There ARE basic rules and techniques that will consistently get you better portrait photography. Here are a couple of them...
Today's Photo tip is actually going to be two tips,
each designed to get better portrait photography.
Tip #1: Anti - Level Shoulders.
In our past study of portrait photography, I've mentioned that, "If there are two of them, don't put them on the same level."
I cited eyes, ears, shoulders…
But, you might say, "If someone is sitting on a posing stool, chair, front porch, whatever… their shoulders ARE going to be on the same level." Obviously we don't want that!
There is an easy fix.
First: get yourself a wedge. One of those door stopping wedges will do in a pinch. Just get the largest one you can and make sure it doesn't completely collapse when weight is put on it.
A better option is; you can make one yourself. Just buy a block of wood and cut it into wedges. That way you can make them a little larger (but not much) than the door stopper. Wider is better too - so that it is more comfortable to sit on.
If you are not handy with tools, this is the work of about 30 seconds for a handy man or the local Home Depot type store.
Be sure to sand it smooth. You don't want to ruin anyone's clothing by having it snag on the wedge. Generally people are dressed up when they have a portrait created and they WILL get upset if you ruin their favorite clothing.
Then, if you REALLY want to go all out, paint them a flat black. That way they are far less likely to show in a photo. Which for head and shoulder portraits and for waist level portraits - is not a problem. The only time this is an issue is in full length portraits.
Once you are all cut, sanded and painted, toss them into the trunk of your car and you will always have one on hand for a photo session.
When it comes time to shoot the photo… just have your model slide one of the wedges under one side of their tush and sit on it. This will raise one shoulder higher than the other and you are all set!
You don't want a dramatic rise - just a bit of a tilt. By using a wedge, you can determine how much or how little shoulder tilt there is.
It goes without saying that YOU should tell them which side it goes under - and how far! After all, composition is YOUR decision - don't let them take over your creativity!
Tip #2: Sit Up Straight!
Throughout most of the world, we are getting heavier and heavier. This is something you need to take into consideration when you are posing you subject. DO NOT let them slouch!
Slouching rounds the shoulders - which is very unattractive - and accents any extra weight we carry around the middle.
BTW - you don't even have to be overweight! When my business mostly consisted of shooting ballerinas, I noticed that if they were slouching at all, there were rolls in the stomach region. And these were young ladies who were the very definition of SKINNY!
As a side note: ballerinas and dancers in general have very good body awareness. They don't slouch very often… but watch for it anyway.
That's it for today. Follow these two tips! Make yourself a couple "photographic tush modification implements" (wedges), then be sure your subjects are sitting up straight and you will have moved one step closer to producing professional looking portrait photography. For more information, check out the resource box!
