Today’s Topic Tuesday comes from our guest blogger Claire Anderson of Clara Bella Photography.  Claire shares with us how to get the perfect unposed pose!  Check it out below!!

Hello again! Thanks so much for the feedback on last month’s post about Backlight. This month’s topic is all about… posing, but unposed – but posed! Sorry in advance to the fellas, I happen to only shoot girls (I did at one point shoot boys but the more I revamped my branding, the more girly-er it got, and the less guy inquiries I received!) I am also talking about the posing that looks natural which I like to refer to as “unposed posing”. I absolutely LOVE the supermodel-ish poses just as much as the next photographer, but I also know what mom likes, so to keep senior, mom (and photographer!) happy I like to do a mixture of posing styles – all in the same session!

Posed vs. “Unposed Posed”

Now I won’t say every mom doesn’t like the supermodel poses, but in order to make sure I cover all of my bases I always take all of my different “go-to” poses so I can make everyone happy.. as possible 🙂
Now I start my process of “unposed posing” at the first contact. I know this may sound like a totally different topic but I promise it will all come together! Probably the most important way I feel like I achieve the unposed posing is by making my senior feel more like a friend rather than a client. Naturally, the more comfortable they feel with you the more relaxed they will be. Now you can go about this in any way. For me personally, I don’t have time to meet with them prior to our session for a pre-consultation so I make sure I communicate their way – via text & emoji of course! We text about outfit ideas and I text them the day of to let them know how excited I am for their session, how nice it is outside etc. I also include hair & makeup in all of my sessions so I meet them at the salon before we actually go to the location for their shoot. This also gives us time to meet, make small talk with mom and give them a sense of relaxation before I stick my massive lens in their face. 😛
Now we get to the actual posing part! To achieve the unposed poses I start by showing them first where I want them to sit /stand, then I actually do the pose myself so they can SEE what I mean. Then I TALK to her- about her! I send a fun questionnaire to my girls right after they book, and ask who their celeb crush is, fave music, dessert etc. and I break the ice by asking them about something they mentioned and almost immediately they will laugh or smile *CLICK*! Then after the laugh (which I always love that pic) they go into a more natural smile and wala – a beautiful unposed pose, since I told them how I wanted them to be!
Another rue of thumb I try to abide by is the law of 3… close up (headshot), 3/4 and full length.. no smile, smile, laugh.. this way I know I have the variety mom wants, senior wants.. and I want! and gives me options when I’m culling the images.
And last but not least.. probably my most favorite way to achieve the perfect unposed pose is with.. MOVEMENT! When I first ask them to spin around like a school girl they always laugh and probably think “I’m not 3 WHY is she asking me to do this!” but it never fails.. they always love it! It looks super cute (make sure your shutter speed is set to 1/250 or higher) makes them laugh and captures JOY! Win, win win!
The truth is, no matter how nervous or uncomfortable you may feel about posing them, chances are they feel 10x more nervous and are looking to you to relax them and make them feel at ease. It took me awhile to kick my nerves, but once I finally did my shoots started flowing much better, and the photos turned out better than ever! The best feedback I receive from my girls is when they talk about their experience with me  – anyone with a strong skill set and nice camera can take a good photo, but what’s really going to set you apart as a senior photographer is the experience YOU give them. So relax, have fun with them.. and laugh a lot!
Screen Shot from my behind-the-scenes video :))
Happy Shooting!
Claire

Topic Tuesday – {Unposed Posing}

  1. Lillie says:

    This is great! I love the advice of getting the 3 shots for each pose. Thank you!

heck, yes i do!

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