Lessons

Lesson Info

Posing the Groom

Three goto go to poses for the groom every successful photographer is a few simple ideas that working into okay liza did it this I'm going to show you right here how you compose a group and how to do it it's very, very very easy. Okay here's the first step here okay um one straddle the chair lean forward okay, so basically you get a chair because there's chairs all over the place we may be able to use this share it might be a little bit high but he's tall I like to get something a little bit lower perhaps if we could, uh use one of these chairs here. Okay, let's see what the oops we won't get into that but that's another type of situation here where we're doing that uh let me see if I gently lean pour on charity, keep neck elongated. Okay, so how I do it is I usually get a chair like this, okay? And people are most comfortable when they're resting on something. So the rule is this if somebody feels up type and um kind of not into it get them to sit or lean on something and then they'll...

feel it will be a lot easier for them so we're sitting here and it's a natural rest okay? Now if I have him sit here a lot and put all his weight, guess what? My neck starts to get in there right but if I just haven't gently lean on it like this it is going to keep that neck elongated and forward let's go look a lot better than hunched thiss okay um and then another rule knows towards light of course on here this here he's sitting death is what I had him here doing like that lean forward nose towards the light shoulder toward the camera need towards the camera okay so this se were doing this okay if I'm doing this here what I like to do is what looks masculine is the head pointing towards the lower shoulder okay so if I haven't leaning and if I haven't leaning up slightly to the right doesn't this shoulder go up so if I go here oh is kind of like feminine right this is what you do with a woman like this what I call the cute sti right oh we look cute don't women do that all the time but you want to look masculine you go opposite so you can have him either so you could just okay so here's the camera here right if I just turn the my body this way doesn't this shoulder look higher than this already right so I could just slightly turn it to the camera here leaning gently forward and then my head goes down this way right so let's get joe because it looks a lot better than me doing that so I slightly angle the chair, right? So that way, it automatically this shoulder is taller than this shoulder when you look at it through the camera, right, let's exaggerate it. So right. So that will give an appearance, especially if you're shooting down. So let's, just move it just a little bit right there. Okay? Yeah, if I have it now, this is not very much room on that chair. So if you kind of lean up this way, like, just put all your weight on this leg here, just lean a little bit that look down that way, that even exaggerated, even maur if you want to. Now you're gonna run into a problem with jacket and all that kind of stuff, but right and so he's relaxed, right? He's, his head is angled down towards the lower shoulder. I'm getting this line right here. I'm going to get the light, and I'm gonna put it right by his nose. I could divine this other shite is gonna look very masculine. This will work every single time. Right? Thanks. John wayne had not the direction of the face with the lord because the nose goes towards the light and the angles down there. Okay, okay. So let's try this if you can sit on this chair let's go to this post so you're gonna sit death that doesn't give us much room but if if you consider as far back as possible on that because I want to get you leaning forward right and just turn your head this way that way can you kind of lean a little bit more on this on that way? Yeah, okay, turn your head that way I've gotta break that line a little bit more, right? Right that relax. Close your eyes, okay? Just open him, look at me and just breathe through your mouth feel a bit like you're breathing through a straw right there and smile that bam right there see that he looks good doesn't he hears what looking I'm telling he looked at right he looks good hey, you cheating? I'll start and so it works no matter what ok, so that's what you do that's the first one let's go do the second one see that same rules there seem that okay standing okay this is how you do it pop in the hip he's just telling the pop the hip feet forty five degrees to the camera pop the hip away from the camera lean towards the hip see how his head is leaning ok, so you rotate the hip pop it that way and you lean towards the lower shoulder and he's gonna look masculine okay so if we have where's the camera at here right so if if hey rotating the hip right so popping the hip out like this I slightly here here I am towards the camera if I rotate slightly this way doesn't this shoulder look higher than this shoulder already so I've got that edge sha bam tio my head down and ford works every single time okay so so you got that so here's the camera you tilt him off to the side you pop that hip well actually you know what the good sides the other side because you're shooting into my part okay so everybody's got nothing so here it is that's my good side right so slightly off to the side bam tilt down head is going to the lower shoulder okay and what kind of trick? I kind of pretend as if there's a table here and he's leaning on it and pull back the hand there is like that okay, so let's bring dylan but no way okay yeah let's bring him in and let's let's pose him so he's standing there right so can you turn slightly that way so I'm looking at him okay I want to shoot him here because I could see his face because his park is here I had him turn the other way right I'm not well he looks good that way too but in general like a poor woman write her hair maybe covering his face here if it's that way but so in general I like to shoot at the part and so that way I can see all of his face right so if you could just pop out your hip this way good you see just naturally doesn't write and then he's got a slightly can you just leave forward just a little bit right there perfect back up this way right there right there it's just experiment turning up just a little bit that strong right there every single time it will work okay so you just pop the hip out rotate this shoulder a little bit more in front of the camera so it looks higher than you lean the head back damn this is actually is the hardest for the groom to do so I usually don't think so I don't even get to that point because in general it's really hard for men to pose especially standing so that's why I always have them sitting in a chair and I'm going to go to the next slide and what else I do ok I'll help tell so I think these are other examples okay this examples of the same thing look at the same principles isn't he leading off to the side his shoulder is on the lower one he's tilting the head there this is what I do I lean him up against the wall okay this's every guy khun do this okay and it looks good every single time so what's happening here this is the third one this is actually the one I start off with if I can or sitting down okay but usually there's a wall everywhere so you pop that hip out okay nose towards the light or towards the hip in this way ok look at it there right he's popping that hip that's opposite of that wall turning towards the light it's got that lean down looks masculine is perfect okay, so let's go back to this and let's do it so let's take this gentleman right here and let's kind of can you is it possible to follow me into this wall here? So this in general you could just stand right here and listen to me and gerald this is what's gonna happen you're gonna tell somebody to lean against this wall and they're going to do this for you that doesn't look good secret is to making it look natural is whatever the hip is opposite to this shoulder which is this one this one has to go out okay, so they're leaning this hip out is this way right here, right? I can step back a bit to raise this shoulder higher right so if I turn out this way, this shoulder looks higher on camera I can't see myself, so I'm kind of taking a guess here and then a lean back this way it's that same thing as if I was standing and doing this just doing that. But it's a lot easier for people to lean on something so let's try. So go ahead, lean against that wall there. Right. Um exaggerate that hip a bit, right? Looking good. Okay, let's, try this. Let's, rotate your shoulders back this way a bit. Yeah, thats even better. Right? Good. And just lean your head just back a little bit this way. Look at me right there. Smile looks good. Works every single time. It may not be. Thank you. It may not be the most creative thing, but guess what? It gets you freaking paid and you move on and it takes one minute. Okay? There's. A million things that she could do with a guy, but sometimes you've got one minute. Just do these things and sha bam it's gonna work so that's the three poses for a group um, basements or how you win games, right? What's that yeah, base hits or how you win games definitely hit singles singles, so hey, yeah, I don't know maybe you came to this thing and you're thinking oh ten k photography it must be the most amazing photography in the world I got check out this guy and then I'm showing you this stuffing that's not that creative no but it's posing techniques their singles and if you could be consistent this wedding game is being consistent from one client to the next client no matter what situation that one's in bright light outdoors this one's at night time no matter what you're still be able to do your job from wedding to wedding consistency is key to being a great wedding photography it's that getting on base every single time yes and I also think tad with that when you have these even though they may be basic there's something you know we'll work every single time that gives you the confidence is yes pay me ten thousand I will show up I will do this and you will look, I'm telling you right now most wedding photographers don't even know that they don't even know this stuff right? And so if you're doing it, you're ahead of the game already because it's basic porter people are afraid of portraiture and so a lot of wedding recovers don't even get into it because it's hard it takes years of practice but I'm giving you some go twos right now that will help you yes uh, something I think is interesting. I say a lot of photographers say I have to go to a wedding too know how to shoot a wedding and this is stuff you can practice, not at the wedding. So when you have the wedding you're prepared for sure. Yeah, you know what? All that photo journalistic stuff that you should read it. It's easy. Just turn your freaking eyes. So up to five thousand year five you need a light just to get it back, okay. Whatever, right? This stuff really? This for me? Personally, I don't know about everybody else, but for my story is wound, the more I did this stuff and I pose people that was consistent, the more money I got paid, it was very evident. And the rave that I got everything it was this death, the art of portraiture is being lost. We gain it, you do it, you put it, it makes you money that guess what, you can evolve your career if you don't know portraiture, you don't have to do wedding photography the rest of your life, you could do something else, and so I find that the photographers that don't know portraiture, they have to be wedding photographers for the rest of their life, okay, but if you understand and you and you know this and you go through that process of working hard for three years to get it down you're going tohave you can do anything you can go into fashion you could do in two families you get to go to seniors sky's the limit for you you it opens up your career opportunities ok make the groom looks strong and confident that is the main thing I had to make the this group he's gotta look like a stud he's gotta be strong it's goingto be confident guess what that means you have to be yeah very good s so if you're not thinking just I don't know how many times that you know that happens right you're just feeling down and you're just feeling I'm not get any good shots the the groom just hate me I'm not getting good vibes I mean I gotta be honest can I just be truthfully honest about the real world I'm going to be truthfully honest ah lot of times when I don't know the client or the client has just heard the hired me because this wedding coordinator suggested me and I hired me and let's say I get into a situation where I've got a lot of I feel I don't okay this is a personal story so I did this for example there's a caucasian males there they're a lot taller than me they look at me I look like a airline pilot or something I don't I'm not sensing any love from them at all in fact, I've had groom's make fun of me all I'm shooting them, making jokes about me behind the pack uh yeah you're really good dude or whatever, right? But I've got to go in there despite that I do my job okay, so if I hear that not hear that murmur ring and stuff and I start to feel this and I don't block it out there's no way there's no way I compose this group go and get him to look good there's no way I can do it so you've got to really have confidence because that's gonna happen and and and you know what? Maybe that's the reason why maybe some women feel uncomfortable shooting men because maybe guys you know, you sent that being a woman trying to shoot a guy and like, oh, she doesn't know what she's doing she's having me do this stuff and I don't feel like you know, right? And I'm sure everybody it's not just me everybody else feels that way, but we've got to get past that keep that confidence up because it's gonna reflect it's a mere your photography as a mirror to your soul so whatever you feel and whatever that's what you're gonna get back so that's what you want that's what you got to get right so anyway yes uh in some of the other workshops you talk about when you want to create an image you start with an emotion. So with with grooms do you talk to them about an emotion? What are some of yeah, there are no two words right? Most just out man I didn't want to look really strong confident right here that's a long and yeah I was strong and confident it's like if you're like this and like I want to really looks strong confident can pop that out okay yeah right and so I used that words those words a lot and so one of the one of the things we got from phase khan was these three rules are wonderful and great start after a few shots following these rules what next to wei don't end up with these same lines where would you go after you get those go to for the opposing the groom uh what various the pose. Okay, if you look at my wedding photography you will not think that it looks the same but if you analyze it it actually does look the same but the person looks different their expression the wall that they lean on the background that to you it all makes it look different you change the expression so a lot of it is that the expression right, especially with the bride but a group pretty much wants to look the same way all the time, strong and confident and then I just get him to laugh there's only two things for a group it always should take you five minutes to shoot the groom because we're really easy because we get the serious confident and we get something smiling that mom's goingto like and grandma okay, and then but the bride oh gosh, a woman is so complicated right on dh so wonderful at the same time because she wants to look to mirror she wants to look sexy schwantz look of it, she wants look elegant I mean there's all that stuff in there for bride and that's really? When I used the emotion for that, but for groom there's really only three looks and then there's different locations and so that's how you vary it up but you know that's, why I go back to the basics, the basics are so you can experiment with things, but I know I've got to get that weight shifted and I've got to get you that look. And so what? What what? Okay let's, do something different, I'll just turn him off the side and put sidelight on it same post it looks completely different, completely different, so don't feel that these these air building blocks that's what I'm teaching you you put the building blocks together and then you create different emotion it's a different it looks your work looked entirely different than my great question. So what are you doing with a guy's hands is there any sort of you no fists, no fists in pocket I have any I know there's a lot of like roulette, whatever a lot what they feel comfortable some don't like this, you know generally going put maybe if you did did some people don't like this they do this instead or I'll never put the hands but I don't know what they're comfortable with their comfortable with what they feel another one thing to let's say they've got a little bit up of the tummy you can also have a fold their hands so this part kind of covers they're there so you could chat right? So you could do this here, right? And they'll say they got a little bit of this right here you can have them go like this to draw attention away from I can make myself look too much thanksgiving, right? And I could just do this here so that's, what I'll do is here it's not as important as the woman in the hands I have a whole section on a woman on on her hands it's like we're going to go in an hour into the hands part but for guys it's very basic all right one last question before sure but our lunch break and that is from pro photographer who says what percentage of your shots have those serious expressions versus smiling expressions and how do you best transition the client from a serious to a smiling mood so maybe exactly especially with the men here are trying to say right I try to get a variety of things on dh so I like that I mean I actually well your photography is a reflection of you so I basically shoot what I want how I would like to look because I'm the guy right shooting women I had to learn how to be a woman sounds weird but I seriously I had to learn how to be like a woman posing I had to learn that but it was very easy for me to make me a man because I know how I wanted to be portrayed and like a lot of it is we just like to be strong, confident and then a smile and I find that that has taken me all the way to ten thousand dollars so I know it can for you too it's not it's like it's not some magic over the top thing it's a consistency you know what? Okay it's better to do something simply but one hundred percent correct then try to do something avant garde and like creative and do it eighty percent correct why because when you do something one hundred percent correct it turns into classic what is classic it's enduring? You can look at that image over and over it's like sculpture if you wanna learn how to suppose look at sculpture because they're taken an inanimate object like stone something is hard and making it look lifelike they're not doing all this crate whenever you see the famous sculpture, you're not seem doing high fashion poses and stuff like that like culture right there just looking at basic step what if and during you know I remember some I always ask my client why they hired me or why they like your images and a lot of the clients would tell me you know, I don't know what it is about your photos, but I could keep coming back to it over and over and over again. Your photography is like a it's like a good book, a good book can be read over and over and over again and that's what these things do for you it gives you a classic look that's enduring forever and yeah, it don't look spectacular and I'm on guard and whatever right but it's solid and it will earn you money a positive energy flow in how to create positive energy the reason why I came up with this lecture was when I was doing workshops I was watching the students suppose people they need to learn how to get some positive energy so that's why I came up with this lecture these air the pot you want to kill all the energy out of opposing session do these things hesitation don't you feel uncomfortable right now that's what your client is feeling when you're that is uncomfortable do not hesitate talk to them continually to work with them okay idleness you're not sure okay no dialogue with subject okay, so if you're a shy person I'm sorry you're going to have to come out of your shell a little bit and you're gonna have to talk be engaging it's just part of the job give stern and sit over there right over there right that's just killing the positive there how would you like it if somebody was telling you how to do that just stand over there you're going to feel who's this dude man telling me what to do uh that's not gonna work do not compliment your subject has no idea if they're doing something right or wrong so when you tell the do something and you shoot it and you don't tell him anything you know they don't know what do you think I'm doing after I get out of here when we go on our break puts it how's it going what's the chat room like what what's going on? I want to know I have no idea right. So you have to compliment you have to tell that person what's going on. Do not be appreciative. Always thank them. Right. Um they're providing and giving you a living man. Be thankful for this person is putting food on your table, feeding your family. Be home, huh? Yeah, I can't just look good, right? What's that that's not gonna bring anything that's not going to make your client's happy. Okay, those air positive energy killers don't do that, here's. Some potter's of energy creators be prepared, which means just don't look at the slides and then doom at their next wedding without at least practicing it in the mirror or something like this. You should have seen me like preparing these lectures all week. Last week. I'm like looking at myself in the mirror and testing my theories, and I constantly right practise it before four have a plan b and c and d for the group. Okay, I'm going to get him standing. Shoot. I don't know. What's going on working. Okay, at least I can try to get him sitting down. And who? At least I can put him with the wall there. B c ready if one doesn't work out that's okay, okay, now I don't recommend I'm saying this early in the career but now well you maybe you can but I say this all the time assault do posing a client on look and I go well, you know what? That didn't quite work out that sucks they start laughing because because you know why that works sometimes because my clients they feel a lot of pressure yeah, they see all these people on my website and the first thing they tell me it's like I'm scott you know you have a lot of beautiful pictures under on your website but I just want to let you know we're really simple people were not like beautiful people, so they're thinking that you know, they feel like they have to compete with the people that are on my website and so when I tell them I screwed up or whatever oh, wow, yeah, okay, it relieves some of that tension now that's a that's a choice that you have to make to see whether or not that works for you, but in my case it works a lot of times it just breaks the tension there left they feel like I'm just we're at the same level he's messing up and I might not be doing things right and so hey let's, just go forward with it, right? So I have a plan b c constant affirmation all the time always affirming them all move that there oh yeah that looks good continually that kind of stuff makes them feel good about you shooting them be pleasant and charming okay communicate what you are doing if there's some idleness I will say this imposing them let's say I'm working on the light and I don't got it right it's like okay, you know what? This looks really great but I'm trying to get line the light up right now so if you could just hold on for a second I'll get this going I'm always explaining to them what my vision is and what I'm doing which leads to the next one share your vision it's like hey you know what? I got this really good shot you can go over there and if you stand up on that pedestal I think could be really cool because you know, just explain what's in your mind and what you want you if you share your vision with them and you're excited about it they're going to be excited about it so if you're not excited about they won't get excited about it who who wants a couple that's not excited, right? Nobody nobody so guess what if you want an excited couple it's all on who us we got to be excited there's no way they're going to be excited that's why I like when you go to these workshops it's so easy because these these people at these workshops if you're shooting models and whatever they're giving you everything you don't have to do anything and they're just giving it to you just laying it out right there for you when the real world you're going to have to generate it generate what you want okay and, uh be excited that's about it I think be funny and entertaining I try to do that show them you're good images that's huge so after I take a awesome shot with them I show it to them it gives them validation it proves to them that the work we're doing here it's paying off and they keep trusting you so every time you show him a good image guess what you're feeling up your bank account with trust then that's why start off small and I keep building and building it by the end of the session they will do anything thing they wanted to do you could tell that do take off your shirt or whatever he'll do it right but you have to build up get a build that up yet to build that trust going in and you have to prove yourself once you start proving yourself to your client and showing him what you doing doing these basic things by the end of that session they will do anything that you want them to do because they're so excited at that point all right um thank them that's, very huge at the end, always thank them, no matter what they need to hear that. Okay, so anyways, that's it, I just some people were asking me about all this stuff, but I'm gonna listed here where that group that I was talking about it's called scott, robert lim, uncreative life, or you could subscribe to me at scott robert lynn. There I've reached my friend lim, sorry, but you can follow everything that I do. They're don't even go to my photography, paige. I don't even I don't have time to, like, update that this and this. I just go with my personal page, but you could always subscribed to me there, or you can join that group. Scott, robert, lim, creative, live and we could talk about stuff.