12 Posing
Kim Meyer © Tim Meyer
By definition, posing requires directing the subject to change physical position to increase visual interest, flatter, imply emotion, or communicate intent to the viewer. This is done by rotating the subject, tilting the head, positioning the subject’s body, and employing clothing and accessories.
Throughout history, portraitists have been aware of the implications of subject positioning. The earliest portraits were more concerned with recording and expressing power and authority than portraying the personality of the subject. This was true for sculpture as well as painting.
We are indebted to the ancient Greeks for introducing visual interest and emotion to the art of posing. They used rotations and tilts of the head and torso to accent the emotion shown in the face. Rigidity gave way to a more relaxed portrayal of the subject. Even when the idea was to show strength or vigor, active poses conveyed more of the artist’s idea of the person than static poses.
Since that time, portraiture has seen myriad shifts in style due to the interests of the patrons. The early Renaissance brought a revival of the Greek style with a twist toward naturalism. The Baroque period introduced an element of realism and spontaneity. The continual ebb and flow of posing styles continued with the invention of photography.
The introduction of photographic processes in 1839 brought new restrictions on posing into the making of portraits. The slowness of the daguerreotype and callotype processes required the subject to remain still for long exposures. Therefore, the most common poses were stable positions such as the subject’s arm resting on the arm of a chair, the subject’s hand resting on a table, or, even more restrictive, the subject’s head confined by restraints from behind.
Over the past 170 years, photographic posing styles have changed dramatically. In the past few decades, there has been a significant discussion about the role of posing in portrait photography. For most of photographic portraiture’s history, classical posing has reigned supreme. But with time and changes in both technology and equipment, there has been a movement to a freer style of posing.
What has changed most is the degree of movement within the pose, and even this varies depending on the specific photographic genre. High fashion portraits, portraits of children, and portraits of individuals concerned with style tend toward exaggerated poses, while the financial elite and fine artists tend toward less physical but more understated poses.
Posing Basics
In spite of the changes in style through the ages, the fundamentals of posing in portraiture have remained the same. They can be broken down into two distinct avenues of thought:
- Pose as composition
- Pose as expression
This portrait, made by Hill and Adamson around 1843, shows classic posing that allowed the subject to hold their position during a long exposure
(From the collection of David Ruderman)
“Pose as composition” refers to positioning the arms, legs, head, and the entire body, for that matter, to create more visually interesting compositions, to flatter the sitter, or to communicate the portraitist’s ideas. “Pose as expression” refers to expressing body language and symbols via the human form. This is normally the purview of the fine artist, but pose as expression often finds its way into many everyday portraits. It is used to express the attitudes and/or the beliefs of the sitter or portraitist. Which of these two concepts dominates is determined by the purpose of the portrait and the physical nature of the sitter. However, most portraits mix the two styles.
Classical posing, which is based on the Greek model, emphasizes angles and curves with rare introductions of vertical and horizontal elements. Contemporary and fine art applications employ classical elements but introduce a significant number of vertical and horizontal elements. This expressive style of posing is reflected in the placement of the hands, arms, legs, and even the spine. Feminine subjects are built around S and C curve configurations, while masculine subjects reflect a more angular approach. Pose as expression is noteworthy specifically for the separation that it provides from the classic forms and, when used creatively, for the interpretation and symbolism that it brings to the subject.
Physical Posing
The first issue in approaching posing is the amount of the subject’s body that makes up the portrait. There is no specific advantage to one approach or another, as each gives a different look. Primarily, we speak of full-length, three-quarter (¾), bust, and closeup portraits. The most common pose is the bust that includes the total head without cropping and the upper part of the torso. A full-length pose need not be a standing portrait, but it will show the entire body. The least frequently used pose is the three-quarter view that includes the head and full torso but seldom shows the body below mid-thigh. Last is the closeup or full-face portrait that crops tightly on the face and does not show the shoulders.
Regardless of how much of the subject will be seen in the portrait, posing starts at the feet. Whether the subject is seated or standing, or the portrait is full-length or closeup, the placement of the feet creates the foundation for the portrait and determines the posture of the subject. The Greeks gave us the concept of contrapposto (ironically, an Italian phrase depicting a Greek concept), which refers to the placement of the subject’s weight on one foot, often the farthest foot from the photographer, and the relaxation of the front foot. This minor weight shift creates movement in the line of the spine, alters the axis of the hips and shoulders, and implies a sense of ease in the subject.
Other positions of the feet convey various other body concepts. With the double flat-footed stance, there tends to be static placement of the shoulders, hips, and spine. When used in “at attention” mode, it recalls military or historic statues. This foot structure restricts the motion of the hips and increases muscle tension to maintain balance. The muscular and skeletal tension progresses up the body to the neck and face. While tension is created throughout the portrait by rigid symmetrical feet positioning, when the feet are more relaxed, they can produce poor posture.
© Matthew Scott Drake
(Courtesy of the artist)
It is common for women to stand in the contrapposto fashion while exaggerating the curve of the spine to create the C or S curve. The amount of exaggeration is determined by the genre of portraiture. While men also take advantage of the contrapposto postion, the hip maintains an angular and therefore a more masculine feel. When the weight is placed on the front foot, even while sitting, the body’s weight moves toward the camera and creates a more aggressive statement.
Just as the feet begin the pose, the legs transfer the posing energy to the hips. In turn, the hips set the angle for the torso, defining the spine angle and establishing the head tilt potential. Depending on the flexibility of the torso, the posing of the mid-body sets up how relaxed or tense the shoulders and neck appear.
With the exception of full-face and closeup portraits, the shoulders or their posing are involved in the image. Most commonly, one shoulder is rotated toward the camera. This position allows for a full range of head rotation. To facilitate the range of motion for the head with vertical rotation and yaw, the shoulder closest to the camera is frequently lowered. This tends to be a widespread pose because it promotes a relaxed look. Posing with the shoulders horizontal or with the shoulder closest to the camera raised creates an “attitude.”
When the arms and hands become involved, the composition and posing for the portrait become more complex. Because of the flexibility and size of the arms, their position within the pose can determine the success of the portrait. The posing process can use arm placements designed around poses that feel comfortable for the subject but still maintain a sense of style. For most portraits, it is advisable to avoid right angles at the elbows or wrists and the creation of vertical or horizontal lines with either part of the arm.
Unlike feminine poses, masculine poses avoid softening the pose with rounded shoulders or exaggerated shoulders, hips, and legs. In the top row, the male I form can be seen. Hips and shoulders stay parallel and there is little head tilt. In row two, the C form is subtle with slight head tilts and small hip displacements. In creating the S form shown in the bottom row, just as with the C pose, the head tilts and shoulder and hip movements are minimized.
This chart shows nine poses that are common for female full-body posing. The first row shows I-type poses where the body position relative to the camera is a vertical line. Example C shows that the hips and shoulders can soften the I pose by rounding the torso and hips while maintaining the vertical line. The second row shows examples of C-type poses where the body is bent to make a rounded shape. In example D, the back is bent while holding the hips mostly parallel to form the C-shape. The rear leg in example E creates the line and balance to form the C-shape with the left arm accenting the form. In the third row, the S form is created mostly with head tilt. Comparing examples D and G or comparing examples F and I, the head tilt in G and I are toward the extended hip while in D and F, the head is aligned with the spine or slightly tilted away from the extended hip. Finally, when comparing example C with example H we can see both the effect of head tilt and camera angle. In example C, an I-form pose, the model’s head is aligned with the spine and the camera angle is perpendicular to the model’s pose. In example H, the camera is at a ¾ position to the model and her head is tilted toward the raised hip, creating the S-shape.
Angela Merkel © Bettina Flitner (Courtesy of the artist)
Hands are almost always viewed from the side; this slenderizes the subject and allows for graceful curves with the feminine hand and angular forms with the masculine hand. The exception to this would be when the hands are critical within the image. For group portraits, hands and arms take on significance as a means of expression. The pose determines whether there is a connection between the subjects and what emotion is communicated by the gesture.
The hand interaction with the face can also imply gender. A closed or clenched hand tends to be more masculine while a relaxed or lightly curved hand has a feminine inference.
© Edie Chiarappa (Courtesy of the artist)
Head Placement and Rotation
In this posing progression we importantly arrive at the head and face. While the lighting on the face, as discussed in chapter 7, determines much of the character of the portrait, the pose of the head presents considerable information about the subject.
There are definite views of the head in relationship to the body that have feminine or masculine implications. Generally, in a feminine pose, the head tilts to the high shoulder. Men normally lean toward the low shoulder.
Another approach is to follow the line of the spine. For men, the alignment of the head maintains the straight line of the spine, while for women it is curved. This creates a more angular structure with the masculine alignment and a softer structure with the feminine alignment.
A discussion of posing often focuses on “head tilt.” This term refers to the rotation of the facial axis in relation to the camera, but it also can include two other factors. The neck facilitates the motion of the head in three ways. First, the head can rotate in relation to the camera axis. This rotation is in a horizontal motion that can involve both the neck and torso. Second is the tilt of the head, a rotation in a vertical path that can be thought of as raising or lowering the chin. Last is “lean,” a rotation of the head so that the eyes are not horizontal.
While the head’s motion does not affect the lighting ratio, it can change the type of lighting pattern on the head. For example, high-angle, open loop lighting can change to closed loop when the head is rotated toward the camera axis or to butterfly lighting when it’s rotated away from the camera axis. Depending on the mood that you wish to establish, changing the head’s position during a portrait session can affect the look of the individual photographs.
In portraits of men, the narrowing of the hands is not as critical, because feminizing the figure is less important. While a more relaxed hand pose is the general rule with female models, more tension (as seen in C) is often used to symbolize masculinity when posing male models. A relaxed fist or “staircased” fingers are also common in male hand posing. Examining the Male Pose Chart will give further examples for hand poses.
Hands are seldom the critical element in a portrait. In most cases, the prominence of the hands can be minimized by rotating them so the palm or back of the hand isn’t visible. The back of the hand adds weight to the image and produces a less graceful view. Generally the female hand is bent, either in the shape of a C or arched in the shape of an S. This can be seen in the examples above, which show several ways to hold a hand so it appears narrow and more feminine in the photograph. In these poses, the fingers are usually curved and often staircased. Examining the Female Pose Chart will give further examples for hand poses.
Primarily we think of posing the head in one of three rotational positions. While some describe five positions, two of these are mirror images of the others. The three positions are as follows:
- On the camera axis, i.e., a frontal or “mug shot”
- At an angle to the camera axis, i.e., a three-quarter view
- Perpendicular to the camera axis, i.e., a profile
The profile and mug shot views have a long history. They were the earliest views of the face used in portraiture. It was not until the Renaissance that the three-quarter view became predominant, and it still rules today as the most common view.
The symmetrical frontal view of the face has fallen out of favor over the last few centuries because it is a static view; it also has connotations of iconic imagery and identity photographs that require an uncreative and dispassionate point of view. However, several well-known artists, such as Richard Avedon, have brought the frontal approach back into fashion. The full frontal view adds the appearance of fullness as well as presenting a more confrontational attitude. Because the features and axis of the face are aligned with the camera axis, frontal lighting removes depth from the features of the head and face.
In these examples we notice that the head tilt for males follows the spine. Even when rotated, the line of the spine is continued. Both A and C are examples of classic male head poses with the lean of the head toward the lower shoulder. In example B the head is tilted toward the higher shoulder creating a less masculine pose. This is sometimes acceptable in more contemporary images, but goes against the grain of classic portraiture.
The female examples show the subject in a mug shot-style portrait. There is no head rotation and only a slight tilt of the head off the axis of the spine. Since the model is facing the camera with a vertical alignment of the face, the tilt is accomplished with small rotations and angling of the neck. In example A we see a slight tilt to the high shoulder. This is the classic female head position. This is traditionally the only head tilt reserved for woman. In B the head is rotated to be facing the camera with a vertical neck, and in C the head is leaning toward the lower shoulder with a slight tilt back to retain a more vertical head position. Both the vertical head angle and head tilt to the lower shoulder are found in masculine posing, as well. The best guideline for photographing women in a classic look is to create motion within the pose. This normally requires using a head tilt to finish one of the compositional lines of the full body pose.
Like paintings, photographs have a singular point of view. This singular perspective allows a photographer to choose which angle best represents or, more often, best flatters the subject. This is part of the rationale for the use of the three-quarter view (sometimes called the two-thirds view) in portraiture. This view does not necessarily divide the portrait into a three-quarter to one-quarter proportion about the nose, but it is indicative of that relationship. In the three-quarter view, the head is turned away from the camera axis, while a view of both eyes is maintained. The rotation will also show one ear if it is not covered by the subject’s hair or clothing.
The three-quarter view shows all five planes of the face with recognizable form and volume, unlike the other two rotations that flatten or obscure those planes. By rotating the facial axis away from the camera, the three-quarter view also slenderizes the subject. This is particularly the case with a high lighting ratio and a short lighting approach.
There are several other reasons why the three-quarter view is the most common head rotation. It has the greatest potential for a relaxed subject because the head tilt and lean can be used to set the portrait’s intensity. For a subject with long hair, the three-quarter view allows the use of the hair as an active design element. Also, without being confrontational, the subject can look at the camera because both eyes are visible in the image.
The profile view has long been a favored portrait method. In pre-photographic times, a scissors artist would cut black paper profiles. The profile was selected for two specific reasons. First, a shadow cast from a single light (e.g., a candle) would allow seeing the profile simply. Second, the profile defines the face with a single line, the contour, which gives no depth but provides a very recognizable portrait.
In posing for a profile, the facial axis is perpendicular to the camera axis. With this positioning, only one side of the face is visible. This means that the contour will be clearly seen with no more than the eyelash from the far side of the face. Because the contour is central to seeing and identifying the subject, it is important that the background not compete with the contour line. This requires a background with no added detail that can interact with the contour.
Once the head rotation is chosen, one of two other motions is used to establish the pose. First is the chin tilt, the rotation of the head up or down on the facial axis. This simple motion can set up the attitude for the portrait. Rotating the chin downward tends to indicate a more passive pose. Rotating the chin outward and slightly upward creates a more assertive pose. Masculine poses normally use the outward/upward chin position. Feminine poses favor lower chin positions, though upward chin positions are also used.
Finally, the head can lean to either side. Severe leans are uncommon, though they can be used if they produce the desired composition. A slight lean relaxes the look of the portrait. If the head is maintained straight on the neck, the portrait can look stiff.
With these three motions—rotation, tilt, and lean—numerous poses become possible. The idea is to use the combination that provides the best composition and feel for the subject. In the latter half of the 20th century, different schools of thought directed specific combinations for men and women. While these combinations are still sometimes used, they have for the most part fallen out of favor.
© Edie Chiarappa (Courtesy of the artist)