Having a “non-model” client pose in a model way is no easy task. To get the face and emotion right and then ask to do awkward body positions is hard.
Mike is standing with his weight all on the front foot to thrust the body forward, what I call “turtling”. The camera flattens you out and it doesn’t appear you’re doing it, but the model feels weird and uncomfortable.
I sometimes have to roledex through quite a few adjectives to see what sticks.
- fierce
- you’re mad
- you want to kick my ass
- you want to punch someone
- laser your eyes
- make it look like you need glasses and can’t see
- relax your hands
- fall forward
- body to the side, head forward
- keep your head tipped down
- chin down, chin up
- tug
- nose to the camera
- i need to see less ear
- on and on and on…back and forth
There is the real danger of over directing a photo shoot with a client, the more you add on you can “see” their brain thinking about it. I don’t pose clients per se but give them a jumping off point and ask for slight changes click to click. To do this the client needs lots of adjectives, not easy for a “non model” to do. So I think Mike did a great job with the look and feeling of this shoot. I’m sure he has a new appreciation for what experienced models bring to the table.
Michigan Commercial Photography by Mary DuPrie
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