The zeltsman approach to traditional classic portraiture pdf

Nasty, nasty shots of either frightened or frightening people with skeletons bursting out of closets left right and centre. On a dark background the front of the face in a portrait needs to be the brightest area and on a light one the front of the face in a portrait is most compelling when it is evenly lit to make it warm, saturated and slightly darker than any other skin tone in the photo.

The more you do that the better you get at evaluating. I know we have to a unique USP it is getting harder to find it. When I was first getting into wedding photography in quality wedding photography was becoming quite the rage.

Soon, from habit, you will perform the purely technical tasks automatically. Even if I could do those, why bother? I have to agree with Mike D on this one. The Nikon Z6 may not offer the incredible resolution of its sibling, the Z7, but its 24MP resolution is more than enough for most people, and the money saved can buy a lot of glass.

The most effective tactics for posing and lighting make a person look attractive by making their face appear slim and zfltsman. Take a look at this. As you glance at any one of these portraits, whether a close-up, three-quarter length, or full length pose, your attention jeo immediately drawn to the faces and expressions, that is, of course, the primary point of interest in classic portraiture.

Those people know how to do it. Knowing how it feels will help you communicate to the subject how to execute the pose. The classical studio approach is still a money maker!

I went to a PPA convention with the goal of seen him againand learn more of his sucesfull portraiturealways the same person. Leaning into the camera is aggressive and leaning away is submissive which will also be interpreted as being masculine or feminine. Any pose can be built on those two conceptual foundations. There are many more variations on posing than you will find in Zeltsman's tutorial because he specialized in formal portraiture. But his method of analyzing and breaking down the mechanics a pose into foot positions, weight distributions, and angles of key body planes such as the hips, shoulders and eye line can be applied to any pose to reverse engineer it an create a verbal blueprint you can use to instruct your subjects.

For example you can take the basic feminine posture defined by Zeltsman - weight on back foot with head turned and tipped to the near, higher shoulder -- and change the look from stately and demure to drop dead sexy by simply making the tilt of the hips, shoulders and head greater and separating the legs and arms from the body to create an eye catching gaps.

A pose will look more stereotypically masculine if the head is kept squared off and centered with the shoulder line - eye and shoulder line at the same angle - with the body in a more square to the camera, forward leaning aggressive posture.

At that time Monte was one of the best known wedding photographers in the world and a very popular lecturer and teacher. Joe Zeltman, a portrait special was his mentor and the person who developed the very simple approach to posing Monte used. Zeltsman's tutorial on posing and lighting can be found on line and is a must read for any portrait photographer.

Even if you don't like the classic style or the very dated illustrations you should find his approach to posing both very ingenious and enlightening. Zeltsman was also one of the first contemporary photographers to recognize and teach the importance of precise facial angles and short and broad lighting in flattering a face. For Monte finding the most flattering angle and lighting for a person was his paramount goal. His style gets disparaged in some circles for being boring and repetitive because most were short lit oblique views on dark backgrounds, but what the critics fail to take into account is the fact that a short lit oblique view is the most flattering combination for most average faces which are usually asymmetrical to some degree.

His preference for dark backgrounds was due in large part because for many years did his formal portraits by window light which dictates the use of dark backgrounds where the most flattering pose is an oblique short-lit view. Monte was an absolute genius in his ability to look at a face and quickly determine what would be the most flattering angle. It is not really difficult, you just need to stop and look at the subject's face from profile-to-profile and pay particular attention to full face -- which reveals any asymmetry -- and both oblique angles where the far side of the head disappears and the face becomes slimmer looking.

If the face is asymmetrical one oblique view - the narrower side - will be more attractive and flattering than the other with short lighting. So before the subject even sets foot in the studio you can know which direction they should face and which side the key light needs to be on. Technique may therefore be considered as the language for expressing the substance of the photographers statement eloquently. Note: I urge anyone interested in this concept, to concentrate first on mastering the various technical aspects offered throughout the following Chapters.

Soon, from habit, you will perform the purely technical tasks automatically. When you reach that level, your mind will remain free to concentrate on communicating with your subjects, and you will begin to create truly effective portraiture. Structured Portraiture. People may be photographed different ways to serve different functions, and structured portraiture roughly divides into five categories.

This style of portraiture is produced mainly for publicity, promotions, and posters in the field of performing arts. The primary purpose of a glamour portrait is to create an interesting picture, rather than to reflect the subjects true likeness. It is often impossible to achieve aesthetically pleasing results in this style of portraiture because of clothing, props, and the locale of the function which must be included in the picture.

However, the documentary value of these portraits to the client, make the compromise acceptable. These portraits are often done for the news media or some other public use. By including some object or locale within the composition pertinent to the subjects occupation or hobby, the photographer provides the viewer with relevant information about that person.

But, quite often, when the subject is engaged in an activity in that portrayal, the result may again fail to reflect that persons actual likeness. The total effect, as the viewer sees it, should appear natural, comfortable looking, and unaffected. Regardless of how much of the subjects body is showing, the clothing, props, background, or any other item included in the picture, must remain subdued. Only the face and expression should stand out as the dominant point of interest to a beholder.

The following images are examples of Zeltsman portraits of young children, babies, men, women, small groups and family groups. Singly or together. In close-up, three quarter length and full length poses. After viewing these examples of pure traditional classic portraiture, please read the comments at the end of this display. As you examine and study these images, youll become aware that your visual response in viewing these portraits follows a specific planned pattern: As you glance at any one of these portraits, whether a close-up, three-quarter length, or full length pose, your attention is immediately drawn to the faces and expressions, that is, of course, the primary point of interest in classic portraiture.

Note also how this emphasis on the faces is preserved by an absence of any distracting elements within the image that may compete for attention, that is achieved by coordinating the tonal values of clothing, background, props, etc And finally, note the elegant simplicity of the poses.

As you see, everyone in all my portraits, looks comfortable, relaxed, and not as if they were manipulated into a pose. Important comment: I know that many photographers work on location, outdoors and indoors, and may feel that because my work was done within a studio environment, the technical aspects of my approach do not apply to their work. That, of course, is not so!!!

If you do portraits of people, good posing and effective lighting remain the important ingredients no matter where you work. And handling and communicating with your subjects is the same. And understanding composition is also the same. Thus, the effects you see reflecting in my portraits, are just as effective regardless where you work.

The Zeltsman Approach to Traditional Classic Portraiture Chapter 2 The when and how the Zeltsman approach was introduced Some 50 years ago, I received a call from a photographer friend from another town. He asked me if Id like to attend a five-day class with Van Moore, a well-known portrait photographer I said that I would That is where my story begins.

Van Moore opened the session by showing us a small four-inch high figurine of the famous head and shoulders pose of Aphrodite. He told us he photographed it from five different angles, and used slides to show us the results. We saw five different, yet perfectly beautiful poses of Aphrodite, achieved simply by a change of camera angle, and readjustment of the lighting.

The bride was ready, and Van arranged her in a graceful full length standing pose. Compare with the second from the left photo of the figurine He then pointed out how the lines of the Aphrodite composition of the head and shoulders pose continue right on reflecting the graceful lines of the S curve throughout the entire pose of the bride.

Thus this one pose may be photographed as a head and shoulders close up, a three quarter pose, or in full length. As I watched Van pose the bride, I became aware that every pose he demonstrated, seated or standing, reflected the graceful elegance of the S curve, and I realized that each pose Van arranged, could be photographed effectively from 3 o 4 different angles, without changing the pose, by merely changing the camera perspective, and readjusting the lighting I got back to my studio and looked at my work on the walls.

I looked at all of the portraits of women, not just brides, discovered there were several that I particularly liked Interestingly, I also realized that I came up with these poses purely by trial and error, and not as a result of knowing how to do it. But not anymore. Van Moore is responsible for triggering my thoughts toward rethinking and changing my approach to posing. First, the realization that every full length pose he arranged, standing or seated, reflected the graceful lines of the "S" curve as Aphrodite.

Then, looking at the comfortably natural way the body position related to the head position in every pose Van demonstrated, I realized something even more important. I saw in my mind 3 or 4 equally effective poses of that arrangement, by stepping over in front of one or another facial view, and looking at the pose from that perspective.

Example: The five lovely portraits above of the young woman, are the result of photographing the same pose from five different camera perspectives, without changing the pose in any way, as was done with the Aphrodite figurine. I came away from that session with Van Moore, with what was to me then, two interesting and important discoveries. One: Posing people in a natural classic style follows a specific pattern.

This will be detailed in a later Chapter. Two: That a pose arranged reflecting a specific composition, can be photographed showing different angles of the face, and in a variety of croppings.

Detailed in later Chapters That was at the time s when I decided to concentrate all my efforts on Portrait Photography. And, of course, my approach to the technical aspects of portraiture then, was the same as other photographers. But the session with Van Moore changed that. I began thinking of other things that should be changed, and that started me on the way to developing what is now "My Approach to traditional Classic Portraiture.

The first important change needed was based on the following: FACT: The dominant point of interest in classic portraiture must be the subjects face and expression. And because the subjects body naturally remains in a position that is related to the face, why then do photographers begin a portrait session by posing the subjects body first, and then have to accept whatever view of the face is available from that angle???

Why not begin by deciding first which view of the face to photograph, and then arranging the body pose to support that view.??? And so, indeed, the first significantly important change in my approach to portraiture was to begin a portrait session not by posing the subject, but to examine and evaluate the subjects facial features, and decide which facial view, or views, to photograph.

Then arranging the necessary pose to support the chosen facial angle. The end result is an effectively planned image, thus eliminating the probing trial and error method of posing. What about posing the man? Still 50 years ago, having developed my technique for posing the woman, based on the Aphrodite composition, I began to wonder, perhaps there was also some particular common composition for posing the male. I began looking at many portraits of men by top portrait photographers.

I searched all kinds of publications. Particularly, I watched print competitions, and I discovered a common denominator in all the images I liked. Compositionally, they all seemed to fit into a C shape, rather than the S curve that was the feminine pose. I worked and practiced with a man until I was able to arrange the full range of poses, head and shoulders, three-quarter length and full length, seated or standing, all reflecting the C shape composition, and named it the Masculine Composition.

See Chapter 3 for detailed coverage of why and how of facial evaluation. And Chapter 4, 5, 6, and 7, to understand the two posing compositions I identify as Masculine and Feminine. There is no special significance to the terms "Masculine or Feminine" composition, other than for the purpose of identification. NOTE: All of my portraits represent a carefully planned image, that begins with a facial evaluation.

Introductory Comments: At the start of my career as a portrait photographer many years ago, I began every portrait session, logically, by arranging the subject in what I felt to be an effective pose. And after establishing proper camera position, and desired lighting, photographed the subject, hopefully with a pleasant and interesting facial expression.

But, after using that "posing first" approach at the start of a portrait session for some time, I became aware there seemed to be something wrong with that approach, and I finally realized what it was.

People are photographed in different ways for a variety of reasons. It is important then, that the subject be arranged in a pose relevant to the planned function of that portrait, and the "posing first" approach is.

Consider the following: When a subject is arranged in a pose appropriately relevant to the style and function of that portrait, the pose is the primary point of interest, and the view of the face is whatever facial angle is available while the subject is holding that pose. To show other views of the face requires changing that pose. I, at that time, was pursuing a career in traditional Classic Portraiture where faces and expressions are the dominant point of interest of a portrait, supported by a relevant pose to complete the composition, and the "posing first" approach made no sense to me.

I then reversed the sequence of my approach to beginning a portrait session, and followed it ever since. The new approach: Because the essence of Classic Portraiture is Faces and Expressions, I decided the first most important task is to decide which of the subjects facial view, or views to photograph. And after that decision is made, arrange the subjects figure appropriately posed to support that facial view.

Classic Portraiture? All sessions begin with a facial evaluation period. Detailed instructions about how to do a facial evaluation follow now. Benefits of beginning a Portrait Session with a Facial Evaluation There are two primary reasons for evaluating the subjects facial features at the start of a portrait session. First, we have an opportunity to decide which facial view we prefer to photograph. Secondly, the view we decide to feature indicates how the subjects body needs to be arranged to form a compositionally effective foundation for that facial view.

Aside from these two principal benefits, there are other less obvious ones. For example, most people usually feel self conscious and ill at ease before a camera, especially within an environment of a. Being surrounded by elaborate lighting equipment may also make people feel uncomfortable.

And being posed immediately at the start of a session does nothing to ease their tensions. But when a portrait session begins with a facial evaluation, the problems that tend to make people feel ill at ease simply do not occur.

Equipment is off to the side. The subject is not posed in any way, but while continuing a pleasant relaxed conversation, is invited casually to sit down on a stool, and the Evaluation Session that will be detailed a bit later in the Chapter begins.

Aside from achieving an interesting portrayal of someone, the real objective of classic portraiture is to capture and document a subjects recognizable likeness. To understand why I use the term "recognizable" likeness, consider the following.

You may certainly photograph a person from different angles, showing a variety of facial views. And, of course, each of those facial views does indeed represent that persons likeness as seen from that particular angle.

But, in fact, there are only five specific facial views that actually reflect a subjects likeness accurately And those five specific facial views, as shown in the following photos of the young lady, also apply to facial angles of men and children. I refer to them as the "five recognizable facial views". See the following illustrations. The profile must show its precise contour. The slightest turn of the head to either side, destroys the delicate lines of a profile, and therefore its recognizable likeness.

The proper identification of a side view of the face, is more accurately identified as the two-thirds. See photos! The head is turned to the side until only the precise front plane of the face is showing accurately, and one side plane. A front view of the face must be balanced from ear to ear, as shown here in this photo. Any slight change from this exact front facial angle, changes the shape and form of the facial features, and is no longer an accurate recognizable likeness of the front facial angle.

Important: To ensure that our completed poses, supporting either of the five recognizable facial views are accurately recorded, we must remain at the camera when making exposures. Lighting for a Facial Evaluation Session In a camera room, good overall illumination is essential for conducting facial evaluations, as well as for posing. Dont depend on your portrait lighting equipment to provide that illumination. The lighting supplied by these units is too directional. It creates highlight and shadow patterns on a subjects face that prevents a proper evaluation.

The general overall camera room illumination should, therefore, be as shadow- less as possible, and fairly bright. I have found that fluorescent lighting is best for that purpose, because it provides lots of good soft light at minimal cost.

The evaluation and planning session to decide how to photograph the subject should take no longer than about 10 minutes or so. Then, as you turn to posing, youll also find it most convenient to pose the subject in a well-lighted room. Finally, when the pose is arranged, you switch off the overall room illumination, turn on the lighting equipment and proceed lighting the pose. And, standing behind the lowered camera, I ask the subject to sit up straight, to bring the body to its fullest height, and maintain that posture as we work.

All done with lots of smiling and communicating with the subject as we proceed. The Why and How Approach to Facial Evaluation Obviously, the objective of a facial evaluation is to decide which facial view, or views, will portray the subject most effectively. To arrive at such a judgment we must be able to study a subjects face from various angles and make comparisons. Thats not the way to do it!

The right approach: The subject is seated on the stool with good posture, facing the camera that is lowered, to allow you an unobstructed view of the subject while you stand behind the camera.

That is the most crucial time for communicating with the subject. Share what you see. In order for you to see changes of expressions, smiles, etc.. Consider the psychological effect of conducting a facial evaluation in this manner. With that in mind, theres obviously no reason to look at any other views of the subjects face.

Actually, during this facial evaluation session, we look only at the front facial view, and at each of the two-thirds side facial views, because only these three angles of the face reflect a subjects absolutely recognizable likeness.. Now what about the two other important facial views, the profiles? Actually, the profiles, aside from offering aesthetically pleasing studies, do not truly represent a persons recognizable likeness sufficiently.

Thus, our primary concentration during a facial evaluation is on the front view and the two side views of the face. And because the subject could not possibly turn the head to either profile without moving the body with each turn of the head, at some point during the evaluating period, you may step off to either side of the subject for a moment, to glance at each profile, and decide to include an interesting study of a profile, in addition to the other views of the face you decide to photograph.

Lets examine how you may use what you see during a facial evaluation when planning how to photograph the subject. The reason for evaluating facial features is to allow you to select a particular facial view, or views, that will reflect a meaningful portrayal of the subject. When you begin, the immediate purpose of the analysis is to discover any un-attractive features and imperfections in the subjects face from that angle, and consider how to deal with it. Your subject is surely aware of that little problem, and will greatly appreciate knowing that youve spotted it, and what you intend to do about it.

The facial analysis is, therefore, a planning session, and the following examples will give you an idea how your choice of a facial view may be influenced by what you see during that period. The Actual Planning Important Notes: The evaluating and planning session I am introducing in this Chapter, is the important starting point of my approach to Classic Portraiture, as I explained in the beginning paragraphs of this Chapter. Do not just do things, but communicate and let the subject understand what you are doing.

And now, the most important and necessary communication is essential when viewing and comparing a subjects precise facial views. Here is why! Look at any of the three precise recognizable facial views of a Man or Woman. Serious expression first: Note the shape of the face, and the facial features. Do you know what will happen when you ask the subject to smile??? Everything will change! As it will change some more with a change of expression.

This provides you unlimited choices for comparison in evaluating any one subject. A look now at how you use what you may see during a facial evaluation when planning a portrait of a subject.

The actual reason for evaluating facial features is to enable you to select a particular facial view or views, that will reflect a meaningful portrayal of the subject. When you begin, the real immediate purpose of the analysis is to discover any negative or distracting features in a subjects face from that angle. When you do, you consider how to deal with them.

The facial analysis is, therefore, a planning session, and the following examples will give you an idea how your choice of a facial view may be influenced by what you see.

Facial Features: You are looking at a subjects exact front view of the face. You study the shape of the face, and the facial features, and tell the subject youd like to see how a smile will change everything.

And it surely does. Do the same with the two-thirds side views of the face, some smiling, some laughing, back and forth, some serious, making comparisons, sharing whats interesting with the subject. And youll know how to arrange the proper poses to support your chosen facial views. Hair parted on one side may be a factor, because it can alter a subjects appearance when viewed from different angles.

The differences will guide you toward choosing the view that best represents a most attractive likeness of the subject. Eyes: Occasionally, looking at a subjects full front view of the face, you will notice that one eye appears to be smaller than the other.

How to handle this has been the subject of many discussions for years. Everyone, of course, agrees on using a two-thirds facial view to modify the appearance of that discrepancy. Some suggest that you should turn the smaller eye away from the camera.

Others say just the opposite. However, you are now doing a facial evaluation, and must, and will, rely on your own opinion and judgment. When looking at a subjects precise front facial view, you become aware of a slight size difference between that subjects eyes, comment on it, The subject is undoubtedly fully aware of this. And smiling pleasantly, you say to the subject "a smile changes the appearance of facial features, so, how about giving me a smile, and see what happens"?

When the subject smiles, you may see a magical change. But whatever you see, go through the same procedure with each of the two-thirds views of the face. When you do that, youll be surprised to discover no problem with the eyes with some of the expressions. Do you care at this point about rules and whats right or whats wrong?

You are looking at several options. The right choice of facial view or views and expressions will be right there for you to make your decision. No rules. Your own considered opinion will be the right thing to do. Respect your own judgment, and youre on your way! Teeth: Occasionally, when you are studying a subjects side view of the face, you may detect a tooth missing when the subject smiles. Yet, when you check the opposite side view, the teeth look good.

This provides you with a clear choice for planning ahead. Youll photograph the subject in a serious expression from the side where the tooth is missing, and smiling from the opposite side.

This is a situation you share with a subject, who will appreciate you sensitivity and be ready with a smile when you ask for it. A subjects reaction to your request for a smile should tell you quite a bit about the subjects personality.. Or, will a serious expression be more natural?

Your impression of the subject at this time, can greatly influence not only what facial view you photograph, but also what expressions youll want to capture. Some people show quite a bit of their gums when smiling broadly. While this may be perfectly natural, its not particularly attractive in a portrait. When you are confronted with this situation, you should plan to photograph that person with a slight smile, or no smile.

Many other situations will occur as you practice this procedure. In time, youll gain the experience to cope with all of them. Closing comments: Although my detailed explanation of the complexities of this procedure is quite long, I remind you that the actual time of this session should not exceed 10 minutes or so. No doubt this evaluation session will become highly productive after you learn to work with it. At the start, however, you must realize your mind will be too preoccupied with directing and communicating with the subject to allow you to digest what you see.

But when you get used to handle that part of the procedure without thinking about it, your mind will become free to concentrate on spotting the good and the bad features of a subjects face. That, and the reason for it, is fully explained in the first five paragraphs in Chapter 3. My posing session therefore begins, after Ive decided which of the subjects views of the face I decide to feature, and I arrange the subjects body into whatever pose that will effectively support the facial view being photographed.

And that is what the four Chapters on Posing Men and Women will show you how to do. A reminder: This is Classic Portraiture posing, not posing by the "trial and error" method, or experimenting The essence of my approach to posing is that all poses are arranged into either one of TWO, distinctly different compositions. No particular significance to those terms, other than to identify the structural difference between them. Note:Either composition may be used effectively to pose women and small children.

But men are always posed in a Masculine Composition. To see the actual results of this approach to posing, look at the display of my portraits in Chapter 1, of men, women, children, babies, couples, in close-ups, three-quarter, and full length poses, singly or in groupings.

Every person is posed in either a Masculine or Feminine composition. Everyone looks comfortable and natural, and certainly not as if they were manipulated into a pose. On to posing now! Full Length Standing Masculine Pose.

The pose of the full length standing figure in the photo on left M-1 is supporting the two-thirds view of the subjects face. Looking at this pose raises an important question.

If it is important to show the subject in a full length pose, why turn his body to the side in a manner shown here?

The purpose of a full length pose is to show a subjects figure. Yet, the turn to the side shown in this pose totally obscures the figure. The only salvageable portion of this pose is the subjects face in a very close cropping. The absence of his far shoulder leaves the face floating without support. My reason for showing this pose is that I see it used very often in formal wedding groupings.

Now, I will show you how to arrange a full length standing pose in a Masculine composition. First, about this pose: The subjects body never faces the camera squarely, but is always turned slightly to the right or to the left, depending on which facial view is being photographed, and always showing the far shoulder and arm.

Well arrange that pose now in a step by step progression. Starting point: The subject is standing facing the camera squarely, feet side by side pointing front. To show the right two-thirds view of his face means the body must turn slightly to his left. He is then directed to keep his right foot as is, but to move his left foot back a bit, slightly behind the right foot, and in a bit of a turn to his left, as illustrated in the photo M Step two: Now, he is directed to drop his weight on to his back foot, with a slight bend of his right knee.

See photo M-2 His body is now turned exactly to where it needs to be, usually just the right amount. Should you feel however at this time, that youd like to adjust that turn somewhat, all you do is ask the subject to turn his back foot just a bit to one side or the other, thus adjusting the body turn one way or another Youve just learned that arranging of standing poses always begins by a particular placement of the subjects feet on the floor.

Step three: What to do about the straight lines of the arms that are just hanging down? Photo M- 3 illustrates how using the hands in some natural way to bring the elbows into a slight bend, changes the severe straight lines of the arms into flowing diagonals, and softens the corners of the shoulders. Final steps: To ascertain that his exact two-thirds facial view is showing. And that the head is positioned precisely perpendicular to the line of the shoulders.

The end result is an example of a classic full length standing Masculine Pose, that takes but a few minutes to arrange. You must surely be aware, as you look at this pose in photo M-3, that there are three great poses there. A close up head and shoulders. A three quarter length, cropped below the hands, and a full length. Each one is, of course, showing the subjects two-thirds facial view.

Now, without any change in the pose, a slight turn of the subjects head to the front to show the exact front facial view, and you have the pose as shown in photo M Again, the same three cropping options apply. Thats six choices provided by one single arrangement. This brings me to the subject of how you decide which way to turn the body when you begin arranging a pose.

That decision can only be made after a facial evaluation. Your choice of either left or right two-thirds view of the face as your first arrangement, will indicate the turn of the body as you begin arranging the pose. And of course, either turn of the body will support a front view of the face Photo M-5 shows exactly the same pose, reversed to support the subjects left two-thirds facial view.

The same Masculine Composition, arranged by the same placement of the feet, but in a reversed position, with the left foot in front now. And photo M- 6 is the same pose with head turned to show the front facial view. The same cropping options apply to each of the four poses M-3, M-4, M-5, M That, by my count, offers a choice of 12 different portraits of that one Classic Masculine arrangement.

Plus a variety of facial expressions??? A quick review: First step is the turn of the body. In a standing pose it is accomplished by the placement of the subjects feet. Next step involves shifting the body weight onto the back foot by bending the front knee. Next step, the bending of the elbows to soften the lines of the arms and shoulders.

Finally, the head is positioned perpendicular to the line of the shoulders. Full Length Seated Masculine Pose. Note: When seating someone in a chair, man or woman, you absolutely must never place the chair facing directly front. Always place it turned a bit to the right, or to left, depending on what facial angle you decided to photograph during a facial evaluation.

As you probably realize now, since the subjects body in a masculine pose must not be facing directly front, your placement of the chair will control the body turn in the direction you have planned. But when you ask a man to be seated, he usually disregards your placement of the chair, and plops down facing you, with legs apart, body slouched, and shoulders up hiding his neck as illustrated in Photo M7 We proceed now to arrange this full length seated masculine pose, step by step.

The posing session begins, by directing the subject to sit properly in the chair the way it is positioned. That places the body into the needed slight turn to his left, that will properly support either the full front, or the two-thirds side view of the face.

Now, as he is seated properly in the chair, ask him to sit up to his full height and a slight lean of the body in the direction it is facing. Note how this improved posture changed the appearance of the clothing, and giving shape and form to the body.

Because men normally sit with legs apart, they should be posed that way. But not as in photo M-8, with crotch area facing directly front toward the camera. Here is how to arrange this pose properly, still with his legs apart, as in photo M First, when the subject sits in the pre-positioned chair properly, as shown here, it places the body in a slight turn to his left. That brings his right foot in line with his face, and his right knee in toward the center to cover the crotch area.

His left foot is moved back slightly behind the front foot, almost like in a standing arrangement. Now the hands resting on his lap are moved back until the elbows bend, to form the diagonal limes of the arms.

Finally, the turn of the head is checked to make sure the desired view of the face is related to the camera accurately, and the head is exactly perpendicular to the shoulder line. And that is the classic seated full length pose of a man in a masculine composition. Photos M and M are exactly the same pose, in reverse, supporting the subjects left two-thirds side view of the face, and the front view of the face.

Final comments: In this Chapter, I dealt with posing the full length standing, and the full length seated Masculine Composition, for arranging family groups, or any other groupings, in traditional full length classic style.

Go to next Chapter 5, Posing Men - Part Two, to see how this one masculine composition is used in arranging the traditional classic head and shoulders and three-quarter length poses. I named it the Masculine Composition, setting it apart from the Feminine Composition that will be introduced next, in Chapter 6. You saw how that masculine composition was used in posing the full length standing and seated poses.

My reason for starting the posing discussion with full length arrangements, is that those two poses should be of particular interest to wedding photographers who do full length posing, and to portrait photographers for posing family groups Now, in this Chapter, I will show you how this one masculine composition is used in arranging the traditional classic head and shoulders and three-quarter length poses.

When you ask the subject to sit on a stool, he will most likely do so in a slouching posture. Begin by directing him to sit up and bring his body to its fullest height, as shown in photo 1, and illustrates how a subject is seated during a facial evaluation and planning session detailed in Chapter 3. The decision here is to arrange a pose to show the full front facial view, as well as his right two-thirds view of the face, and that calls for a turn of the body to his left.

Important note: The head is never turned in opposite direction to the body in a Masculine Composition. The first step, the turn of the body, is shown here in photo 2.

For now, well stay with the front view of the face. Keep in mind that this is a head and shoulders pose. Now, in photo 3 you see an adjustable height posing table added. While maintaining the same erect posture, he leans his body slightly forward to rest his hand on the table adjusted to the proper height , achieving a slight lowering of his left shoulder.

At the same time there is a bending of the elbow to establish the diagonal of the arm. The result is a classic head and shoulders pose. Crop it to see it properly composed. The reason for an adjustable height posing table is to allow to vary its height for placing a hand or hands at different heights in relation to the face. Look at photo 4. There are two poses there. One, to show only his left hand, and another showing both hands.

Either pose requires no change in the pose. The pose in photo 5 however, does require the table to be raised, to bring his hand up to the face, without changing the pose. You dont have an adjustable table? Use a few books on whatever table you do have to bring the hand to the required height.