How to Give Your Subject a More Chiseled Jawline

A sharp, well-defined jawline is a very popular look in portraits that can really increase the interest of your images and draw the viewer's eye to your subject. This video will show you how to achieve that look with a few quick adjustments in just one minute. 

Coming to you from our friends over at SLR Lounge, this tutorial shows how a few quick posing adjustments can really bring out the structure of the jawline in your subject. This is an especially popular look for men, and it can create a much more interesting and engaging subject. The technique really comes down to accentuating the jawline by positioning it to be a more prominent feature of the composition and then facing the subject into the light to take advantage of shadows to give the jawline a sharper definition. I often like to take it a bit further by burning down the shadows a bit in Photoshop; it doesn't take much to bring out the structure even more.

If you really want to perfect your posing to project confidence from your subjects, take a look at "Peter Hurley: Perfecting the Headshot," where you'll spend hours with the master himself. 

[via ISO 1200]

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

Log in or register to post comments
3 Comments

Subtle and cool tip! Thanks for sharing Alex!

Purchased Peter Hurley's Perfecting the Headshot - highly recommended. Most importantly for how photographers should interact with their clients. Peter is a master of this.

Absolute best photo advice video I've ever seen: 1) How to do it in camera, not through laborious post; and 2) Crisp, get-to-the-point energetic pacing, not a 24 minute laborious video. Wow!