The Best of Wedding Photography.pdf - Free

example. When you break the composition at a joint, it
produces a disquieting feeling.
FACE POSITIONS
As mentioned previously, the head should be at a different
angle than the shoulders. There are three basic head positions
(relative to the camera) found in portraiture.
The Seven-Eighths View. If you consider the full face
as a head-on “mug shot,” then the seven-eighths view is
when the subject’s face is turned just slightly away from
the camera. In other words, you will see a little more of
one side of the subject’s face. You will still see the subject’s
far ear in a seven-eighths view.
The Three-Quarters View. This is when the far ear is
hidden from camera and more of one side of the face is
visible. With this pose, the far eye will appear smaller because
it is farther away from the camera than the near eye.
Because of this, it is important when posing subjects in a
three-quarters view to position them so that the subject’s
smallest eye (people usually have one eye that is slightly
smaller than the other) is closest to the camera. This way,
the perspective makes both eyes appear to be the same size
in the photograph. This may not be something you have
time to do when posing groups of people at a wedding,
but when photographing the bride and groom, care
should be taken to notice these subtleties.
Profile. In the profile, the head is turned almost 90 degrees
to the camera. Only one eye is visible. When posing
your subjects in profile, have them turn their heads gradually
away from the camera position until the far eye and
eyelashes just disappear.
Knowing the different head positions will help you provide
variety and flow to your images, and you can incorporate
the different head positions within group portraits.
You may, at times, end up using all three head positions in
a single group pose. The more people in the group, the
more likely that becomes.
THE EYES
The best way to keep your subjects’ eyes active and alive is
to engage the person in conversation. Look at the person
while you are setting up and try to find a common frame
of interest. Inquire about the other person—almost everyone
loves to talk about themselves! If the person does not
look at you when you are talking, he or she is either uncomfortable
or shy. In either case, you have to work to
relax the person. Try a variety of conversational topics until
you find one he or she warms to and then pursue it. As
you gain their interest, you will take the subject’s mind off
of the photograph.
The direction the person is looking is important. Start
the formal session by having the person look at you. Using
a cable release with the camera tripod-mounted forces you
to become the host and allows you to physically hold the
subject’s gaze. It is a good idea to shoot a few frames of
the person looking directly into the camera, but most people
will appreciate some variety.
One of the best ways to enliven your subject’s eyes is to
tell an amusing story. If they enjoy it, their eyes will
smile—a truly endearing expression.
This is an incredible portrait by Erika Burgin. The pose, which uses a
three-quarters view of the bride’s face and frontal lighting from camera
right, produces beautiful roundness and sculpting. The bride’s eyes,
which are turned away from the light, are mysterious. This is a beautiful
example of split toning, where the highlights have a rich warm
tint and the shadows have a cool blue-gray tint. This is an award-winning
image. Fine art print made by Robert Cavalli.
POSING BASICS 51