500 Poses For Photographing Group Portraits

A sample book of classic, casual, and editorial poses for family, bridal, team and other group photos.

It’s the portrait photographer’s job to create a flattering—perhaps idealized—likeness of the subject in front of his or her lens. There are countless things to consider both technically and artistically in order to make that happen. One thing is for certain: The more you show in the portrait, the more of the body that you will need to carefully position and refine. Nowhere is this more true than when photographing a full-length subject. Every part of the body, from the hair to the tips of the toes, must be posed, clothed, lighted, and shaded in order to look its best. The truth is, most photographers have trouble with conceptualizing and carrying out their client’s full-length poses. They have their clients strike a pose and try to envision how to make it look natural, comfortable, and photogenic. Unfortunately, their attempts often result in a stiff, unflattering, flat, or just plain awkward presentation. This visual sourcebook features a wide range of full-length poses designed for men, women, teens, kids, and groups—in the studio and on location. Photographers will find examples of poses for subjects of all ages that work perfectly for any portrait style, from reserved to edgy and fashion-forward, in seated, standing, and reclining presentations. Featuring studio and location (indoor and outdoor) portraits from twenty heralded portrait pros, this book will allow photographers to find a pose to re-create with their client—and adventurous shooters can use a sample portrait as a springboard for a new pose they conceptualize to suit their unique client or one-of-a-kind portrait concept. Complete with text on posing basics, this book is an indispensable resource that you’ll turn to over and over again.

Next to lighting, posing is the most challenging aspect of photography—with so many body parts to capture, the possibilities are endless, and it’s all too easy to make a wrong turn. This illustrated reference provides both amateur shutterbugs and seasoned pros with the perfect place to turn when in need of quick posing strategies and fresh ideas. Containing 500 contemporary images by leading photographers, this indispensable manual explains posing fundamentals as well as how to create a flattering, feature-specific photograph—one that focuses on the head, shoulders, arms, torso, or feet—in different levels of close-ups, from head-shots to full-lengths.

The ultimate resource for family portrait photographers, 500 Poses for Photographing Children is designed to provide plenty of inspiration for photographing young subjects. This handy guide book addresses many issues faced by portrait photographers, including retaining the attention of infants, allowing a subject's individuality to show, capturing group portraits and posing children of different ages together. For ease of use, images are arranged by age of subject and size of image: from head shots to full length.

Offering a variety of options for refining poses and spicing up portrait sessions, this visual sourcebook addresses the problems that photographers often run into when taking portraits of men, whether the pictures are for male fashion shoots, weddings, family shots, or individual portraits. For ease of use, this reference groups sample images according to how much of the subject is included in the frame?from head-and-shoulders shots to full-length portraits. Containingacontemporary images from leading professionals, this indispensable manual explains posing fundamentals as well as how to offset the fears, concerns, and insecurities that men can bring to a portrait session."

Containing numerous contemporary images by leading photographers, this indispensable manual concerning wedding portraits explains posing fundamentals as well as how to create a flattering, feature-specific photograph--one that focuses on the head, shoulders, arms, legs, or torso--in different levels of close-ups, from head-shots to full-lengths.

Becoming more physically self-aware and thus subconsciously snapping into an unnatural pose when a camera is pointed at you is a common occurrence. This how-to guide for directing physically awkward clients who wish to commission full length images that appear unaffected contains tips on both effectively lighting a full-length portrait and honing the interpersonal skills needed to work with self-conscious clients.

Designed to address the challenges of posing two subjects together, this visual sourcebook offers creative, evocative poses for a variety of two-subject groupings, including romantic couples, business partners, friends, and siblings. Through the inclusion of contemporary images from some of the world’s most accomplished photographers, shutterbugs will learn how to finesse poses to show the relationship between the subjects in the portrait. Grouped according to how much of the subject is included in the frame—from head-and-shoulder shots to full-length portraits—this manual is organized to teach compositional skills and how to direct the eye to points of focus within an image. An indispensible handbook for beginning, intermediate, or professional photographers, this book provides inspiration along with a plethora of images for igniting a creative spark.