Dynamic Posing Guide: Modern Techniques for Digital Photographers

CHAPTER 3: Seated Posing

 

Now that we’ve gone through the basic rules of posing, the next step is to discuss the rules of posing when your subjects are seated. Every time you move your model closer to the ground, myriad other issues come into play, and the slightest adjustment can make all the difference in the world. For example, where should you place the legs and feet? What about the arms and hands? Does it really matter how tall the stool or chair is on which my subjects sit? Seated poses make our goal of elongating and thinning out our subjects more challenging. And how do you pose a model on a stool who is wearing a very short dress? In this chapter, I will pass along to you what I’ve learned to get around these issues.

Using Chairs and Stools

In Figure 3.1, you see a white stool, a black stool, and a ruler showing a visual demonstration of the difference in height. I’ve come to realize that in the fashion industry everything can make or break a photograph, even something as subtle as a few inches. In Figure 3.1, the difference between the top of the white stool and the top of the black stool is 6 inches, and I’ll show you next why this matters.

Figure 3.1

In Figure 3.2, the model is sitting fully on the white stool with her legs bent up high. If she is wearing a short ...