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the head resting on a wall or chair, or legs
crossed when sitting. Any posture where the
subject looks relaxed elicits a casual pose.
Traditional poses
Traditional posing is often referred to as
“yearbook,” or conservative posing, but it
does definitely have its place in the portrait
world. Many publications use these types of
portraits from school publications to corpo-
rate reports. As a photographer, you are
often concentrating on artistic styling, but
there are many portraits in which traditional
posing is more desirable and where posing
is performed in a subtle manner. A conser-
vative or traditional portrait can be used as
part of a wedding album or can even be
used in a photojournalistic publication.
Traditional posing often includes these
characteristics:
✦ Conservative expressions. Slight
smiles, but not laughing is the key
with traditional posing. For business
publications, subjects often have
more serious facial expressions.
✦ Plain backgrounds. For traditional
portraits, plain backgrounds of a
solid color, dyed, or painted muslin
are commonly used.
✦ Seated position. Often photogra-
phers forget that people can look
perfectly natural in a seated posi-
tion in some cases.
✦ Standing position. Having sub-
jects standing while taking tradi-
tional portraits is commonly a best
practice, as the subjects are often
dressed conservatively, in a suit
or other more formal attire, and
standing can make them feel
more comfortable.
Photojournalistic poses
Photojournalists tend to take portraits while
their subjects are in the midst of doing what
they normally do or while they are engaged
in some sort of activity. It’s easier to capture
someone’s personality while they’re taking
part in some activity that they enjoy. These
types of portraits are similar in feel to a
casual portrait, but they are even more
relaxed.
Photojournalistic poses are much less con-
stricting than traditional posing. In other
words, you and your subject can have some
fun coming up with interesting poses.
However, with photojournalistic style pho-
tography, you really don’t have to pose your
Chapter 7 ✦ Simple Posing for Great Portraits 173
7.8 Traditional portraits are used for
purposes ranging from personal portraits to
photojournalistic publications.
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