The Best of Wedding Photography.pdf - Free

This is a beautiful pose created by Kevin Jairaj. To create it, he used the overhead light of a street light shining onto a stucco wall (see inset). No
fill was used. He simply had the bride look up into the light. Note the dynamic lines created by the arms and also the almost straight-on view of
her body (not normally recommended because it adds pounds to the bride). Also note that her head and neck axis are very much different, creating
an interesting pose. In this instance, the lighting, because it couldn’t be altered, dictated the pose.
seen together with the line of the body, creates a sense of
tension and balance. With men, the head is often turned
the same general direction as the shoulders (but not at exactly
the same angle); with women, the head is usually at
an angle that opposes the line of the body.
THE ARMS
Subjects’ arms should generally not be allowed to fall to
their sides, but should project outward to provide gently
sloping lines and a “base” to the composition. This is
achieved in a number of ways. For men, ask them to put
their hands in their pockets; for women, ask them to bring
their hands to their waist (whether they are seated or
standing). Remind them that there should be a slight space
between their upper arms and their torsos. This triangular
base in the composition visually attracts the viewer’s eye
upward, toward the face, and also protects subjects from
appearing to have flat and flabby arms.
48 THE BEST OF WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY
HANDS
Posing hands can be difficult because, in most portraits,
they are closer to the camera than the subject’s head and
thus appear larger. To give hands a more natural perspective,
use a longer-than-normal lens. Although holding the
focus on both the hands and face is more difficult with a
longer lens, the size relationship between them will appear
more natural. If the hands are slightly out of focus, this is
not as crucial as when the eyes or face are soft.
One basic rule is never to photograph a subject’s hands
pointing straight into the camera lens. This distorts their
size and shape. Instead, have the hands at an angle.
Another basic is to photograph the outer edge of the
hand when possible. This gives a natural line to the hand
and wrist and eliminates distortion that occurs when the
hand is photographed from the top or head-on. Try to
raise the wrist slightly so there is a gently curving line
where the wrist and hand join. Additionally, you should