Groom Portraits?

[tina___cliff_t]

<p>Could i get some suggestions for groom portraits. I'll admit I've always had problems posing men, I suppose because I find it hard to find a pose that stays masculine, but doesn't look like they are just standing/sitting etc. (boring). And to be honest, most information I find is about posing women. It will be a book about poses , and men get about 3 pages out of 50. haha <br>

<br /> I hope that made sense. If anyone can give me some pointers or examples, that would be super helpful. Also any books/video suggestions too. <br>

Thank you!</p>

[neilambrose]

<p>Best advice I can give you..... look beyond wedding photography.</p>

<p>Read some fashion magazines and look at how men are posed - the light, the shooting angles, the arrangement of groups, how men look and interact with each other, the overall style. Paul Smith campaigns, for example, are all about making men in suits look good and aspirational. You'll learn far more that way than you will from looking at wedding photography.</p>

[anton frid photography]

<p>I would also add that it doesn’t really have to be a formal shot. I love to use surroundings as my inspiration. Sit him down in a tub chair next to a fire place, or use a house porch for some informal shots. You can give him some prop, let’s say a cigar to lighten up the mood and make him feel comfortable, maybe even take him out to a field or a patch of grass nearby and have him and the boys throw a ball around. It really depends on a client and your professional knowledge to get that image. If all fails, do what Neil says</p>

[david_schilling___chicago_]

<p>As Neil suggests, you can get many good ideas by looking at the men's fashion shots, also check out the catalogs from department stores such as Marshal Field, Pennys, etc....</p>

<p>Below is the standard classic pose. Have him put a foot up on a chair, lean forward and slightly to the side while resting his elbow over his knee, experiment with shoulders more or less square to the camera. With guys it's important to avoid a head tilt, squared-off is more masculine.</p><div></div>

[amandalockphotography]

<p>Like the previous poster said, start looking at fashion magazines. Look at the Style section of GQ. Fashion magazines are a great place to find interesting poses not only for the men, but also some original poses for women... (although GQ probably isn't a great place to find poses for women... :) )</p>

[katrin_d.]

<p>I look at anything but wedding magazines/books. Fashion magazines, ad campaigns, catalogs ... my favorite resource book of all times is about the lighting & poses of old Hollywood, think Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart, James Dean. Even TV Guide, they had some lovely couples shots of the two actors starring in Law & Order, SVU.</p>

[c._f.]

<p>Classical Bridal and Groom poses are still very nice :)</p>

<p>Adam</p>

[david_schilling___chicago_]

<p>Six responses to the thread and only one portrait sample???</p>

<p>Below is another variation of the classic pose I spoke about above, here the shoulders are more square to the camera.</p><div></div>

[tina___cliff_t]

<p>Here are some that cliff has taken. </p><div></div>

[tina___cliff_t]

<p>I'm hardly with the guys, and since its not my strong point I find it even harder to go over with him how to set up the shots.</p><div></div>

[tina___cliff_t]

<p>Thanks David. I'm sorry if you thought your posts were under appreciated. I actually find you to be one of the most helpful posters (on my questions and others), among some of the other people who have a lot of experience. I posted some of ours, since some people might be able to give us specific tips seeing some of the shots we have. Thank you for posting examples too, I have problems pulling off having them lean over, they always look like they are hunching or slouching, but I thing that could be because we're not using something high enough for them put their foot onto. </p>

[tina___cliff_t]

<p>or we have them sitting instead of standing w/ their foot propped on a chair. </p>

[karina_a]

<p>Hi Tina & Cliff,<br>

I'm not sure how much help I can be as I am an amateur and look for inspiration on this front too, but I will throw my 2 cents in. I have had issues with posing men also, but have found that if they can lean in some way they are more comfortable.<br>

This wedding from four years ago was the first one we shot as primary shooters, so isn't the best example of our work, but I am including it as the groom whilst being a very lovely guy, was extremely uncomfortable around the camera; so while this may not be an amazing photo, I was happy that he looked comfortable, relaxed and happy. </p><div></div>

[karina_a]

<p>I also find it good insurance to make sure I get lots of candid portraits of the male while they are chatting to friends so that if the formal shots are too rigid I know I have shown them being more relaxed as well. Again this one is 4 years old and I would do things differently now, but I was happy that he looked relaxed and happy. Also these pics have been exported out of Picasa as I don't have my backup drive connected, but you get the general idea. I like everyone's ideas of looking at fashion mags and Hollywood portraits for ideas - will follow that up myself.</p>

[karina_a]

<p>Whoops - sorry Nadine - forgot it was too large. Take 2:</p><div></div>

[sherijohnson]

<p>I saw a most amazing image in a magazine in the last week or so (a Ralph Lauren ad) that was SO good and it was because of the pose mainly that I was drawn to it and of course because the guy was very handsome too with a great smile. Definitely look to fashion photography for inspiration.</p>

[david_schilling___chicago_]

<p>I'm surprised there are so few responses to this thread about posing the groom. The key to the classic pose above with the lean is to be sure that they do not slouch and that they keep their back straight. Another important feature is to make sure that the groom appears relaxed. In the shot below I first posed the groom and then added the bride behind him. You can see that he looks relaxed and it's one of the few times that I've allowed the "fig leaf" actions with the hands.</p><div></div>

[jnina]

<p>Just get them natural!<br>

Most men don't like to pose, so when is their turn to make the shots with them alone just help them the most you can and get them all as fast as you can!</p>