Lessons

Lesson Info

Posing Mature Females

What we are going to start with is going to be photographing a mature woman, meaning maybe just not somebody who's a high school senior for example. We have a beautiful model, she's gorgeous. So creative obviously was nice to me. They stated off with some nice looking subjects for me. But let me just start with the absolute essentials for photographing a mature woman. First of all, see women's posing. we already talked about this. Go watch all of that, but these are the other considerations you have. Number two is good posture with a quiet confidence. That's what you're aiming for. Generally mature woman you're not aiming for it being all about the curves. You're not aiming for it to be dramatic posing just flattering, soft and that kinda melds into another one we have here, so good posture. Number three, this is a caution. If you're photographing an older women and I'm even aware of this. You more quickly show age in your hands, okay. So a lot of women, especially in movies they look ...

great, but they have more wrinkles or veins in their hands. So when you're posing hands be aware of how you're posing them, and how prominent they are in the photograph. So I wouldn't for example, likely for a much older women, pose with her hand here, because it is going to draw attention to all of that. But I would however, if I wanna involve hands, tuck it behind her hair, so I can still see her arm, I can still involve hands in the pose but it is not drawing attention. The next thing that I would say is, you do want curves, that is still photographing a women but just not exaggerated, like we're gonna to do in an upcoming segment. Subtle curves mean you still want shape, you still want negative space. Everything we talked about in posing women just kinda it subtle. It doesn't need to be over the top. And then this last one. Each subject that you have, you need to analyze differently. And you need to photograph differently. So it all depends on age, it all depends on the size of the person, like, I'm giving you all these tools so you can analyze your subject and try to flatter them. So number five, it depends on the subject, but more so than usual, you would have your subject lean their head out towards the camera. Often as someone ages, the skin underneath their chin, underneath their jaw gets looser and so you don't want to see that. You want to elongate it and make it tighter. So just keep that in mind which a mature subject, you're gonna want to make them look younger, or not to draw attention to age. You don't want hands to be dominant in the frame and you want a little bit of a lean with that chin to tighten everything up. So those would be my two big considerations but then that being said, pretty much everything else is going to be the same. So let me grab my belt and my camera and I'm gonna bring out our lovely subject and can I have a chair please? Thank you. Hi, nice to see you again. I love her look, beautiful, or my gosh. So actually can I have a chair, chair, the black one. I'm gonna have her take a seat there, perfect. Okay, perfect, all right would you take a seat for me and I'm gonna bring you bring the light over, great. Okay, so when photographing your subject first thing is not leaning back, when you're leaning back you're working against yourself. So would you just lean out towards me really far. Perfect, just like that, great. And depending on how wide of a crop you have, make sure that in this instance the hands aren't held tight to sides where the arms are because then it's mergered. Just depends on what you're shooting. But I'm gonna show you for example if I do photograph her hands, I'm gonna tuck it behind her neck, so actually use your right hand for me. Take it behind your neck and by default just drag your elbow down real loose. Just real loose in front of you, great, perfect. All right, and I'm gonna have you lean towards me even more and you can use the other hand, I'm just photographing your face, so you can use it to prop up that arm if you need to. Whatever you need. Right, let's give this test. I'm gonna actually move this in just a tiny bit, perfect. (camera clicks) All right, and let me get one, ya, that's a genuine smile, that's perfect. (camera clicks) Great, and rotate just a little bit further from the camera. Great, and lean towards me just a little more. And pull that elbow in front a little, yeah, great. And a little less tilt, yeah so. Again, we don't feel like the high school senior. But just not as severe with a mature woman 'cause it doesn't need to be cutesy but still like a subtle, it's a subtle tilt. Just everything's a little less severe as you get older. So perfect, (camera clicks) great, (camera clicks) All right, so I'm just turn you towards me just a tiny bit, you can move your hips too, good. (camera clicks) Okay, so. Next thing, I'm gonna have you stand up and let's say, I wanna talk about body language with arms real quick. I want you to cross your arms for me. Let's say that we're photographing, she's good, photographing, maybe it is a business woman. She's wearing a suit and this is going to be her business profile. How you cross your arms is a lot of body language communicating to somebody. So if you show no hands, like this, this means closed off, that's what it communicates is don't approach me, it's says I'm not approachable. If you have fists visible, that means you're kinda business, still want it to be soft. In general for a woman you want kinda soft hands when your arms are crossed. So I'm still gonna have you arms crossed, and you're great, and I'm gonna actually have you overlap a little bit more. Just like, yeah, instead of across, up. Yep, perfect, just like that, great, see, so I was looking for, and this is what I do. Just so you all know, I do exactly this. So instead of hands are crossed this is that same thing where I said up and down is static, straight across is static so I was trying to get her to tilt her hands up a bit and this is inviting. This is saying, I mean business, but I'm not tough. I want to communicate, that's basically what it means. So I'm gonna have you put weight on one hip whatever one you're more comfortable with, and turn a little bit towards the light. And we'll have you step just a little bit closer towards the camera, and then lean towards me. Good, (camera clicks) perfect. (camera clicks) So that would be for me, business woman profile photograph, something like that. Okay great you can relax. I would not pose a mature woman on the floor. It doesn't make sense to me. Sitting, if I were doing a sitting shot I would absolutely pose on a chaise or a couch where I could have her set her arms and lean but I'm assuming not everybody has a chaise or a couch so I would do that on a chair. Can I have that chair again? Just that one more time. So I'm gonna have you sit and just lean on that. It is not the best chair for this. And I'm gonna bring it out this way just a little bit, thank you. So I'm gonna have you sit and lean, okay. And notice if she sits right up against it she's gonna be like this. She'll probably have to put your bum on here, okay. Perfect, and cross your arms over just a little bit more, something like that, great. Okay now just one thing, see she looks nice and comfortable that's fine, but she's leaning back a little bit. So just lean your chest forward, great. (camera clicks) and relax your shoulders, good. (camera clicks) Perfect. And are you feeling comfortable, what do you need to, just put your butt up maybe a little? Okay, good, so I just shift as I see it's a little bit of tension, great. (camera clicks) Good, (camera clicks) perfect. I'm gonna do one more close-up shot. (camera clicks) Perfect. Okay so now, could I have my fake wall please? So I'm gonna finish up real quick. I want to do my five shots. I definitely would, I'll have you stand up. I definitely would pose my subject on a wall. So we're gonna fake a wall because I've made it complicated over here. I'm gonna pass this to you for a sec. So we are going to fake a wall. In other words, don't really lean on it, just kinda lean on it, okay, all right. And scoot it back towards the background, excellent. Okay so what you're looking for if your subject is leaning on a wall is you do not want everything flat up against the wall. So what I'm actually gonna have you do and this is something that I originally saw from Sue Bryce, so you can check out on of her classes for this. Is that I'm actually gonna have you rest the back of your wrist on your butt, okay, and maybe like, right there towards me, yeah. Now pop out your elbow, like let me see it more this way, good. Good, and I'm just gonna have you lean the elbow on the wall just a little bit, good, and then I wanna have you put your hand maybe in your hair, something like this, perfect. All right, so, what I'm gonna do and she can't really lean, 'cause it's not really a wall. All right so right now what I'm seeing is okay, her hand that is posed towards me, soften it. So will you kinda just stroke down your neck a little bit just real soft, okay, good. So see how much nicer, oh I was in the way. See how much nicer that is than she was before. It's real soft, relax your shoulders. Okay now, I'm gonna have you kinda lean on that wall just a bit with your elbow, good. And the last part is she's kinda leaning back so I'm gonna have her tilt, tilt, tilt. And what you can is actually kick your weight on your back hip, okay, good. And so you can tilt, tilt, tilt and instead of elbow all the way out I'm just gonna pull it this way just a little bit. Lean back a little. But I just don't want her to fall. Okay perfect, sort of elbow out, keep your elbow down, good. Right there, so lean towards me, lean, lean, lean, lean, lean. (camera clicks) And relax your shoulders. (camera clicks) Good and can you put your hands on your hips? Good, and pop it out this way, good, and relax your shoulders, good. (camera clicks) Perfect. (camera clicks) And relax just just a little bit more, good. Perfect, right there and put your head this way (camera clicks). Great, okay perfect. Oh, one blank, hold on. We're gonna un-blank you. (camera clicks) Perfect. (camera clicks) okay, so I would do poses up against the wall so to have negative space but not this, a bit more like this, or like this, or like this, or like this, or like this. Something with a little bit of negative space. Not too straight forward towards camera. And if I do choose it straight forward towards camera give myself a little bit of curve. So that's what I'm gonna end on, just a little bit of curve. So what you're gonna do is you're gonna put this hand on your hip and put that on the wall. And I'm gonna have you cross your right knee over. Cross over just like that, perfect. I'm gonna take a look, great, put that elbow on the wall. Great, and then just go like this with your other hand. Perfect, and lean way towards me, great. So this would be much more kinda fashion. Instead of, sort of like, go like this, kinda drag it across your chest, good. And a little bit more relaxed, right there. Okay perfect. (camera clicks) Great, and so this would be as far as I would go with curve and pose. This would be the furthest I would go, personally. Because now it's like I'm trying to get into kinda fashiony and too much shape, so everything else I would do subtle. Subtle arms, subtle hands, this would be as far as I would go. That's it, okay, so let's move on to the next session. Thank you. Thank you.