Validação de conteúdo da versão preliminar

As photographers, we can feel overloaded by all the tasks we must keep track of during a shoot. We don’t want to appear insecure or so obsessive-compulsive that we don’t get anything done either. But as professionals, we should at least be aware of the potential posing issues that can arise in any given shoot. If you spot problems in time, you can fix them. If you don’t, they can cause you headaches later.

One of the issues that can sneak up on you is the angle of the wrists. In the heat of a shoot, we photographers can become so locked on our subjects’ faces that we forget to look at other key parts of the body. Simply put, 90-degree wrist angles look bad. Avoid them at all cost. Figure 3.11 illustrates what happens when the wrists are bent at a 90-degree angle.

3.11

I didn’t notice this while I was taking the photo because I was focused more on the subjects’ candid expressions. Their smiles were genuine for that split second. I took the photo at that magical moment, and I am glad I did. Yes, her right wrist is bent at 90 degrees. It’s unfortunate, but it is far more important not to get so caught up with these small details that you are not able to capture something special. Once we become aware of such issues, we can do something about them if time allows. I would also like to call your attention to her left hand: Her index finger and thumb are approaching a 90-degree angle.

This is another problem that sneaks up when posing subjects. The tip of the thumb should always be closer to the index finger. They should not be touching, but an inch or two apart will look natural. If the index finger and thumb are at a 90-degree angle, it will resemble a gun.

The Natural Curvature of the Wrist and Hand

With one of your hands, make a fist. Keep that fist tight and hold your arm straight out in front of you. Now release the fist and any pressure in your hand. Notice how at the moment you released the pressure, your hand dropped and the fingers

relaxed. Take note of the natural curvature of your wrist when your hand is relaxed.

That’s the way your subject’s wrists and fingers should be posed.

Flash Card

• Avoid 90-degree angles on the wrists and fingers.

• The hands will direct the viewer’s attention, so do not place the hands in an area where you do not want to draw attention.

• Be aware of these potential issues with the wrists, hands, fingers, etc., and do your best to correct them quickly. But don’t let them keep you from doing your job, which is to capture great moments and expressions.

Remember that hands direct a viewer’s attention, so pay close attention to them. If the hands are posed badly, they can make a perfectly good photograph useless. Take a look at Figure 3.12. For the most part, it is a beautiful photograph. But her hands are just a mess.

Look at callout #2. Not only is the bride’s left wrist bent at an awkward 90-degree angle, but so are her fingers. I have a hard time enjoying this photograph, because the hands are so distracting! In contrast, Figure 3.13 is a well-executed position for the wrist and fingers. When the hands are well posed, it will bring great elegance to your photographs.

3.12

3.13

On Your Own

Based on this chapter and the previous ones, do these exercises (Figures 3.14–3.19) by yourself or have group discussions with other photographers. Be sure to take notes as you discover what is wrong and what is right with each photograph. Remember, you should only base your analyses on the material covered in this chapter and the ones preceding it.

Have fun!

3.14

3.15

3.16

3.17

3.18

3.19

Analysis

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4. Three-Point Check Combinations

Photographs cannot talk, but they can still communicate. You experience various emotions depending on the energy the photograph casts on you. Some people can explain that

energy, and others cannot. It is undeniable, however, that there’s something we all feel when looking at a photograph of a person. Why does that happen?

The reason we feel a connection or a lack of one when looking at a photo of a person is because each of us has amassed an enormous database of human interactions since we were born. We have all observed the body language of people when they speak to us. We also have experienced that subtle gaze when someone is attracted to us, or the body language of someone interviewing us for a job. We learn to associate different feelings with different body languages.

As we grow up, we learn to differentiate a strong and confident body language from a flirtatious one. Photographers can create very distinct energies and looks in a photo by focusing specifically on the head and torso. They only need to use three parts of the body:

the collarbone, the chin, and the eyes.

To simplify the charts I have put together on the following pages, we will consider only two options for posing these three parts of the body: facing you, or not facing you. By combining these three with the two posing options, you will be able to create any feeling you desire. Later in this chapter, we will also introduce the option of moving your

subject’s chin up or down, and tilting the head toward the higher or lower shoulder.

As photographers, we must be conscious of the body language of our subjects. Yes, we could take hundreds of photos of our subject, until we find a particular result we like. But why not be conscious of what type of responses we want from our viewers and simply execute? In this chapter, we will explore every combination we can create using only the collarbone, the chin, and the eyes, along with whether they face the viewer.