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family portrait posing guides?

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Todd Walker

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Aug 13, 2002, 2:22:29 AM8/13/02
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Hello all. I am looking for some web resources for portrait posing
guides, specifically family portraits. I have done Google searches but
all I seem to be coming up with are links to printed books. I'll go that
route if I have to but I would love to find some info on the web if
possible. If anyone has any links, I would appreciate it.

Thanks
Todd

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Todd Walker
http://twalker.d2g.com
Olympus E20
Olympus C3020
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mark_digital©

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Aug 13, 2002, 4:29:20 AM8/13/02
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How ironic! Just yesterday I was wondering what the generally accepted optimum angle a
subject's head would have to be to give the impression of sincerity, or the angle for
righteousness, etc., or tilted so far as to say "I'm looking for something under
something". I'm speaking of leaning one's head left or right, not so much chin up or down.
(or nose up or down).
This all may seem silly, but there must be a formula successful photographers follow. I
bet the same angle, but leaning the opposite way, can have a different effect on the
person viewing the photograph.

Mark_

"Todd Walker" <twalk...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
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slipstream

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Aug 13, 2002, 4:56:22 AM8/13/02
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a short guide , asales pitch but nevertheless something free!
http://thephotocollege.com/TPC-PSDOSamplePages.pdf

i dont get commission


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HanK

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Aug 13, 2002, 5:25:33 AM8/13/02
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The standard formula that I was taught was as follows
1) Sit the tallest subject on a posing stool at a 45 degree angle to camera
right (assuming the camera is in front of the posing area), turn the
subjects head towards the camera until his chin is in line with his breast,
very slightly tilt his head towards his furthest shoulder

2) when you add the next member of the family try to sit them a half head
hight lower than the first person if they are in the same parallel line or a
full head higher or lower if they are either infront or behind, if they are
behind avoid totem polling them with the line infront,

3) try not to put more than 3 people in a decreasing line to avoid ski slop
style photographs.

4) try to form inverted triangles ie sit first person as above, then next
person a half head hight lower, then the third person turned in the other
way 45 degrees left, a half head hight higher than the one in the middle,
after those 3 form another line behind a full head higher and so on.

HanK

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Phil Stripling

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Aug 13, 2002, 11:39:22 AM8/13/02
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Take a look at
http://www.zuga.net/
and a search on
http://www.photo.net/
for group portrait turned up several likely suspects: group portraiture
using medium format, family portraiture, outdoor portrait of a large group
of people, portrait/group focus.
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Philip Stripling | email to the replyto address is presumed
Legal Assistance on the Web | spam and read later. email to philip@
http://www.PhilipStripling.com/ | civex.com is read daily.

Fred

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Aug 13, 2002, 12:13:05 PM8/13/02
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Ron Hunter

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Aug 13, 2002, 12:34:17 PM8/13/02
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Or how to make all family portraits boring, and all the same. Sigh.

--
Ron Hunter rphu...@charter.net

HanK

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Aug 13, 2002, 1:00:29 PM8/13/02
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I was only trying to help, if you had any understanding of portraiture, Ron,
you would realise that in order to progress from basics you must first learn
them, sigh, twat.
"Ron Hunter" <rphu...@charter.net> wrote in message
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> > "mark_digital©" <spa...@rcn.com> wrote in message

Richard

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Aug 13, 2002, 1:04:49 PM8/13/02
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"HanK" <hank...@hotmail.com> wrote in
<ajbco5$96m$1...@news8.svr.pol.co.uk>:

>I was only trying to help, if you had any understanding of portraiture,
>Ron, you would realise that in order to progress from basics you must
>first learn them, sigh, twat.
>"Ron Hunter" <rphu...@charter.net> wrote in message
>news:3D593507...@charter.net...
>> Or how to make all family portraits boring, and all the same. Sigh.

Learn the rules, p'haps, then learn how to break them. Or, better, take
thousands of photos and study the hell out of them, find out yourself what
the rules are. You might find your own rules, come up with something
original.

mark_digital©

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Aug 13, 2002, 6:20:12 PM8/13/02
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"HanK" <hank...@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:ajbco5$96m$1...@news8.svr.pol.co.uk...

> I was only trying to help, if you had any understanding of portraiture, Ron,
> you would realise that in order to progress from basics you must first learn
> them, sigh, twat.
> "Ron Hunter" <rphu...@charter.net> wrote in message
> news:3D593507...@charter.net...
> > Or how to make all family portraits boring, and all the same. Sigh.
> >
> > --
> > Ron Hunter rphu...@charter.net
> >

How often have you produced a superb portrait only to have it rejected because someone in
that photograph felt it wasn't "them"? Or do you kind of sense hesitation when you are
setting up the shot and their position amongst each other causes a little bit of grief, so
you keep rearranging them?
When I look at engagement and wedding announcement photos I find it remarkable the
photographer was able to catch the core or basic thread that emerges it's head very
distinctly later on. It's almost as if the pose is a comment on how they will treat each
other, or how they respect or disrespect each other. How the heck did the photographer
know so early??

Mark_

Ron Hunter

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Aug 14, 2002, 5:44:37 AM8/14/02
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Not a comment on what you wrote, just on the fallacy of making everything
always look the same. What ever happened to style, innovation, and
sensitivity? It's just like the rules about composition, that require things
that aren't available in a picture. If there isn't anything in the
foreground, one can't drag something over.
I should mention that this is one of the reasons I HATE to take pictures of
people. They always want to 'pose', which means I don't get a picture of
them, but of what they WANT to be.


--
Ron Hunter rphu...@charter.net

> > > "mark_digitalŠ" <spa...@rcn.com> wrote in message

Ron Hunter

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Aug 14, 2002, 5:46:22 AM8/14/02
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Maybe he didn't, but rather let them arrange themselves, and their choices
about the pose told a story, for those who could read it.

--
Ron Hunter rphu...@charter.net

mark_digital©

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Aug 14, 2002, 4:39:11 PM8/14/02
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"Ron Hunter" <rphu...@charter.net> wrote in message news:3D5A2684...@charter.net...

> Not a comment on what you wrote, just on the fallacy of making everything
> always look the same. What ever happened to style, innovation, and
> sensitivity? It's just like the rules about composition, that require things
> that aren't available in a picture. If there isn't anything in the
> foreground, one can't drag something over.
> I should mention that this is one of the reasons I HATE to take pictures of
> people. They always want to 'pose', which means I don't get a picture of
> them, but of what they WANT to be.

I really dislike them looking around for me or waving at me when I shoot video. But I wish
others who aren't being taped would notice me and stop walking in front. Last week I was
taping in Holyoke MA the old Mountain Park merry-go-round. This one guy saw me shooting
and the direction I was shooting, and he walked over and leaned against the safety rail
directly in my sight. When I changed position he noticed and walked over and leaned
against the rail there too. Something tells me, with all the kidnapping crap going on,
this guy was role playing a vigilante.

Mark_

Flemming Thor Hansen

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Aug 15, 2002, 1:07:14 PM8/15/02
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Take a look at

http://www.photographytips.com/page.cfm/364

Phtography tips has a very comprehensive collection on just about everything
worth knowing about photography.

--

Best regards

Flemming Thor Hansen
Denmark
Remove "no_spam " from the e-mail address.
http://members.tripod.com/Flemming_Hansen
Photo gallery:
http://community.webshots.com/user/flemmingthorhansen

Fred

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Sep 6, 2002, 6:59:15 PM9/6/02
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There is a new book by Bill Hurter called "Group Portrait Photography
Handbood" published by Amherst Media

On Tue, 13 Aug 2002 06:22:29 GMT, Todd Walker <twalk...@hotmail.com>
wrote:

>Hello all. I am looking for some web resources for portrait posing

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