Boudoir photography can be a tough medium; often, it takes a little extra finesse and a light-hearted attitude to help ladies feel at ease posing in front of a camera wearing little more than what their mama gave them. Capturing a natural, flattering look on camera takes practice and technique. It also takes a little bit of know-how, including how to best instruct your subject through a series of poses.
Flow posing, which keeps your subjects in motion and allows for a more natural, less static image, can be a great fit for boudoir, but exactly how do you instruct your model — who likely has little to no posing experience at all — through the movements?
Photographer Jen Rozenbaum let us in on a little secret to getting shots in a seamless way during Boudoir Bootcamp. She calls it “The Rotisserie Chicken.”
The “Rotisserie” approach to flow posing allows the photographer to get an impressive range of looks while moving the subject slowly, and fluidly, from one pose to the next.
Jen says it’s still really important to be specific; boudoir subjects are usually very nervous, and the more direct you can be about the placement of her body and limbs, the more natural and enjoyable a shoot will feel — and the better the photos will come out. Sometimes, Jen even gets on the bed to demonstrate. And, she says, while she’ll sometimes touch her models during posing, “always ask first.” This is especially true of you’re a male photographer.
Check out the video below for Jen’s explanation on how to start this flow posing shortcut here:
“We’re going to start with a girl on her stomach,” Jen explains, “and then you’re going to move her to her side. And then you’re going to move her to her back. And then you’re going to move her to the other side. And it’s like a rotisserie chicken.”
By easily rotating your model around through this series of poses, you’ll not only leave more time to play in between the different marks, you’ll also be able to discern which angles work best for your model and your environment.
