Part Two C - Posing a Man
by Chuck Gardner
 An alternate pose for head and shoulders shots which
is effective for older men or women with loose "double" chins is to have the
subject place their left foot up on a chair or stool, then lean forward at the
waist slightly, resting their left hand on their left knee. The subject will be
looking towards the floor at this point, but when you ask them to raise their
chin it will stretch the skin and perform an instant face lift! Compensate for
the slightly raised chin by raising the camera position higher than normal,
keeping the camera back parallel with the front of the face to prevent
distortion. Next, position the man's head so it is square with his shoulders and
centered. It should be positioned so it is perpendicular to the shoulder line
and no farther to the left or right than the lapels of a business suit.
 If you are using natural window light adjust his position relative to
the key light to achieve pleasing short lighting. Do this by moving his feet and
entire body rather than just his shoulder or head to maintain the structure of
the pose. Next move the reflector in from the opposite side to fill in the
shadows. If you are using studio lights you can move the key light rather than
the subject. Using the string trick to set the light distance will eliminate
the need for time consuming metering.
 Once a male subject is posed in this manner you can simply change camera
position and achieve perfectly posed and lit full-face, two-thirds views. It
may be necessary to move the background. You could also shoot a well-lit profile
from this pose as well, but you'd be shooting from his back over his shoulder.
To do a profile you'll need to keep the head in the same position, but reverse
the position of the feet / shoulders placing the right foot up on a stool (i.e.,
the reverse of the "instant facelift" pose described above. Camera position in
all cases should be six or more inches above the subject's eyes. Remember if you
can see the subject's nostrils in viewfinder your camera position is too low.
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