The delicate art of posing... or how not to make the couple look silly
Avoiding awkward
Posing wedding couples is an art that changes constantly with the times. And thanks to a burst of influence, strangely imparted by the fashion industry somewhere in the deep, dark depths of the 90s, is still tainted with a terribly bad name.
“Um, so we we’re just wondering… We’re not really into the posey stuff. Are you going to make us pose like some fashion models?” This is by far, the most frequent query we receive, as couples seek assurance that they won’t receive images that drastically date in two years time.
Because the market has changed, the people have spoken. No more, is the average Bob & Jane (or Bob & Barry, Jane & Jenny) satisfied with cheesy representations of themselves, contorted into bizarre poses that don’t represent them as people. And no more, should you, dear photographer, feel that the most important thing to consider in a wedding portrait session are granular hand placements that will make the couple looking at their images go “… what?”
How to approach posing
There’s something incredibly powerful about stripping things back and letting the posing happen organically; through gentle cues that guide your couples to letting them interact with each other, in their way.
A great starting point is to place your couple in a wonderful location. Take cues from the cinematography world, and shoot wide and tight lenses.
Make a game of it.
Tell your couples to communicate what they need to only by flaring their nostrils instead of using words (I call that the “Sansom Flare”).
Watch. Wait. Shoot.
And when, there is that real connection, guess what: the people aren’t even looking at what way their hands are facing, or whether the arc of their body is following a prescribed design ratio. They’re seeing themselves, at their best, in a real moment. And that’s the true power of portraiture.
About Oli Sansom
Oli Sansom started his career as an illustrator, and then moved to advertising and a creative direction, before finding photography. He now applies the same obsessive interest in art, innovation and detail to something he perhaps never thought he would: weddings.
Since he’s started, he been invited to shoot weddings and talk about photography from Australia to New Zealand, New York, Italy, Germany, and many other exotic locations.
About Sweat Shop
But the world is diverse, and there’s often a place for everything. If you’d like to find out more about their way of doing things, Eric Ronald and Oli Sansom (Briars Atlas) are running an exhaustive workshop for the progressive photographer, where they’ll mix art, science and technique, and give you the tools to supercharge your creative business. To find out more about Sweat Shop - a 2.5 day workshop extravaganza, just outside of Melbourne from 25-27 August, featuring high-end glamping, gourmet fare, plenty of hands-on shooting, portfolio reviews and a bunch of guest speakers – click here to enter the Sweat Shop.
