What are some good grad picture poses?
Posted on July 07, 2010 by Ed
Today is my big sister’s prom. Before the dinner, her and 7 friends and their dates are coming to our house for grad pictures in our backyard. Some of the things we have in the backyard are green grass, antique fences, a trampoline, lots of trees, and some antique machinery. I am really into photography but I’m not very good yet, I was wondering if anyone had some good ideas for poses for just one person, or for a grad and their date or for group shots.
Try to exclude extraneous detail in the background. This might seem a little intimidating at first because it requires that you get really close to your subject.
To put everyone at ease – and more importantly, to get them to do what you want – keep talking. It doesn’t have to be talk of any substance, but if you can keep everyone laughing, you won’t have to worry about saying "Smile!" and everything will be a lot more spontaneous.
Get your sister and her friends tightly bunched together. Get in as close as possible so that you get all their faces – it’s okay if you end up cutting off the tops of a few heads on the top, or a few ears on the sides. The faces are what you’re going to emphasize.
Now, have a ladder at your disposal and someone to hold the ladder. Get up towards the top and have everyone look up. You can have someone (whose face won’t be in the picture) crouching down in the circle and holding a bunch of flowers at the center of your group. Again, chopping off a few heads or ears is okay because what we’re emphasizing are the faces! These shots will all be horizontal, but try shooting a few vertical shots as well. Just for fun, angle the camera at 45-degrees – right between the positions you would have for a horizontal and vertical. Shooting diagonally is a great way to convey action and the end result can be very visually stimulating.
Now pair everyone up with their dates and use a wide angle. At the count of three, everyone is going to jump up in the air. If the girls have bouquets, they should have them in their hand. Make sure that people are properly spaced (you can actually have two rows of people) so that when they jump, their arms are not in the way of someone’s face!
Don’t shoot from a low angle – the results aren’t flattering and any of your friends or dates who may be overweight will come off especially bad.
Some people are going to see your question and say "Aha! You have a trampoline! Use THAT!" But you probably shouldn’t for the simple reason that it would be easy to tear a dress or take a fall and then someone’s prom night is toast.
Antique machinery might be great for your photos, although I really don’t know about as props/background for prom photos. Still, it can’t hurt to try!
Finally, go to your local library and pick up a few books on portrait photography! These will help you avoid common errors, especially with lighting.
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One Response to “What are some good grad picture poses?”
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Eric R
- 7th Jul, 10 12:07am
Try to exclude extraneous detail in the background. This might seem a little intimidating at first because it requires that you get really close to your subject.
To put everyone at ease – and more importantly, to get them to do what you want – keep talking. It doesn’t have to be talk of any substance, but if you can keep everyone laughing, you won’t have to worry about saying "Smile!" and everything will be a lot more spontaneous.
Get your sister and her friends tightly bunched together. Get in as close as possible so that you get all their faces – it’s okay if you end up cutting off the tops of a few heads on the top, or a few ears on the sides. The faces are what you’re going to emphasize.
Now, have a ladder at your disposal and someone to hold the ladder. Get up towards the top and have everyone look up. You can have someone (whose face won’t be in the picture) crouching down in the circle and holding a bunch of flowers at the center of your group. Again, chopping off a few heads or ears is okay because what we’re emphasizing are the faces! These shots will all be horizontal, but try shooting a few vertical shots as well. Just for fun, angle the camera at 45-degrees – right between the positions you would have for a horizontal and vertical. Shooting diagonally is a great way to convey action and the end result can be very visually stimulating.
Now pair everyone up with their dates and use a wide angle. At the count of three, everyone is going to jump up in the air. If the girls have bouquets, they should have them in their hand. Make sure that people are properly spaced (you can actually have two rows of people) so that when they jump, their arms are not in the way of someone’s face!
Don’t shoot from a low angle – the results aren’t flattering and any of your friends or dates who may be overweight will come off especially bad.
Some people are going to see your question and say "Aha! You have a trampoline! Use THAT!" But you probably shouldn’t for the simple reason that it would be easy to tear a dress or take a fall and then someone’s prom night is toast.
Antique machinery might be great for your photos, although I really don’t know about as props/background for prom photos. Still, it can’t hurt to try!
Finally, go to your local library and pick up a few books on portrait photography! These will help you avoid common errors, especially with lighting.
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