[0:00]Today we have a special treat for you. Where did I put that? You guys asked us for a tutorial on how to pose solo portraits, so today my sister Megan is going to help us show you how to pose clients and friends who aren't necessarily models. We're going to draw on a lot of tips that we've shown you in previous tutorials to show you how you can apply these to almost any genre of photography. Let's get started.
[0:35]Remember when we told you that straight lines provoke feelings of brashness and masculinity and S curves provoke feelings of softness and femininity? Well, that applies to posing people as well. Depending on the mood and look you want, have your subject keep his or her limbs and torso straight and jagged or bent and curved. Two, direct instead of pose. If you remember from our tutorial on shooting couples, we recommend directing over posing. So after you've chatted with your subject about the shape of her limbs and torso, don't give her any more direction on where to place her hands or chin, etc. Instead, give her a role to play or an emotion to act out. Here, I've told Megan to imagine that I've just given her access to any of the clothes in my childhood bedroom closet. It's funny to her because I would never do that. Here, I've told her that my parents had her on accident. Before you start shooting, figure out the story you want to portray in your image, determine the emotion that will help convey that message and help your subject feel and act out that emotion. This will give your photos a more lifelike and interesting quality.
[1:38]A great way to naturally capture a candid moment is to give your subject an action to portray that creates motion in your photo. This could be as simple as having your subject shake out her hair, or repeat a stride in place. Capturing the photo mid-action can bring life and interest to the shot. Recap. One, use straight lines and S-curves. Two, direct your subject instead of posing him or her. Three, utilize motion to add interest. We hope you guys enjoyed that tutorial. This week when you post your portraits, use the hashtag Mango Street Portraits on Instagram so we can check out your work. And as always, please like and subscribe if you haven't already and we'll see you next week.
