STICKY:  How to photograph a high school Senior

Think she was enjoying her session? We all post so many great shots on here, just felt like posting a candid fun shot that I was able to get with her!

Tom

scobols wrote in post #14799502
A couple from a recent session. Lighting is AB 800, Kacey BD.

1.

2.

I really like the light and composition on these Scott. However, the poses are really feminine. Combined with his physique, it's unflattering. Posing guys is a really common struggle for all of us though. Just something worth mentioning IMHO.

JakAHearts wrote in post #14799903
I really like the light and composition on these Scott. However, the poses are really feminine. Combined with his physique, it's unflattering. Posing guys is a really common struggle for all of us though. Just something worth mentioning IMHO.

I've begun to wonder if a solution regarding guys is to let them hold something. If in a field, a football. If in a city, a camera on a strap around their neck. Maybe tipping a cap, or hold sunglasses.

mdvaden wrote in post #14799998
I've begun to wonder if a solution regarding guys is to let them hold something. If in a field, a football. If in a city, a camera on a strap around their neck. Maybe tipping a cap, or hold sunglasses.

Thats a pretty good idea. Hand posing is another tough area, of course, so giving them something to do with their hands could be a solution. Girls are much easier for me because they can touch their faces or frame their hips etc and it looks good.

My favorite I have seen on here in a while! Love this!

max3k wrote in post #14799442
One more of Hannah

IMAGE LINK: http://www.facebook.co​m/rjonesphotography

scobols wrote in post #14799502
A couple from a recent session. Lighting is AB 800, Kacey BD.

1.

2.

Scotty

cant put guys on the back foot. Gonna look feminine most of the time. Weight on front foot for guys most of the time, Thumbs in the pockets fingers out and never tilt a guys head towards his lower shoulder,,,chick look all the way for that. Go through some of the pages and there are a lot of examples to pose a Guy.

Also, Don't mean to be nit-picky at all, but you blew out the city in the 2nd shot. I shoot at stone arch 3-4 times a month. Your gonna need a strobe in the afternoon sun on the bridge. Here is an example

Thanks for the feedback Mike. I do pretty good posing guys and normally would not tilt their heads to the low shoulder, however, this posing was fine for him.

I also did use a strobe on the bridge. I don't mind the washed out city, in fact for this shot I rather liked it. Yours looks very nice, too. Perhaps next time I'll bring it down a bit. Question, what's going on with the blur behind the couple in yours? Is that PS?

it was storming that day. started to pour about 10 minutes later. came down in sheets

Mike, I think he is referring to the building and the couple behind them on the bridge, they are blurred, yet buildings that are further away are not as blurred.

scobols wrote in post #14799502
A couple from a recent session. Lighting is AB 800, Kacey BD.

1.

2.

Agree with what Mike said, but also remember, thumbs in the pockets - fingers out. Otherwise you're amputating the fingers.

For that second pose, I would have done him front on, slightly below, and possibly arms crossed if not with the thumbs hooked on his pockets (elbows slightly bent).

I agree with you on the lighting though. I think it gave more attention to him, and since you included the taller buildings in the background it gave it an attractive, yet subtle background setting.

I found this link yesterday for posing mistakes. #7 is guys, and gives a pretty good, yet simple, way to pose them. Posing Article

JakAHearts wrote in post #14800030
Thats a pretty good idea. Hand posing is another tough area, of course, so giving them something to do with their hands could be a solution. Girls are much easier for me because they can touch their faces or frame their hips etc and it looks good.

This guy ain't no high school senior, but I'm posting this in relation to this subject.

He's an RB singer, Joseph, and he's one of two men I want to shoot with again, just to watch in relation to poses for me. He's superb. Virtually every frame we shot, he does something that's good or at least interesting and unique. Another guy is a Hispanic named Alex, who I hear is good enough to practically teach or coach male models.

Joseph, in many pics I've seen, has sunglasses, a hat to top the brim of, or maybe even holds a belt buckle. Or just invents gestures with his hands. Even with a scarf like the one below, a guy could literally just grab each side the thing with a grip and just support their arms that way.

Below ... fingers in pocket, thumb out, works this time.

All this practice shooting with these older in my case is all relevant to overlapping with high school seniors and others.

I found him amusing to work with.

We could have gone for hours and hours. He simply just has fun with it and let's it go.

I finally did a senior portrait at my studio, and used the backdrops!

Here is one of them.

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GerryDavid wrote in post #14803112
I finally did a senior portrait at my studio, and used the backdrops!

Here is one of them.

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I like the backgrround and the amount of light.

Does that background have a name?