I started this conversation the other day on my Facebook Page, and wanted to be sure to post it and elaborate on it here too. Since 'lifestyle photography' is a relatively new concept to the mass market, I always make sure to be very clear about what it is, and what that means for my clients. I’ve been thinking a lot about posing lately. If you’ve been following me for very long, you might have noticed that I don’t do much posing. When you book a session with me, you can expect to receive what I call "positioning" and minimal direction. This means, I find the light, I position my clients in it, and I say something like, "Look at each other, hold hands, laugh, play tickle, and pretend I'm not here!" (it's usually a bit more specific, but you get the idea.) What unfolds before my eyes is a private moment between a family- the kinds of moments you have in your homes on Saturday mornings when everyone is playing and the chaos is real, but it's happy. The moments where you think, "I just want to freeze this moment forever..." Except this time, there's someone there to do exactly that: capture it. That would be me. And even though you might feel frazzled and pulled in a million different directions (much like you might feel every single day with your family) I see through it to the back of your mind where your heart is telling you that this... THIS... is what it's about. These moments. The real ones- scrapes, crooked hairbows, rumpled shirts, and all. They are a million little moments that make up a life. I’m a member of several different photography groups online that are meant to encourage and support the industry and there are always debates and discussions about “proper” posing technique. I find that I never have anything to add to the conversation. It’s not that I don’t understand “proper” and “traditional” posing or how to pose an individual (or multiple) to flatter his/ her body shape. It’s simply because I don’t believe in rules when it comes to beauty.
There are a lot of people who still want the traditional stop, drop ,and look at the camera kind of portraits and that's fine. That's great. It's a personal preference and a specific style in the industry that is in no way dying. I get that. I always offer at least a handful of those poses at each session. But I am probably not the photographer for you if that's ALL you want. Do I want to photograph you at your best? Yes. Absolutely. But I defy any logic that contends that your “best you” is the one that has been placed into a stiff-looking, hands-on-your-shoulder-for-no-reason, try-to-look-sexy, my-kids-hate-this, ow-this-feels-awkward-does-it-look-awkward?-pose. Instead, I would argue that your best is when you’re being absolutely, 100% yourself with your family. Mouth open wide, hair flying in your face, baby slobber on your shirt, missing an earring, and a kid tugging at your pant leg. Laugh lines featured prominently. That’s you. That’s your life. It’s messy and it’s chaotic and it’s drenched in all of this light and joy that people outside of your family rarely get to see but it’s YOU. And it’s beautiful. Proper? Probably not. Traditional? Not likely. But your best? Every time.
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