Not sure about this pose, is this pose too "Modelish" for a senior pic?

Thanks for your 5 cents!

nope..too manly. otherwise a nice shot

I think the pose is OK, but it's become a bit cliche. In talking with my own teenage daughter, she claims that all of her friends joke about the hand on hip pose and use it as goofy photographic humor in Facebook photos.

I think the pose is ok for the most part. Only thing that's bothering me is the head / neck position.

I agree it's too manly and it makes her look like she has bad posture. The rest of the photo is well executed. Care to share your lighting setup?

Originally Posted by Foques I think the pose is ok for the most part. Only thing that's bothering me is the head / neck position.

+1 ...and her hair which looks a bit like a dust devil recently came by, not that you were asking about that.

Originally Posted by Qarik nope..too manly. otherwise a nice shot

Thanks! Maybe that's what is bothering me about it.....manly.

Originally Posted by Mitchell I think the pose is OK, but it's become a bit cliche. In talking with my own teenage daughter, she claims that all of her friends joke about the hand on hip pose and use it as goofy photographic humor in Facebook photos.

You, my friend have hit upon something I really need to work on. Coming up with poses that in my day we referred to as "hip", by today's standards. Thanks for the "poke"!

Originally Posted by Foques I think the pose is ok for the most part. Only thing that's bothering me is the head / neck position.

noted.

Originally Posted by jmphotocraft I agree it's too manly and it makes her look like she has bad posture. The rest of the photo is well executed. Care to share your lighting setup?

Noted...

Light was a simple off camera strobe to camera right and above the subject with a shoot through umbrella.

Originally Posted by Dreadnote +1 ...and her hair which looks a bit like a dust devil recently came by, not that you were asking about that.

Such is the look you get when shooting with 35 mile an hour wind gusts. Had two umbrellas implode on me during this session! Thanks for chiming in.

I'm certainly no posing expert, but my daughter and her teenaged friends were laughing for days with this mocking hand on hip pose from earlier this year.



We need to listen to these seniors more.

Those who have their chins up, look great!! Very different from other example.

Originally Posted by Mitchell I'm certainly no posing expert, but my daughter and her teenaged friends were laughing for days with this mocking hand on hip pose from earlier this year. We need to listen to these seniors more.

She should have her chin up. The pose is not bad, but she looks almost defeated.
Hands on hips is defiant; chin down is defeated.

Chin up and she would look good.

Originally Posted by Bryce Wilson Not sure about this pose, is this pose too "Modelish" for a senior pic? Thanks for your 5 cents!

Let me chime in with what my drill sergeant used to shout at me: bellies in! shoulders back! chests up! chins up! Yes you too Nick ...

Hmm... I'll tell you what bothers me about this shot. It's not really the pose. I think it's the extra volume the black sweater creates. It makes her look larger and way more square than I think she is.

Adding to whats been said have her throw her butt back away from the camera a little. The way it is her dress goes straight down (and sorta toward the camera) and makes her look like she has more tummy then she has. You can also have her lean forward a little. So in summary, have them push areas back that you want to show less of and push forward the areas you want to show off. You dont have to do a whole lot to see a difference.

Basically, her shoulders are too open...to front to the camera for this pose. And, to me, the very first thing that I noticed before reading the thread, is that her head is hanging. Look at the position of her neck...pushed forward and down.

Unless she's got a killer body...diagonals...slimming and flattering.

This post accentuates nothing positive.

Just my 2 cents...

For me, the pose is fine - this isn't necessarily the most flattering image because of other reasons stated.

When you say "modelish" what do you mean? Too provocative? Too much about the clothes? Too....? I think most teen girls would LIKE to look like a model, so I'm not sure I see that as a problem unless there's something about the shot that seems to be too overtly sexual, which isn't the case in this one to my eye.

What actually bothers me most about this one is that she's pretty dark against that one bit of light building in the background - my eye went straight to the background instead of her face...

PS As always, you've nailed the balance between ambient and flash - your lighting is soooooo good these days!

Try to always put the hands a little lower on the hips as it amplifies the waistline as opposed to the hands at the waist line and making it stubbier (is that a word?) Try to carry a few of those small clips that girls use to pull their hair back. They are great for accenting the waist line by clipping the back of the dress or sweater and taking up the excess.

Personally I like the pose but she seems to be leaning back and she needs to have an attitude to go with the pose to make it a success. That pose is not made for a sweet expression.

Thanks for all the input and guidance people!

Great suggestions on moving certain body parts away from the lens.

By "modelish" I guess I mean posed and contrived instead of natural.

Great idea on the clothespin type hair clip thingy to pull garments tight in the back.

For some idea on what we (and my umbrellas) were battling wind wise....