How to shoot male portraits?

[MichaelChang]

<p>I've never shot a male portrait before and have been requested to do one for a friend's friend. After some thought, I felt at a complete loss as to how to go about it. To be honest, my female portraits is not exactly there either but at least there are interesting poses to work with and much more potential with the expressive femininity aspect.</p>

<p>I might be in luck though since he's apparently an aspiring model, but if he just stands there (as I perceive many male models do), the only interesting variant I have to work with will be lighting; am I right?</p>

<p>I'd be grateful for any pointers. </p>

[leicaglow]

<p>Michael, I've shot a lot of male portraits, but without going into details of each, I would go get two books, one by Josef Karsh and the other by Arnold Newman (particularly One Mind's Eye). The only specifics I can tell you is I get to know the subject enough that I know a little about them so I can try to catch their style, and I tend to use more directional lighting, but not always.</p>

[leicaglow]

<p>Oops, I lost my post. I'll try again: I shoot a lot of male and female portraits (for personal or editorial usually). The only thing I tend to do with males is to use more directional lighting, and I spend some time getting a feel for their demeanor. Some are more A types than others, and I usually try to capture that. The best advice I could give you is to check out books by Josef Karsh and Arnold Newman (One Mind's Eye is one of my favorite books). You will get lots of insight and inspiration.</p>

[MichaelChang]

<p>Thanks, Michael. That's really helpful. Don't know why I just drew a complete blank thinking about it.</p>

<p>Maybe it's not all that different from female portraits after all; just have to learn the subject as you say and capture their essence. By the way, nice job on <a href="../photo/9302607">Martin Kline</a>.</p>

[976photo]

<blockquote>

<p>Maybe it's not all that different from female portraits after all; just have to learn the subject as you say and capture their essence</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I admit I haven't done any male portraits aside from some self-portrait stuff just experimenting. But I'd venture to say that statement is both true and false. The second half is absolutely dead on, capture their essence. But there<em> is </em>going to be some differences.</p>

<p>There is such a thing as a more feminine pose that works well on a female form but not so much on a male. Not to say you can't pose a male in a more feminine pose, but the degree of success will depend on the subject. If he's a football jock, I don't think it'd be a good idea to lay him on the floor, looking up at the camera with his hand running through his hair and rose pedals laying all around him. ( I guess you never know... but I wouldn't try it)</p>

<p>The female form tends to look best with poses that involve curves. Think of the shapes C, D, and S for example. Usually you'll avoid straight lines with a female model. By natural comparision, to achieve the opposite of what you would see in a female pose, try to pose him in the opposite way, using straighter lines. Arms accross his chest, leaning against a wall or post. Standing straight, holding a football at arm's length toward the camera. Perhaps more of a V, F or T shape would be something to look for in your lines.</p>

<p>Of course, there's no hard rules in photography, so take those as nothing more than suggestions and try your best to capture what's unique about your subject for the best pics. Good luck!</p>

[Spearhead]

<p>I disagree completely on the idea that there are feminine poses and masculine poses. It has more to do with the clothing than anything else. Put a man in women's clothing and you want the curvy shots. </p>

[MichaelChang]

<p>Thanks for the input, Luc. I know what you mean and thinking about it.</p>

<p>Jeff, I find your remark interesting; mind expanding on it? I haven't met the person but since he's an aspiring model, I imagine a stereotypical physique and "look" with traditional training (or influence) in modelling. I can see how clothing can influence a subject's demeanor but how should a photographer go about taking advantage of it?</p>

<p>I know it's a complex subject and don't expect an essay-length reply, but I would like to understand your thoughts.</p>

[leicaglow]

<p>Jeff, You speak of things you really know about, that's for sure!<g> Michael C., have you seen Jeff's photos? I'm a fan and follower.</p>

[MichaelChang]

<p>Yes I'm familiar with Jeff's work. his style is very different from mine so I'm having a hard time relating to his words, and intrigued enough to want to know.</p>

[david_schilling___chicago_]

<p>There absolutely are masculine poses versus feminine poses. However, one's personal style may lean towards minimizing the differences. OTOH, personal style could also just as easily maximize the differences. It's generally much more permissible to pose a woman in a masculine pose than to pose a man in a feminine pose (think "American Bandstand" dance rules). Below is a quick and easy masculine pose. You can also google "masculine pose" and get several worthy hits on the subject.</p>

<p>For an interesting read on what one may consider hyper-masculine, check out "Cool Pose" by Richard Majors & Janet Bilson for a challenging analysis of what masculine posturing as a social behavioral norm means: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cool-Pose-Dilemmas-Manhood-America/dp/0671865722">http://www.amazon.com/Cool-Pose-Dilemmas-Manhood-America/dp/0671865722</a></p><div></div>

[976photo]

<p>Take a look at almost any standard swimsuit photo, or go to your local Hooters and ask one of the girls if you can take a quick pic of her. Watch how they stand: hand on hip, truned slightly to the side, shoulders square, and one leg cocked up slightly, bent at the knee and angled across their body. That's a feminine pose and I can't imagine the same pose working on a male unless you're specifically looking for a novelty type of shot.</p>

[shoppix]

<p>Pick up a GQ magazine, or a magazine related to a sport or activity he's interested in. should give you bunch of ideas</p>

[michael_s10]

<p>I just had the same experience last weekend. Last minute male model is added to an all female shoot - I had never photographed a male model before, and was really worried that I'd impart a real feminine look to the photos (I've been shooting models for about the last year). Some take aways from the experience for me...<br /> 1. Be prepared to vary things up a lot. New male models are no different than new female models - many will just stand there. Do what ever it takes to get them moving.<br /> 2. Keep it simple. I started out shooting with strobes against seamless/white wall, but it really got tired very quickly. Switching to just natural light and a reflector helped get things moving, since we could walk around the building a bit, which helped the model. I shot probably 5 different series (same wardrobe, just different backgrounds). Two series I liked. One photo from one series I kept. This is it.<br>

PS - Michael - if you want to see the whole series, mistakes and all, let me know and I'll send you a link to the gallery.</p>

<p><img src="http://www.inbalancephoto.com/photos/1013985547_DtcDb-L.jpg" alt="" /></p>

[Spearhead]

<blockquote>

<p>There absolutely are masculine poses versus feminine poses.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Let me re-state what I said, as this makes me aware I stated it wrong.</p>

<p>There are not poses for men and women. There are poses that are considered masculine and feminine, but that is different than saying there are poses for men and women. And then there's always transgender...</p>

<p><center><img src="http://www.spirer.com/pride2010/content/images/large/357P7568.jpg" alt="" width="694" height="521" /></center></p>

[976photo]

<blockquote>

<p>There are not poses for men and women. There are poses that are considered masculine and feminine, but that is different than saying there are poses for men and women</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I believe that's what we were saying all along. For instance I never said anything about a pose for a woman or man, I said feminine poses that work better for women than they do for men "generally speaking" of course.</p>

<p>A transgender subject or someone in drag are special cases because they're not the "norm" so to speak. That is to say when most photographers are shooting a male model, "<em>most</em>" of the time it's going to require more masculine poses. (again there are no hard rules here, thus the use of the word "most" and not "always")</p>

<p>Maybe that's not the case in your particular line of photography, as you seem to work with subjects who are "outside the norm" on a regular basis. And that's fine. For you to work with your models, be it male or female you have to approach it a certain way that works for you. However, that approach may not work for the OP if his subject requires a different look or feel.</p>

<p>Thanks for clearing it up though. Cheers!</p>

[steve_levine]

<p>According to the likes of Monte Zucker, Clay Blackmore, et al, there are indeed masculine and feminine poses. Google "Joe Zeltsman", read his portrait lessons, and learn.</p>

[texxter]

<p>In addition to posing, there are a couple of things about photographing a male that may be helpful. First, it's ok to use more contrast with a male face, as the need to present a very soft and smooth skin is probably not there. Second, consider engaging the model in conversation and try to get some naturally occuring body language and expressions - this may fit well a "lifestyle" style of image.<br /> Here are three images of males I've done in the past. The first one is business oriented - wanted the man to present a confident and relaxed demeanor. The second one is more fashion/lifestyle headshot - I have used strong contrast in this one. The third one is more "out there" and appropriate for a musician or artistic type. Lighting defines for mood for each.</p>

<p>#1<br>

<br /> <img src="http://pacoromerophoto.com/galleries/umer/090607_Umer_049_web.jpg" alt="" width="532" height="800" /><br>

#2<br>

<br /> <img src="http://pacoromerophoto.com/gallery/dominique/medium/0052.jpg" alt="" width="435" height="650" /></p>

<p>#3<br>

<br /> <img src="http://pacoromerophoto.com/galleries/rashad/100706_Rashad_105_web.jpg" alt="" width="506" height="760" /></p>

[scott_murphy_photography]

<p>A great resource is a keystroke away; the web. Go on the search engine of your choice and type in "male portraiture" and see what others have done. Pick your favorites and save them.</p>