They say the camera adds ten pounds and depending upon the skill of the person wielding said camera, that may or may not be true.
Lighting, posing, and shooting techniques can all work together to pack on the appearance of weight or take it off.
Lindsay explains it this way, “if somebody is flat lit you are looking are looking at their body from left to right, in completion, but if you add a little bit of sculpting and a little bit of shadow it actually minimizes the width of what their body looks like.”
Seeing as pretty much nobody aspires to appear heavier than they are, Lindsay Adler shared some foolproof tips for flattering every figure during her Portrait Photography Bootcamp.
Here are Lindsay’s 3 tips for playing with lighting, posing, and camera positioning to ensure everyone wants to look their best:
1. Sculpt with shadows. “Your eye is drawn to the lit parts of the photograph.” By orienting the light source off to one side of a subject you create shadows that trim off weight.
2. Create dynamic shape. A flat foot creates a heavy look. Asking a subject to rest their weight onto their back hip and to bring their knees together creates better angles throughout the image.
3. Use perspective to your advantage. “Whatever is closest to the camera looks larger.” Directing a subject to slightly arch their back and lean towards the camera naturally pushes the top chest and face towards this camera which draws the eye away of from the mid-section and highlights the face.
These tips create great, flattering photos of every body type – from folks with full-sized figures to the fashion model’s Lindsay usually shoots.
If you want to watch the process at work, check out the incredible demo below or check out our incredible collection of tips on how to look good in photos – you can find everything from insights on creating the illusion of a waist to posing a curvy bride here on the CreativeLive blog.
