Determining the best way to pose your subject—a way
that is flattering to the individual, appropriate to the
setting and clothing, and visually appealing in the overall
composition—can be one of the biggest challenges in creating
a successful portrait. This is especially true when creating
portraits of women, where the photographer may be
called on to create anything from a very traditional headand-
shoulders pose to a more adventurous full-length look
straight out of the pages of a fashion magazine. Quite simply,
the variations are almost limitless.
This collection is a visual sourcebook designed to address
exactly that problem. Filled with images by some of the
world’s most accomplished portrait, fashion, and commercial
photographers, it provides a resource for photographers
seeking inspiration for their own work. Stuck on what to do
with a particular client or unsure how to use a given prop?
Flip through the sample portraits, pick something you like,
then adapt it as needed to suit your tastes. Looking to spice
up your work with some new poses? Find a sample that appeals
to you and look for ways to implement it (or some element
of it) with one of your subjects.
For ease of use, the portraits are grouped according to
how much of the subject is shown in the frame. Thus, the
book begins with head-and-shoulders portraits, followed by
portraits that introduce one or both hands into the headand-
shoulders look. Next are waist-up portraits, featuring
images that include the head and shoulders, arms and hands,
and at least some of the subject’s torso.Moving on to threequarter-
length portraits, the examples feature subjects shown
from the head down to mid-thigh or mid-calf. The balance
of the book features full-length images—the most complex
portraits to pose, because they include the entire body. Both
the three-quarter- and full-length portraits are subdivided
into poses for standing subjects, seated subjects, and reclining
subjects.
It can be difficult to remain creative day after day, year
after year, but sometimes all you need to break through a
slump is a little spark. In this book, you’ll find a plethora of
images designed to provide just that.