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Glamour Modeling: What to Avoid

October 30, 2013 By Scott Leave a Comment

Whether you do it for a living or just wanted to make yourself feel good with a good glamourous photoshoot, modeling in front of a photographer can be a lot of fun and an extreme confidence booster. Who knows – if you don’t already have it as a career, you might decide that you want it to be! Despite the fact that it is very fun, it’s also hard work. Getting a good shot is 50% the photographer and 50% the model — more importantly, the model should know that his or her pose and body language are much more important than clothes and makeup! So if you’re about to go on a glamour photo shoot, don’t fret — just try to avoid these common posing mistakes.

Bad Posture

Posture is first on the list because it’s easily the most important. Whenever you’re posing, try to engage your abdomen in order to encourage a straight spine and an overall tightened appearance. Always just out your chin just a bit to emphasize your jaw line and avoid the dreaded double-chin. When standing in a “natural” position, let your arms fall naturally, spread your fingers slightly, and point them away from the camera lens to add more length.

glamour by Aline Macouin on 500px.com
glamour by Aline Macouin

Bad Body Language

Body language in photography can change the entire meaning of a photo, no matter what the setting, lighting, and subject are like. This is why practicing in front of a mirror and memorizing the subtleties of your favorite poses is extremely important. If you’re holding your breath in an image, it’s going to translate and you’ll look uncomfortable in the picture. If your joints are stiff and straight when the photographer doesn’t direct you to do as such, you’re going to look, well, stiff! Think about the attitude you’re trying to convey — flirty? Sultry? — then really put yourself in that state of mind. Think about the faces and gestures you’d make when flirting with someone and convey them naturally; don’t rely on your body to do all the work.

Eye Contact

Some models don’t seem to realize that you don’t always need to make eye contact with the lens. Instead, try finding the light. Look toward a light source to ensure that the shadows fall in the most natural and flattering way possible. Remember that this falls hand-in-hand with body language; where you’re looking can say a lot about what kind of attitude you convey. Furthermore, try not to pay attention to the flash, as the more aware you are of it, the more frequently you’ll blink, and the more bad frames you’ll end up with.

Don’t Sweat a Bad Shoot

It’s not uncommon for people to get their film back and have complaints about their glamour shots. Everyone is their own worst critic – remember that! The best thing you can do is keep – don’t toss! – the bad frames and learn what makes them so bad. Is it the angle? Is it the gesture you’re making? Take note of what doesn’t work more frequently than you take note of what does work and you’ve got your constructive criticism in the bag for you!

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My name is Camille and I am a journalist. In my free time I like to study photography and spend time with my family. 

Filed Under: Tutorials Tagged With: Glamour, Modeling

About Scott

Scott Wyden Kivowitz is the Community & Blog Wrangler at Photocrati Media, photographer, blogger and educator.

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