Poses

Photo by Michael Barton Art

People always have questions about posing.... how should I do it?  What should I do? What in the world do I do with my HANDS?

It stands to reason that different types of modeling require different poses....though there is one consistent across all types " Suck it in, push it out"  Yup, just what it sounds like... suck in your tummy,push out your chest ( ladies, you may also arch your lower back a bit to accentuate your backside )  We won't get into facial expressions,that is a whole other post.

Because I like to do "arty" and think about lines and angles ( Fine Art Minor, you know), poses tend to be vaguely uncomfortable at the least, and sometimes actually hurt and can only be held for a few moments before a body part cramps up,or gives out.

You may think that is rather brutal...  I do it to myself, my goal is to have interesting, and on a good day , beautiful poses...though a photographer may urge me to push it, and strain more than I am all ready doing, I very, very rarely have one dictate a pose to me.  It helps that I do research for poses, depending on the type or theme of the shoot.  Anyone who says that modeling is just about standing there and looking pretty, isn't working hard enough.

Working out and being in shape and strong ( and yes,there are some bigger girls who are AMAZINGLY strong,so that is NOT a dig about size)   is crucial to the more strenuous poses, and being able to hold them...( and not let it show on your face)

Many poses, that look great as an image...don't even LOOK like they are that strenuous, until you try to do them yourself.....go ahead,put on a pair of heels and then try to copy some poses from magazines ( and not the just standing there ones that are showing off clothes and such) do the more art type ones...the ones where they are draped, folded, twisted or even bending.  See? Not as easy as you thought, huh?

On the subject of hands... to me they should match your body tension....if you are in a very graceful ,soft pose, your hands should match....if  there is tension in your body, your hands should be spread, or up on fingers or in some other way dynamic.Watch a dancer,of any kind, watch the kind of things they do with their hands.... work on emulating that.  

And on that note, I am going to work out .