Determining the best way to pose a subject—a way that
is simultaneously flattering, appropriate, and visually
appealing—can be one of the biggest challenges in designing
a successful portrait. This is especially true when creating
portraits of brides, where the photographer may be called
on to create anything from a very traditional head-andshoulders
pose to a more adventurous full-length look
straight out of the pages of a fashion magazine. Quite simply,
the variations are almost limitless—as is the pressure to perform
flawlessly throughout this once-in-a-lifetime event.
This collection is a visual sourcebook designed to address
exactly that problem. Filled with images by some of the
world’s most accomplished wedding photographers, it provides
a resource for professionals seeking inspiration for their
own work. Stuck on what to do with a particular bride or
unsure how to make use of a location? Flip through the sample
portraits, pick something you like, then adapt it as
needed to suit your tastes. Looking to spice up your work
with some new poses? Find a sample that appeals to you and
look for ways to implement it (or some element of it) with
one of your brides.
For ease of use, the portraits are grouped according to
how much of the subject is shown in the frame. Thus, the
book begins with head-and-shoulders portraits. Next are
waist-up portraits, featuring images that include the head
and shoulders, arms and hands, and at least some of the subject’s
torso.Moving on to three-quarter-length portraits, the
examples feature subjects shown from the head down to
mid-thigh or mid-calf. The balance of the book features fulllength
images—the most complex portraits to pose because
they include the entire body. Both the three-quarter- and
full-length portraits are additionally subdivided into poses
for standing subjects, seated subjects, and reclining subjects.
As much as possible, images are also grouped thematically
to demonstrate poses for photographing the bride with her
bouquet, displaying her rings, showing the back of the dress,
etc. In these subgroupings, it becomes particularly obvious
how even subtle posing changes can completely transform
an image—and how differently photographers can approach
the creative process of posing.
It can be difficult to remain creative day after day, year
after year, but sometimes all you need to break through a
slump is a little spark. In this book, you’ll find a plethora of
images designed to provide just that.
