Posing subjects can often be one of the most challenging aspects of portrait photography. Great posing can add emotion to a photo, and even shave off weight when done correctly. Photographer Gracie Hagen shows us just how important posing really is in her latest series entitled “Illusions of the Body”.
Gracie explains --
"Illusions of the Body was made to tackle the supposed norms of what we think our bodies are supposed to look like. Most of us realize that the media displays only the prettiest photos of people, yet we compare ourselves to those images. We never get to see those photos juxtaposed against a picture of that same person looking unflattering. That contrast would help a lot of body image issues we as a culture have.
Within the series I tried get a range of body types, ethnicity & genders to show how everyone is a different shape & size; there is no “normal”. Each photo was taken with the same lighting & the same angle.
Celebrate your shapes, sizes & the odd contortions your body can get itself into. The human body is a weird & beautiful thing."
For more of Gracie Hagen’s work, be sure to check out her website & tumblr.
[via BeautifulDecay]
NO anorexia.
We're going to have this discussion again, eh?
No.
Edit: Hopefully we can talk about what "real women" look like instead.
Not saying you're incorrect here, but kind of missing the entire point of this article (and by kind of, I mean completely).
I think the article here is just showing the importance of good posing, and how much of an impact that can have on image and perceived beauty.
We all know what the entire point of this article is, "click-bait."
God this "Real Women" thing is ridiculous. Some women are naturally skinny, some aren't. That doesn't make anyone less of a women/human/person.
Agreed. My post was definitely meant to be sarcastic. I loathe that whole "real women" crap.
Where is the anorexia?? that makes no sense...
This guy doesn't get it...
You must be a millionaire! You know...diagnosing medicine over the internet based merely on a photo!
Hate the penis shot....jussss saying
You hate the photo, or you hate the photo because it has a penis in it?
You hate shot, or you hate the shot because it has a penis in it?
I'm sorry but if you're a grown man and you can't handle a picture of a penis you need to get a grip on your life wow
I love when people lack a sense of good old fashion humor. Ya know?
It wasn't funny. There wasn't even an implication of your 'joke' being funny. Here is some "old fashion humor"
A wife said to her husband: "Darling, I need a new dress."
"What's wrong with the one you've got?" he said.
"Well, it's too long and, besides, the veil keeps getting in my eyes."
Yep, that's funny.
Love the penis shot. Jussssss saying
Doubt it
I probably shouldn't have opened this while eating my Salmon salad.
This is proof that models already Liquify their bodies in-camera.
You'd think photography websites would harvest a little bit more mature group of readers than the normal internet posse but I guess not. A post with nude models and the clowns come out like sex-ed class in middle school.
Love the post!!! That dude though, Why.....????? O_o
He's just as naked as the girls?
Chic with the penis can't be helped. Last time I seen bush like that was in my 70"s playboy magazines, oh lord!
Nothing is so "offensive" to people as the naked body, feelings of love, depression and death. Which is why artists strive to express them, and why everyone else live in denial about them.
If having women pose naked is for the sake of art and not to objectify them, why are so many photographers unable to stomach the a photo of a naked man?
This is remarkable, shows the true effects of posing. As both a model and a photographer, I know this power well. I love the different array of body types and models she chose to show, just stunning. Well done!
Maybe this is a valid question. How do you keep it placid? Do you tell them to think of unpretty women?
If your are asking this question, does this mean you're you "at attention" at all times? Or is it because you don't know how male anatomy works?
Nurses have their way of cooling it. There was news about an aroused ad for underwear. Just wondering.
I wonder if any photographer has ever posed subjects in the "incorrect" fashion shown here. This all strikes me as a very contrived set of examples. I honestly don't see the point of this pictorial, other than gathering some internet buzz with a some bad photography with worse post-processing.
My thoughts too...
Well, I think you can apply it to daily life, in a sense. It's not about posing for an artist, it's about posing for yourself and the world. How people perceive you, and how you perceive yourself can change based on the way you carry yourself, and following that, the way you carry yourself affects the way you perceive yourself. What if we think about this photoset through the lens of the question: what do you think these models would see/feel if they were looking at themselves in the mirror, and comparing the left and right photos. For me it reads as, "look at how beautiful everyone could be if they just believed in themselves." It's a very emotional shoot.
tl;dr I think you're not giving it enough credit if you take it simply as "how not to pose."
Um..........................................................................what?...
TL,DR: Posture is everything, even with clothes on.
Looking artificial..