Working with Models

<p>Hello, my name is Skyler Proctor. Thank you for looking at my post. I'm a photographer, well actually I'm a filmmaker who also shoots photography. I'm a story teller. I love working with actors, its one of my passions in life. When I started shooting fashion & portrait photography, I thought those skills would carry over, and they do to an limited extent. In films, actors don't need to be told how to pose, or how to act, they need stimulation, creative stimulation to drive them in the right direction and they can take it from there. To interfere too much with an actor makes them seemed posed, makes their performance dull and 1 dimensional. But I've come to find the reverse is true with photography. Seems like model's need to be told everything. They need to look posed. This has all been a very fascinating study for me, and I confess I feel I've fallen completely flat with several models, totally lost. Oh I've gotten some good stuff, just by no doing of my own. So I wanted to ask what other photographers do in working with models? Do you dictate every pose or let the model flow? Do you envision poses? As a film director, I work very hard not to envision how the actor\actress will look. The character belongs to the actor, and its my job to make sure he stays on the right path and does so believably. I find the same is not true for photography, seems like the really good photographer knows exactly what he wants, and how he wants the model to pose. Seems when I'm shooting models they look to me for everything, and it scares me, because I really don't have all the answers. I feel like they are asking me who to be, which actors do too, but I've got a story, a script to fall back on, to help them find there footing. But when I'm shooting a model, I have nothing to fall back on!</p>

<p>I haven't quite figured out how to focus my creative energies on a single photograph and I thought if I heard how other photographer's worked with models, would be a good way to start learning!</p>

<p>Thanks for your time,</p>

<p>Skyler</p>

<p>Although my experience is not with actors, but with entertainers/singers, I think I can make a similar comparison of taking pictures of them and on the other hand models.</p>

<p>I think the biggie is that actors, like entertainers/singers, have already an idea how they look like and want to look like in pictures. Consequently, as you have observed, they to a certain degree don't need to be told how to act or pose (unless they are heavily overacting), and just stimulating them is enough. Also as they really want great pictures of themselves, they are often more driven and confident then models who sometimes are only there just for the money or otherwise not interested.</p>

<p>Also models need to be told what to do, or at least what direction you want to go picturewise (although not unlike, maybe to a lesser extent, actors). Especially with beginning models this often results in having to tell them up to a fraction of an inch how to stand, pose, tilt their heads, hold their hands etc. which results in the completely frozen statue like pictures you IMO see only too much of these days.</p>

<p>With more experienced models things can be a lot easier as, if you communicate your intentions well, they already have a 'vocabulary' of poses they have worked with inprevious jobs and consequently can translate your intentions in poses you then can go further with.</p>

<p>My experience and recommendation is to make a scrapbook of pictures and photographs you have seen in e.g. magazines and/or the net and before shooting a job show a selection of the ones that capture the mood (and poses) of the pictures you hopefully want to make. I used to do this back in the days with a Sharp Viewcam videocamera and a stack of Italians Vogues, Elles, etc. but nowadays use a small semi-tablet on which with every shoot I make a map with a selection of pictures I have taken from the small archive I have gathered over the years to show and 'tell' the models.</p>

<p>Doing this kind of collecting is quite common in fashion, like e.g. with designers or fashion editors who make 'mood books' to illustrate a collection or prediction of a coming trend. When shooting pictures this not only is handy for the models, but also the make-up/hair artist and possibly stylist to get everybody working in the same direction, and get things done smoother and faster.</p>

<p>Hey thanks for the response Paul. It was so good to hear the thoughts of someone in a similar position. Indeed actors are many of the things you spoke of. One of the primary reasons its not good to tell them what to do, is then they will do it! The problem with that is, they are focused on doing a pose or a saying a line a certain way and it comes off in the performance. To have a truly good performance, an actor has to be "in the moment" and in a world all their own. Molding is totally different, if a model manages to get a split second of "the moment" that's all we need, but if an actress looses the moment for a split second, it ruins the take.</p>

<p>I love your book idea. I think I shall have to start one immediately. I've done the same thing with movies, showing a video clip from a movie to demonstrate how I want the scene to play.</p>

<p>I think I need to develop mini "stories" for the models. Well actually for me, but it will also help the models.</p>

<p><strong>"Seems when I'm shooting models they look to me for everything, and it scares me, because I really don't have all the answers. I feel like they are asking me who to be, which actors do too, but I've got a story, a script to fall back on, to help them find there footing."</strong><br>

 <br>

A lot of working with models is the same as working with actors and a script, so why not use one. If you're doing a shoot you don't start by getting someone to come in and pose without some idea as to what you hope to achieve. Write yourself a script for the shoot, each photo is a scene.   <strong><br /></strong></p>

<p>I find a lot of posing models is getting them to "act". Invoke the right emotion to get natural body language and expressions.</p>

<p>The hard part is that a photograph is one frozen moment of time. A shadow that looks like it's severing the head from the neck needs to be fixed in a photo, while it's not a problem in a movie, because 3 frames later, the actor will have moved. Same for a hand at an awkward angle, a misplaced bit of clothing.</p>

<p>So, you've got to motivate the model into the expression and body language you want, then direct the pose to get every last shadow and nuance right, balance you space, draw attention where you want it, remotivate the model, re-refine the pose, and hopefully, recognize when the picture is about as good as it's going to get and shoot the dang thing, before the model falls apart.</p>

<p>George, Thanks for the comments, I think you are right, I'm going to start by having mini "scripts" for my photo shoots.</p>

<p>Joseph, Loved the description! Yes, while movies are much harder on a grand scale, but on a per image bases, photos are much harder, because you have some many photos one right after another to explain things in movies. All I have to do is practice practice!</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Seems like model's need to be told everything.<br>

As a film director, I work very hard not to envision how the actor\actress will look</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Everyone has already given you stellar advice so I am only going to add my input here. You need to forget this line of thinking about not envisioning the talent (actor/model). I have done both (short) film and photography and <strong>all I can tell you is that the best photography has a "story" to it the same as cinema.</strong> You need to come prepared with your story and envision it. You are right about one thing, most models have absolutely no idea what to do. None. Not a clue. You need to come prepared with your direction for the story, her poses and expression...in that order.<em> She doesnt know what to do so you need to tell her.</em> Only a very few experienced pro models bring an arsenal of poses and if thats the case and you do get one of those models consider yourself LUCKY! But in general do not expect that. <em> </em>Paul K also gave you stellar advice that will last you a lifetime... keep a scrapbook. Its a lot like a screenplay / storyboard for still photography but with photos/sketches. Remember both in still photography and cinema the camera and lighting is your typewriter so just hammer out that story!</p>

<p>An experienced model wont need a lot of direction if she/he nows what you're looking forbefore you begin the shoot. After showing the model the tear sheets, or scrapbook, then subtle direction should suffice. Over-directing will probably make the model too tense. Keep the direction in the conversational mode. Encourage and above all, compliment. I recently did a shoot for a magazine ad with a male and female model working together on a balcony overlooking a lake. They knew what we were looking for going in, so all I had to do was remark on the beauty of the shots and ask for one more, one more etc. They made the subtle changes themselves and we ended up with several, nice, useable shots out of a dozen or so taken.</p>