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Lesson Info

Shoot: Plus Size Poses

Top five guidelines for photographing somebody who is plus size. I have a lot of clients that are not size zero or size two. I photograph a lot of singers that have a lot fuller voluptuous shape. Or a lot of professional women athletes that have broad shoulders and their big girls. So, I need to flatter them. So, here are my to five tips. Tip number one is enhance the shape and curve, not size. So, there's a difference. Like, you do not try to hide anything. You're just trying to put the shape where you want it. If that makes sense. So, if somebody is just standing, there's no shape. So, you're trying to actually push it where you want to see it. If you don't want to see any weight here, you're gonna push way, way back, have someone lean. But, if you want to see curves, you kind of kick it out to the side. Number two, is avoid straight on to camera. This is a huge one. Everybody looks wide straight on to camera. It doesn't matter who you are. So, then you're not gonna shoot straight on...

to camera. You're always gonna shoot three quarters or some where in between three quarters. But, not totally to the side because totally to the side is where you can see the size of someone's stomach. So, it is three quarters, ya know, or a little less than that. Not straight on, not to the side. Next one would be hips and waist back, shoulders and head forward. Okay, so what ever is closest to the camera is biggest. What ever is furthest from the camera is smallest. The reason I'm saying that is that I'm not just talking about this, okay, I'm not just talking about kicking your hips back. It's everything you do. So, if you are sitting, for example on a chase, kick the hips back and lean out on that chase. Pushing all of that behind. Or, if it's a laying down shot, photograph more front on, so that the face and the chest are closest to the camera. Everything else is further behind. So, consider using your camera angle with the goals. It's not just about posing. Camera angle becomes more important here. So, remember the closest to the camera is biggest, furthest is the smallest. The next one is elongate and posture. It's combined with this avoid full length while sitting. If you really want to elongate somebody, don't have them sit. Even if you have good posture when you're sitting everything gathers. So, even when I sit, even if I'm sitting up straight, if you have a little bit of a stomach or a lot it will gather right there. It doesn't matter how much I stretch it's still going to be there. So, if you are trying to elongate somebody, standing, leaning, is gonna be the way to do it. But, if you do someone, do want somebody to be sitting then you don't do full length and that's fine. Just don't get this part of the body, you would have them elongate and crop maybe here. Not full length. So, it's a little bit of cropping, a little bit of camera angle, a little bit of posing. It's a little bit of everything all together. Tied into this elongate and posture everybody, everybody, everybody looks heavier when they have bad posture. Everybody, because it shortens your neck, okay, and it makes you look more stressed, and it haunches everything together. So, if I'm sitting like this I gather here and I gather here. Anything you can do to elongate and to lean, chin out, chin down, all ... Anything to elongate is what helps you in these poses. So, we are going to photograph my friend. Hi. Okay, I'm gonna bring her out here and I'm gonna do five quick poses. Hi gorgeous. Hey. I love you. (laughing) I've know her forever now. Even though, I haven't been here for a lot. So, now I've known him for forever, and her forever, it's nice. Okay so, first of all shake. Shake it out Okay, alright. Okay, awesome. (laughing) So, what I would yell at her for would be her cardigan. Because ... (laughing) Don't worry. Because, I can't pose and work with shape when it's flowing, because let's say for example, I'm gonna have you put your weight on your back foot and kick it way back. It made no real difference because of the shape. So, can I get the 'A' clamp or 'C' clamp? It's actually right behind there. I'm gonna clip a little. Okay. If I don't photograph from behind, it's not a problem. So, I do this all the time. Some I'm gonna clip a little bit. You wanna, well, okay. I'm trusting her not to clamp you. Can we actually turn that so the cameras can see exactly what you're doing, because this may actually come up for people. (laughing) I'm just gonna roll like this. Okay, good. Perfect. Alright, cool. So, it's gonna be a little bit better. You can also make it look like a crop top if you want. For a lot of women that are plus size are more concerned about their arms because if you lean on your arms, you're gonna look wider. So, I actually have two important arm tips. Which, it's beyond this, just to things to think about. Number one, is don't have arms close to the side. When you have your arms close to the side it flattens it out. Then the other one is don't lean really heavily on it. You can absolutely have your arms out in the shot, but don't lean heavily because that flexes muscle, and it just make everything look wider. So, you just want gentle weight on the arms. So, I might crop top you. Is that okay? Whatever you wanna to do now. She's like, that's because you love me. I do love you You're touched, you've got it. (laughing) That is my favorite thing to hear in life. (laughing) Okay, cool. Yeah. It's probably this. Okay, and just right there is great. Perfect. Okay, good. Great, perfect. That's perfect. Awesome, okay. Alright, so what I'm gonna do is standing pose first and I'm actually just gonna do my progression real quick. So, I'm gonna do bad to good. I'm doing this for posing purposes. I wouldn't pull it that tight, but I want you guys to be able to see. So, be flat and bored, and stand in the middle of the thing. I'm gonna move the light over. What I want you to do is hands at your side, flat weight, even on your feet. See, 'cause she knows how to pose, I can tell. I've seen a few workshops. Have you? Maybe. Okay, I wasn't sure. Okay, so just go like this. Okay. So, let me check my light. Can we have the back lights on? So, straight on to camera, flat foot, doesn't work. Alright, so what I'm gonna have you do, let me take one shot with that. Okay, great. Perfect. You're fun. Straight on to camera ... Doesn't work. It just doesn't do anything. So, what we're gonna do is I'm gonna have you put one leg back. Kick your hip way, way out on that. Perfect. I'm gonna have you lean towards camera and I'm gonna have you put your left hand on your hip, and I'm gonna have you hide the other arm. I don't need to see it. Perfect. I kind of see this sweater. I'm just gonna kick it over here. Oh, oh see she's got it. See? (laughing) Okay. And now, okay what I see that's not good she's lifting her shoulder up. Drop your shoulder for me. Wrong shoulder. Women's general posing tip, whatever side of the neck is closest to the camera we're gonna flip the hair. Just gonna flip your hair like this Okay. Lean out towards me. Perfect. Great. And prop your elbow up even higher. Just put it like here, maybe. Like on your waist. Good. And relax your shoulders. You look stressed. (laughing) Okay. Good. I'm gonna have you bring that hand back and I'm gonna need you to put it more on your waist. It's fine, I don't see it. So, I'm gonna have you sit up straight. Hands on your waist, you're actually gonna put it in front, like right here. Like copy me, keep going, keep going, keep going, and up, up, up, good. I'm gonna just pull your shirt. Your shirt's hiding. Yeah. It's a little loose, she was not supposed to be out model today. So, I couldn't, you know, advise. Hands across like this. Good, higher. Higher, higher, right there. Okay, now relax. Perfect! Okay, so what you can do is instead of hands on the hips, when you put your hands right on somebody's hips, this is saying look at my hips. If you put your hands on someone's waist, you're saying look at my waist. If you have your hands to the side, its like this, it's saying okay I'm trying to wrap my hands around me, but this is as far as it reaches. Versus if you pull the hands to the front more, it's saying, oh I can reach around even further. So, it creates a waist and looks narrowing. Okay, perfect. Lean towards me, and can I have an apple box, as well? So, when we're shoot here. Here it is. I'm short anyway. (flashing) Good. And so, I'm going to work with this pose by getting higher. So, she doesn't have to go like this. I can get a little bit higher. Perfect. Thank you. Perfect, great. Pop the elbow back just a little bit, good. (beeping and flash) Chin out for me and down, good. (flash) Okay, push your glasses a little bit higher up on your face just a tiny bit. Yeah, perfect. (beeping and flash) Relax your shoulder just a little. (flash) Perfect You look cute, okay now, but the thing is you have to smile. Okay. Okay. 'Cause I like you and we're friends, so you have to smile. Good, and now chin out and down, and huge smile. Massive smile. Good. (flash) (laughing) I just crossed my eyes. I saw that. Good. I'm gonna have you one more time, just turn to your right. Okay. Keep going, good. Pop this elbow way out, right there. Perfect. Relax your shoulders. Shake, shake, shake, perfect. Just like that. Great. (flash) Chin down just a little. Perfect, okay. So, the next pose that I would do to see how I have negative space and shape, and I'm looking at her eyes, and I love your smile. See, I have glass glare so I had you look down. This looks pretty cute. I like her. I'm glad that you like me too. Can I have the big tall chair? Perfect. Alright, so the next thing is going to be hands leaning, but not hands leaning, hands set. So, turn around backwards, well forwards is what I mean, good. You want me to lean on it. You're just gonna lean this way. Okay? Okay. Perfect. Alright, so what I'm gonna have her do is I'm gonna have you move little bit behind the chair. Just a little bit. I'm gonna have you cross this arm over. So, if I want to give a little curve, I don't want hands here where it blends. I would have her lean it really over and kick this hip out. So, I can have a little butt curve and I can have her lean out on this hand. It is okay that there is not negative space here because I'm actually gonna put it so it's within the waist. Like, what I'll make sure I don't do is have the arm so that it is adding width, I'll pull it over so that it is actually reducing. So, let's take a look at this pose. Perfect, good. I'm gonna have you take one step like this with your legs. So, put one so that she can lean forward just a little bit more. Perfect. Okay, great. (laughing) Perfect. Gotta pull your little wrinkles. Oh my goodness Hold on, I'm gonna un-clip. Just for a second. I don't want wrinkles in this one. Oh, you're still clipped, okay. (laughing) There's like, yeah, ten clips there. Okay, perfect, just like that. (beeping and flash) Good, and let me get it from a slightly higher angle. (beeping and flash) And one more, and chin out, and down. Good. (flash) Kick your hip up. Good. Lean towards me even more, good. Perfect. Oh, whoa, light, eyes, hold on. We're going for like high school email look there. Yeah, well. (laughing) The hair, and the eyes, and the drama. Okay. Let's try it one more time, good. I need a hair cut. I like your hair. I love the color too. Your shoulders are a little hunched. There you go, oo, much better okay, perfect. Great. Tilt your head a little this way, chin out, and down, great. Perfect, that's what I like. Oh, that's cute. Perfect. The other thing that I would do would be when leaning on a wall, I'll actually have her lean and use it to support her torso, and lean really far. So, can I have the wall, would that be okay? Alright, I didn't want to cause too much drama with the wall. Perfect. Great, so I'm gonna do a couple before and after so you can see. Perfect, thank you guys. That was easy. Okay so, I know you can't actually lean on it. Right. 'Cause you will die. (laughing) No you won't die. Iris can you pull the back out towards the seamless even more. No I don't mean like that. You step two steps forward on to the seamless. That was to far Essa. There we go, right there. Perfect. Okay, so what I'm gonna have you do first is stand right where you are. I just want to show you a couple of before and afters. So, if you stand straight on towards camera and put your shoulder on the wall. Okay, no negative space yet. I want a little bit more negative space. Watch next shot. Okay, I want a little bit more negative space. So, what I'm gonna have you do, put your hand on your butt, and I'm gonna have you put that elbow on the wall. You're gonna lean way the heck towards me, and you're gonna lean back just a little bit. Great. So, what I'm doing is like, okay, I want negative space here. I want her to lean her chest forward. She's kicking weight already back on her back foot already for me. Perfect. Turn your shoulders toward me just a tiny bit. Good, right there. Perfect. (beeping and flash) Okay, but look happier, oh my God. (laughing) Good. Let me see if the light is showing that negative space. It is, cool. I'm gonna get one more. Then, You're free. Turn your head kind of toward your shoulder, bring the shoulder up just a little bit. Flip your hair off of that, yeah off the front shoulder. I'm sorry. No, you're fine. It's dramatic. It's unruly. It's dramatic like you. That's all I'm saying. That way just a little more, good. I'm gonna have you cross that arm all the way over, good. Just like that. Yeah, that's fine, an then pop that elbow out a little more. Good. Relax your shoulders. Perfect. Okay, perfect. Alright, you are free. (laughing) Love you. Alright so ... Awesome. (clapping and whistling)