This image was also created during a class; the boy and “Dad” were not related and did not know each other until they arrived to pose for me.
What Comes Naturally
As I was speaking to the class, the Dad was sitting as you see on the facing page. I knew I had the basic pose. It’s important to be aware of what is going on around you. In the old days, people became more relaxed when we changed film. The same is true today; people tend to relax between exposures and you should always be ready to capture those special, real moments. An environment like this can be created simply by walking away from the camera and talking with the subject. Try moving back to adjust a light and observing how the subjects settle. This will give you great natural poses and wonderful images.
Build on the Cornerstone
When I’m working with a group and see someone do something awesome, I try to find a way to pose the rest of the subjects around that person. I treat that first person like the cornerstone of the pose. Once that cornerstone is in place, why would I want to break it up and rebuild the pose?
I might tell one person to not move three or four times. Why do I repeat myself? It’s because people have a tendency to move—and I will lose that wonderful pose.
All I had to do with this pose (facing page) was move the boy into position. Where the boy stood, how high he stood, what he was doing—that was all based on what the Dad was doing while he relaxed.
Another image from the same session.
Here, the boy’s pose is a perfect complement to Dad’s pose. I had Dad sitting high on a bar stool and the boy on a step stool. The young man stretched his neck to rest his chin on Dad’s shoulder. I also had them connect by having the boy drape his right arm over Dad’s. I wanted to frame the young man with Dad’s face and body.