Apparently, someone once said the camera never lies. Whoever that was obviously didn't really think too much about the importance of very simple elements like lighting, posing and clothing. Melanie Ventura, an Australian fitness instructor (pictured above) has demonstrated very easily the importance of these elements that most of us as photographers are aware of but don't always consider. Simple, basic technique can absolutely transform the people you shoot. Read on to find out more.
I've just spent last week working with Lindsay Adler on some very interesting material for a Kelby lesson she was teaching on how to highlight and bring out the strongest side of the people we shoot. Whether you are dealing with a heavy set individual, someone with glasses (and issues of reflections in their lenses), someone with challenging (large or wide) or asymmetrical features, oily or shiny skin and so on, Lindsay is masterful to watch because she knows that the slightest fraction of movement (by either her camera or subject), her subject's posture, her lens choice and her lighting direction, intensity and quality can all bring about vastly different final images, and therefore perceptions in the people we see in the final shot. She also reminded me today of Melanie's picture and her rapid transformation from the result of very simple and basic actions we don't always think about but can all apply when we shoot portraits or images of people we want to make look their best.
Melanie's amazing transformation shot was the result of nothing more than a quick pose change (note the negative space when she moves her arm away from her body making her look slimmer), better posture (pulling the shoulders back and kicking the hip out really makes more of a pleasing 'S' curve), an outfit change (black slims the figure and isn't it amazing what proper fitting clothing can actually do!) and some simple hair and make up changes.
It makes you wonder how many of those "Before/After" shots we see everywhere, showing what the latest diet/exercise machine/slimming pill in action are really the effect of said remedy, or are actually just people making some small changes as Melanie did.
We all probably know this stuff makes a difference but often we forget just how powerful it is in how our final image is realized, or how to control these elements like those mentioned when shooting someone. Very simple, but very powerful stuff to apply on your next portrait session.
Via: MelVFitness
It comes with Abercrombie and fitch clothes...
she changed her phone cover apparently (as mentioned in the linked blog post)
she say the phone is the same. only without cover
If you click on her name, she actually explains what she did, and that it was 15 minutes, not 5, but who's counting...right?
Picture on left she is pushing her stomach out.
Picture on left under her left elbow the line detial of the door (which runs down from the window edge) is missing appose to picture on the right. Why? The love handles have been liquified out wards. Then instead of doing a layer mask to brush the line back in. Just took it away completely.
Or, no Photoshop was used at all and she posed differently.
Is that a squinch? -_-
ha I just thought the same thing when I saw this.
Also worth to remember is that mirrors also do lie! Some mirrors are more convex than others and you'll appear bigger while others are more concave and you appear thinner.
Great illustration of the point, but it should be point out that her bottoms.changed, also. And, maybe more mportantly, fat?? This girl isn't fat in either pic.
She put on bottoms that actually fit. The bottoms in the first shot are too small, giving her that muffin top look.
everyone should try this in their own mirror, slump down, shoulders down, then stand up straight and do a pose like this girl, you will soon see the difference in yourself, why do you think models walk funny down a catwalk? because it makes them look better! look at a lot of magazine shots where people lean back, makes you look thinner, just everyone try it
Yeah change the title please as you are contributing to this society problem. Otherwise, good quick comparison between your overall "attractiveness" when posing differently.
There is couple details which I think make crucial impact on the viewer of these images. The phone used for the right image has wider lens - like 35mm and right away she appears smaller in that image = she looks finer! She also stands further back from the mirror, look at the door frame size and red coat size = she looks thiner again. If there was same phone used for these shots, then WB shift is unusual towards fluorescent in the second shot! If the shot was taken couple minutes apart, there are objects on the bottom left which are completely different - white cap on the first and on the second a pink cover on a cream bottle! The angle of the body and right hip pushed away from the lens in second shot makes great impact and the pose is well chosen for her type of body. Any cloning or liquifying in there? Hard to say. She is not fat, just has heavier lower body so the title is misleading here and reminds me Yahoo style click campaigns on their front pages! FS articles headers use these kind of Titles too often for my taste. You already have great audience guys, keep it real!
Actually her comparisons aren't that drastic, really. I saw a similar article online with a male model where the difference was surprisingly drastic.
Horrible example... Neither image portraits an unhealthy woman... Let along fat...
It just dawned on me that online photography conversation has now gotten low enough to start taking seriously advice from "bathroom mirror" style self-shooters.
People should spend more time hugging and loving each other, and less time judging and worrying about surfaces.
Obviously sisters
And isn't she shooting with two different cameras?
Pose, posture and framing makes a big difference.