Showing Clients Photos of Poses

sh123 · Jan 31, 2015

Hi all,

I'm new to this forum, but I wanted to bounce an idea off other photographers. What do you think of printing off pictures of poses and showing them to clients to recreate? I seem to have a difficult time remembering all of the poses off the top of my head during a shoot. Is that tacky? I have a shoot coming up and the couple is verrry nervous to be in front of the camera. Could this provide them with ease? It would help ME a lot, that's for sure! I look forward to hearing your thoughts!

Buckster · Jan 31, 2015

Not tacky at all. I keep sets of poses on my tablet to refer to . It's fine to show them to the client to help direct them.

Just remember to remain the director, and be careful that it doesn't lead to a lot of wasted time as they start looking through a thousand poses, trying to decide for themselves which one to do.

You should pick one out and show it to them, and say, "let's try this", then direct them toward that pose: "Chin forward, forward shoulder down a little", etc., etc., etc. When they have an idea what you're going for with that direction, it can help.

tirediron · Jan 31, 2015

Yep, pretty much that^^ exactly! I keep a number of posing charts on my iPad, and often show them to clients before I start to pose them, so they have an idea of where we're going.

Designer · Jan 31, 2015

You could do something similar with lighting examples providing your client is helpful, and not "shopping".

Forkie · Jan 31, 2015

I would, in fact, encourage having pictures of poses for your subjects to try out. We can't always think of everything and if your subjects are nervous and stiff in front of the camera, it's a perfectly valid and good way to explain to them what you want them to do.

Make a whole binder full of poses and sit down and go through them with your subjects before you start shooting. That way, by the time they get in front of the camera they will at least have an idea of what they're expected to do.

paigew · Jan 31, 2015

I personally wouldn't show clients poses to recreate. I think it is your job as a photographer to know the best pose for the subject(s). There are posing guides you can keep with you or on your phone to glance at for ideas when you go blank, but I wouldn't show them to the client.

If I hired a photographer and they presented me with posing options during our session I would seriously doubt their skills.

pixmedic · Jan 31, 2015

paigew said:
I personally wouldn't show clients poses to recreate. I think it is your job as a photographer to know the best pose for the subject(s). There are posing guides you can keep with you or on your phone to glance at for ideas when you go blank, but I wouldn't show them to the client.

If I hired a photographer and they presented me with posing options during our session I would seriously doubt their skills.

they basically are anyway. its called their portfolio, which in many cases, has examples of different posing.
it is not any different than a client looking through your work and saying "i want something like this".
If you hired a photographer, would you not want to see examples of their work first? if so, they are showing you visual references of options from their work, whether it is different posing, lighting, scenarios, or whatever.

sometimes a visual aid is more conducive to a client getting the pose correct than verbal instruction.
some people just do not take verbal instruction well.
spending 30 minutes trying to "talk" them through a pose they just arent visualizing well isn't going to be good for anyone. If a picture is what does the trick and gets the ball rolling, then go for it.

just because you have the option to show people posing visual aids, does not mean you have to every time.
think of them like you would any other photography tool. Know when you need to use it, and use it when you need to.

Designer · Jan 31, 2015

paigew said:
I personally wouldn't show clients poses to recreate. I think it is your job as a photographer to know the best pose for the subject(s). There are posing guides you can keep with you or on your phone to glance at for ideas when you go blank, but I wouldn't show them to the client.

If I hired a photographer and they presented me with posing options during our session I would seriously doubt their skills.

Depending on how the OP wanted to present the posing guide. If it were me, I would know what poses would be flattering, and I would show the client the picture in order to give the subject some idea of what I wanted him or her to do. If the client wanted to copy an unflattering pose, then I would not allow it, suggesting a better pose instead.

Overread · Jan 31, 2015

Few thoughts:

1) Consider doing some work with a model (ergo someone who knows how to pose themselves) along the lines of building up a portfolio of poses to use. The idea being that by presenting the same model in various poses you allow for a uniformity element; ergo your client is more likely to focus upon the pose than upon the photo (less room for distraction). These would very much be guides for a client on how to sit and position themselves more so than creative ideas (that's for your regular portfolio).
This is all about speeding up your interaction - a picture says a thousand words.

2) Most people can't pose; they just don't act so they don't think about it. So much of the idea is alien to them; so any tool you can use to speed up and aid communication is valuable. Some people just don't get verbal instructions very well and whilst you might be calm in your element, its not abnormal for clients to be a touch nervous about a shoot; and when one is nervous the brain does all kinds of silly things that stops them thinking straight (ergo they take a lot longer to "get" what you're saying properly); this a visual aid sometimes helps a lot for them.

3) Showing poses isn't cheating, nor is accepting that sometimes you've got to experiment; we can all dream of being the ideal photographer who just looks and knows instantly - typically that takes decades of shooting to get that good - we can't all get that good that fast so aids are important in working toward that.

paigew · Feb 1, 2015

I would disagree that a portfolio acts as a posing guide. I do not think clients look at a [my] portfolio and think..."I want that pose". I think the clients look at a portfolio and think "I want that PHOTOGRAPHER.!" Maybe I run my business differently than others, but mine is not a cookie cutter A + B = C session. It isn't a pick and choose kinda thing. My clients leave the posing, location, and lighting choices to me...which is why they pay me. And it has never taken me 30 minutes to pose for a photo. I mean, I could shoot an entire bridal party in less than 30 minutes...and that is about 10 poses

If you are not dealing with paying clients I think it is fine to use posing guides to try and get your vision across to the model. When you are learning, it can be very challenging to convey your thoughts to your models but IMO as a professional, this should be a skill you have before charging.

Forkie · Feb 1, 2015

Paige, we're not saying that it would be acceptable to present a client with a book of poses and say "Pick one". We're saying that there's nothing wrong with having something as visual guide for a nervous subject to understand what the photographer is talking about in terms of posing and how that will affect the overall image.

Doing a bridal party is slightly different, they are already all up for it; expecting and encouraging each other for some photos, you will need get them under control and position them where you want, but you've already got a half baked cookie that just needs crisping up (if you'll excuse the ridiculous analogy!) - if you tell them all to throw their legs in the air, they probably will.

But having a nervous couple who are particularly self-conscious, where the camera is solely on them and they're expected to "perform" in front of the lens can be a challenge even for a seasoned photographer. And if a visual aid helps them relax and understand how the weird position you've asked them to stand in will look in the final image then, all the better.

paigew · Feb 1, 2015

hey whatever works for you! Not trying to offend anyone, I am just saying I personally wouldn't advise it. I feel like it could even backfire if the pose doesn't turn out exactly as they thought...or if it doesn't look "as good" or what not as the posing guide.Also, my goal is natural posing so trying to copy a pose off a photo just doesn't work. I try instead to guide my clients into a pose/interaction that feels natural and normal to them. To each his own :very_drunk:

Designer · Feb 1, 2015

There are (for me, at least) certain "boundaries" that one must not cross. If my (hypothetical) client could not get her body in just the right position, it would be considered inappropriate for me to touch the client in an effort to move her arm, leg, or head into the position I want, so showing her a picture or diagram could, in some cases, help her to strike that pose.

Some people cannot mimic a pose they see in a picture, so for them it will be a matter of verbal instruction i.e.: "..now place your left arm on the back of the chair..just a bit higher. Good!, now turn your head more toward me, a bit more, good, now chin up, eyes to me, a bit more smile, etc, etc. Oops, straighten the wrinkle in your dress, now back to the pose, etc, etc, chin up, never mind what your child is doing, she is fine playing with the power cords, hold the pose... Got it!

paigew · Feb 1, 2015

Designer said:
There are (for me, at least) certain "boundaries" that one must not cross. If my (hypothetical) client could not get her body in just the right position, it would be considered inappropriate for me to touch the client in an effort to move her arm, leg, or head into the position I want, so showing her a picture or diagram could, in some cases, help her to strike that pose.

Some people cannot mimic a pose they see in a picture, so for them it will be a matter of verbal instruction i.e.: "..now place your left arm on the back of the chair..just a bit higher. Good!, now turn your head more toward me, a bit more, good, now chin up, eyes to me, a bit more smile, etc, etc. Oops, straighten the wrinkle in your dress, now back to the pose, etc, etc, chin up, never mind what your child is doing, she is fine playing with the power cords, hold the pose... Got it!

yes I am completely opposite. I don't think I have ever had a session where I didn't physically interact with my clients. It really is a personal thing...shooting style

Forkie · Feb 1, 2015

paigew said:
hey whatever works for you! Not trying to offend anyone, I am just saying I personally wouldn't advise it. I feel like it could even backfire if the pose doesn't turn out exactly as they thought...or if it doesn't look "as good" or what not as the posing guide.Also, my goal is natural posing so trying to copy a pose off a photo just doesn't work. I try instead to guide my clients into a pose/interaction that feels natural and normal to them. To each his own

I didn't for a minute think you were trying to offend anyone

I do find a glass of wine or two before they step in front of the camera also helps nervous clients to relax! :trink39:

Designer said:
There are (for me, at least) certain "boundaries" that one must not cross. If my (hypothetical) client could not get her body in just the right position, it would be considered inappropriate for me to touch the client in an effort to move her arm, leg, or head into the position I want, so showing her a picture or diagram could, in some cases, help her to strike that pose.

Some people cannot mimic a pose they see in a picture, so for them it will be a matter of verbal instruction i.e.: "..now place your left arm on the back of the chair..just a bit higher. Good!, now turn your head more toward me, a bit more, good, now chin up, eyes to me, a bit more smile, etc, etc. Oops, straighten the wrinkle in your dress, now back to the pose, etc, etc, chin up, never mind what your child is doing, she is fine playing with the power cords, hold the pose... Got it!

Maybe it's just me, but in America there seems to be a terrible fear of people touching each other that I find a little odd! I have no quarms about placing my hand on someone to guide their movement or to move their hair or whip out a crease in a shirt or something like that. I'd always ask first, obviously, but 99% of the time it even increases the level of trust and they're often happy for the attention! Heck, most people get a hug as they walk through my door! :icon_hug: