Last Updated on 02/04/2019 by Chris Gampat
Still getting the hang of posing your subjects and getting the expressions you want? Here’s a neat trick for you to try when you go shoot portraits today!
Great portraits aren’t just technically sound, but also highlight the most interesting details and personality of the subject. This is why much of it depends on the poses and expressions which in turn depends mostly on you as a photographer. Not everyone can strike a pose like a professional model, but you can certainly get ANYONE to pose for a striking portrait. All you need is this easy trick.
In one of his recent videos, New Jersey-based commercial portrait photographer Miguel Quiles shares with us one trick he has mastered from his over 15 years of experience in the industry. It involves getting ANYONE to do poses that are comfortable and natural for them. “I’ve learned that one of the easiest and best ways to pose people and get great expressions without making it look like they are posing is to use the method I describe in this video,” he says in the description.
Let’s go ahead and see how it’s done:
So, the trick is to get your subjects to play a character instead of merely directing them how to pose. According to Quiles, this helps you get more variety in your poses within a short span of time. This should come in handy if you’re shooting portraits quickly, for like 10 to 15 minutes. This technique also produces more natural expressions and poses since you’re letting your subject act out a mood, story, and character in ways that are natural to them.
Quiles also compared the results of this technique that to the usual method of using posing guides or giving out directions. Keep in mind that some models may nail their poses and expressions with the usual method; others may respond better to playing a character, as we see in the video. So, our suggestion is to try out both and see which allows you to get the portraits you want.
Don’t forget to check out Miguel Quiles’ website and YouTube channel for his work and other photography videos.
Screenshot image from the video by Miguel Quiles