. Posing Mature Males
Lessons
Lesson Info
Posing Mature Males
The biggest thing I wanna do is talk about the differences for posing an older gentleman, or maybe just no a teenager. So first of all, of course all the rules that apply to photographing a guy are the same. Like all the fundamentals that we talked about yesterday, there's just a couple more things to watch out for. Let me see if I can switch it over, alright so here's what we're looking for. Generally what you're looking for when photographing a mature guy is confidence, and relaxed. It's what I notice, I mean I was mentioning GQ, If you look at editorials in GQ, the younger guys have a lot more movements, and their poses are a lot cockier, and over the top cause they're compensating. Versus the older guys, they're cool and confident cause they knew who they are. They're in control of their life. So it's not that, I mean for teen guys, sure to go over the top it doesn't make them look insecure, it's just older guys, they've got themselves figured out, you know? They don't need to go o...
ver the top. Expression is key. So you can definitely do furrowed brow, you can do squinted, or as Peter Hurley says, squinched eyes, towards the camera, and I would do that a little bit more. Something that is perhaps more thoughtful. It's not about being like cool and comfortable, it's more about, here's my confidence interacting with the camera. Always direct their hands, always, always. I use a lot of chairs for mature guys. I have them sitting, I have them leaning, I have them crossing their legs, and when I pose their hands, I just make sure that it's not super distracting. That's, I mean really, the biggest differences are just I'm not gonna have a mature guy lying on the ground. It doesn't work, that's not what I would do. So don't feel what I've said is, okay so some of the variety of poses you can get are because you have standing, and sitting, and laying, and leaning, you don't need to lay every subject on the ground, and this would be an example where you wouldn't. So, I am going to take just a couple of shots with my handsome guy, ooh, and I want that chair please. But I'm also gonna use this one too. Okay, so, yeah actually just bring that one out for now. Hi, I already met you, but Hi (laughs). So, let's take a look at a couple different things. Alright perfect, so, put this in my pocket. So a couple things that I might do a little bit differently, is- and you can bring that over, perfect, is I am going to have you pose with this chair, okay? So I'm gonna have him kinda lean, kinda lean out, I know you're significantly taller than me, like a ton taller than me. I could also turn it around, and just not photograph this part to have him lean, or lean, or something like that. So will you just comfortably place your hands here for me, and let me move, perfect. So, he looks okay as long as he doesn't slouch too much, so I'm gonna have you just spread your, just a little bit more. Do what? Ah, step your legs apart just a little more. Good, that was good how you were doing it before. Just like that, perfect, that's great, that's fine. So let me just move this light, and because I have the chair faced straight towards camera, for me he's too straight on, so I'm just gonna come over here, just a little bit. So let me grab my camera, great. (camera clicking) Oh I like that, you're smiling, that's good. (camera clicks) Perfect, alright now I get like, my base shots. Hands, guys can raise their hand up if they want, that's fine, like I've got my super basic, but one pose that is often a go-to, I'm gonna have you give me something else if you don't mind. I want my chair, not this chair cause it's too high, just that chair, yeah, perfect. Switch, perfect. I'm gonna have you sit in that, and cross one leg over, and I'm gonna turn it just a little more towards the light. Alright so just be comfortable, cross your legs. Okay, and I wanna show, alright so, What I'm gonna have you do, is I'm gonna just have you comfortably put a hand here, and put another hand up to your face, okay? So why don't you just put this hand on your, that elbow on your knee, okay? And I'm gonna have you kinda like cup this, perfect. Okay, so I was looking for his hand, the reason I said perfect, so it's not here. People, I see that a ton for guys, is they'll have the hand here. I almost have them like, pinch their face. Almost, so it's off to the side instead of fists obscuring the face, it's softer than that, but not soft. So now, he looks comfortable, I have some kinda nice angles there, so let me take a look from the front, and see how I would want to tweak. Alright, so where do you want to put that arm that's comfortable, what feels comfortable? You wanna tuck it across? Do you wanna put it on your thigh, what's comfortable? That fine? Yep, that's comfortable. Okay, that's all I want, is just want him to be comfortable. So that looks great, sit up straighter. Good, great, perfect. And don't press on your face, just sit it there, perfect. (camera clicks) And I think it's just a little too far in front of his face, so just put your fist back a little bit. Yeah, right there, great. (camera clicks) And I'm gonna come in for one closer. (camera clicks) Good, perfect. Take a look. So I'm getting like, nice leading lines, circling around his face, so I'd get shots kinda like that. Notice the whole time, I'm like okay, I want you to be comfortable, are you comfortable, let's focus on being comfortable. Alright so now that I just had you sit down, I'm gonna have you stand back up. I've got my chair shots, I've got my close up shot. I always get my basics, one thing to be aware of, is shirts like this, I generally avoid crossing arms too much. When, if I wanna cross arms, instead of cross, will you cross your arms real quick for me, that doesn't look too bad, that did not actually wrinkle bad at all, but a lot of times depending on how the shirt fits, it wrinkles everywhere, so I avoid that, cause it doesn't look finessed. I would do an arms crossing shot more with a suit jacket, because then those wrinkles aren't as defined. Just something to think about, or if they're wearing a Polo shirt or something like that. So we're gonna do my standing shot. Will you put your hands, your ah, let's put your left hand in your pocket, and thumb out. Good, perfect, okay, so got hand here, right now he's kinda flat footed, so I'm gonna have you do, I'm gonna have you just look like you're stepping towards camera. Just kinda do step and lean, perfect. Alright, so let me take a look here. And so right now, straight on to camera. It's a little less dynamic, so what I'm gonna have you do, is I'm gonna have you turn to your right, good. And now lean out towards me, good, perfect. (camera clicks) And I'm going to have you do one more standing shot. Can you cross your hands in front like this. Okay, so you could also do hand shots like that if you don't have a chair, I can have him pose like this. And I'm not going, I see his hand right here, see how he's, doesn't know what to do with it, we make a fist and just squeeze it in, that's fine. And also, he doesn't have to do hand on face, you can just bring your hand here even, like, we'll give you a fist and bring it here. He can hold it out in front a little bit, if you have something he can hold on to, like glasses, he can hold it here. Who has glasses, can I steal someone's glasses? Can I steal your glasses? (laughing) So I'm gonna have you hold glasses in your hand, just like this, okay, off to the side just like this. Oh this way? Yeah do this way for a second, good, and hand up just a little bit more. Okay, so I would do something like that. Notice, so much cooler, calm and collected, when he has something to do with his hands. When he doesn't, you can see it. You can see the stress in someone's hands, so looks cool and debonair, excellent. (camera clicks) And this is an instance where I'm a little too short, Can I have my apple box for a second? Or a step stool is fine. Oh the apple box is right here. Okay, so what I wanna do is, I don't like the hand I can see, cause it doesn't have a purpose. So I'm gonna get up at a little bit taller angle, and can you freeze your glasses hand up just a little bit, perfect. And turn your body to your right, just a little bit. Great, and then bring that glasses hand towards me a little. Good. (camera clicks) Perfect. And I'm gonna just have you switch the glasses hand, so just switch hands totally, yep, just like that, and now flip them open, good. And now turn it so that the points of the glasses, the ends of them are towards you, and like rotate, yeah, okay, good. (camera clicks) So I would do things like that, I would tweak, have him hold something, and just I would do arms crossed, but not if he's wearing a shirt that wrinkles too much. So the biggest difference is, is I could still have him lean against a wall, I could still have him sit, I could have him, for example, on, where's that tall stool? Actually can you, give me the tall chair? And I will take those glasses back. I love your glasses, so Oh, thank you. Um, I'm gonna have you sit on this, and can you face it towards the light. Perfect, Great. And when you sit and put one leg up on that bottom railing, yeah, okay. So, I can of course have him put his elbow back on the chair and kinda do leaning poses. Look comfortable, all I'm just thinking is like, okay, no scrunching, elongate, what can I do? Cause when he sat, everything gathers. If I can elongate him, but still make him look cool, that's what I want, great. And I'm gonna have you cross that arm over to your, yeah, like wherever is comfortable there is fine. Great. (camera clicks) And let's try one just like this. (camera clicks) And I'm gonna shoot from right here. And can you look, at the light for me? Let's try from right here. (camera clicks) Good.
Ratings and Reviews
Elena Khlystun
Excellent tutorial, Lindsay is the best teacher!
a Creativelive Student
Very good - just wish I'd realised it was actually part of the posing 101 big course by Lindsey - (which I already owned) and not a stand-alone course before buying it!
Chris
Very clear guidelines on What To Do.....thank You!
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