For those actors who are beginning their career or not very experienced in front of the camera posing tips can be very helpful. The funny thing is that you need to adjust your body in different ways so your headshot looks great, but at the same time it must look very natural. Here are a few tips that you may want to practice or keep in mind before your headshot session. If this is for your children's headshots then you can even go over this with them and show them some photos as good examples. Although, with kids keep it light and fun, don't get too serious about it or give them too much direction. We want them to be relaxed.
Posture:
No slouching during a headshot session. Make sure when you stand you don't stick your belly out, hunch your shoulders or slouch. When sitting the same applies. Take a look at this example showing correct sitting posture. A good headshot photographer will usually point out to stand tall, drop your shoulders, pull in belly etc.
Don't over pose:
Many times kids tend to over pose when you pull the camera out. They distort the body, turn sideways and throw the belly way out or tilt the head. Often kids who have done pageant work will overpose because in the pageant world they encourage this in young ones. With acting and modeling headshots it has to be very real and natural. Tilted heads might be fine in a photograph, but with headshots you want it to be directly into the camera as much as possible. This is really important nowadays because a tilted shot in a tiny thumbnail does not pop off the page and it causes the casting director to have to turn their head to view it better.
Keep your hands away from your face:
Typically in headshots a casting director doesn't want to see the hands. Unless of course you're a hand model. The shot is to show the casting director what you look like. Although it may feel like it creates a good mood or pose, typically it is distracting. There are exceptions and I would have to say this kids headshot is one of those exceptions. It has so much personality that it works. However, it would be best used as an additional shot in her portfolio, not as the main headshot.
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| Kids headshot showing great personality. |
Give it straight to the camera:
When posing for a headshot, it's best not to turn away or to the side. I often see actors turn their head and have to redirect them to give it to the camera. You want your whole face to be seen and not a show your profile or be slightly turned away. The eye contact is much stronger and again it creates a headshot that shows your whole face--exactly what you look like. If you are posing for modeling shots you do not have to be straight into the camera, but you definitely want to have good posture.
If you are going to need some modeling shots:
Modeling shots will show at least half of the body, but often a 3/4 length shot or full body shot will be used for a modeling portfolio. In this case bending the arms, crossing the legs, placing a hand behind you or creating some movement will enhance your pose. This post is about headshots, but in a future post I will show some modeling poses for kids and teens.
Using posture to create a look:
Practice using your body in different ways to convey a mood or look. Putting your hands on your hips conveys a totally different look then crossing your arms. This may or may not show in the photo but it often helps you get the mood of the look you are going for. Confident, sassy, Daddy's rich girl, sporty, athletic, energetic, mischievous, jock, bad boy, Disney brat, sweet and innocent etc. These are all types that can be portrayed in a commercial headshot and a person's body posture can project the look.
A good headshot photographer will help you pose and give you tips, but anything you can do to be prepared for your headshot session will only result in better shots.
To book a headshot session with Robin Lorraine photography call 323-466-0585 or email robin@robinlorraine.com.
View my fanpage on Facebook: http://www.facebook/robinlorrainephotography.
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| Young tween model showing great posture during her headshot and modeling photo session. |
