this post was submitted on 29 Oct 2023
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Photography

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A place to politely discuss the tools, technique and culture of photography.

This is not a good place to simply share cool photos/videos or promote your own work and projects, but rather a place to discuss photography as an art and post things that would be of interest to other photographers.

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Hi everyone! I'm new on r/photography, so I hope that this post isn't in the wrong place. Please let me know if it is!

First, some context: I'm a classical singing student. While I'm at ease on stage, I've never had any modelling experience. For the past year, I've been asked to provide good portraits of myself so as to illustrate concert flyers, programmes and concert organisers' social media posts. As a result, I set out to look for a local professional photographer. Funnily enough, someone I knew from a past concert I participated to came forth and told me that while he didn't usually do that kind of work (he shoots ads for products), he'd love to give me a free photo shoot if he could use one of my pictures for a side project he has. I agreed and we met up.

I had no idea what to expect besides what you see in movies. I thought I'd be clumsy and awkward, but actually, I felt very much at ease and greatly enjoyed the process. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that when he asked if I'd be willing to do that again in a different setting, I accepted. But the thing is, I'd like to learn how to pose, to know how to move so that I look less stiff, catch the light differently, and overall make the photographer's work easier.

Would some of you have tips or recommend some resources? I have no idea where to start besides the youtube videos I found while searching "how to pose better" πŸ˜… Where could I start?

Thank you so much! β˜ΊοΈπŸ™πŸΌ

One last thing: I don't intend to become a professional model or to steal professional models' jobs. I just enjoy the process of a photo shoot and am aware that some photographers might be interested in asking a singer to perform and pose (which was what I did), just as one might take snapshots of a violinist or pianist for their specific artistic projects. I respect the profession and wouldn't want to do it harm by replacing an actual pro!

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[–] av4rice@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago
[–] Livid-Storm6532@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Practice practice practice! Just keep moving and trying things with your face and body. Try it in the mirror or set up a self timer. Find your light source and point your face towards it. It sounds like your friend and you have good chemistry, so just keep trying out new things and it might inspire him to suggest something else to try

I can't 2nd this enough - it's a lot of practice and finding good chemistry with someone where you feel safe. But more than that, a lot of these can be a collaboration not just one sided. It depends though, as the photograph, if I have an idea, I intend to direct but sometimes I want input from the model/models. A couple of times I've met the model I'm working with at thrift stores for ideas. Studio work can be really fun IMO because it's creative vs reactive. Sports is reactive to the game, nature is reactive to well, nature. Studio is or can be new and unique but it can also be VERY hard.

[–] Lexeia@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

Thank you for this piece of advice! β˜ΊοΈπŸ™πŸΌ That makes sense!