My Art Philosophy No. 4: Posing

April 2, 2020

Have you ever hated the way you looked in a photo? Meeee tooooooo.

Have you ever stood in front of a camera and not known what to do with your hands? Your arms? Yourself? Meeee toooo. This is why I often jump in photographs. If I’m going to feel awkward, I might as well be flying.

One of the cores of my art practice is this: “Love is to reveal the beauty of a person to herself.” I believe we deserve to have photographs we love of ourselves. I believe you have a story that is worth documenting. That is worth honouring.

I don’t expect you to be comfortable in front of the camera. (But if you are, more power to you!) I don’t expect you to know how to “be a model.”

I do expect you to come ready to have fun and play. And I do expect you to come ready for something new!

Candid but Posed

I love a “natural” photo that really captures someone’s personality. How I get there, though, is really the opposite. I will always direct with precise instructions. Once I have directed you into a pose, I will give directions to create a “candid” photo. One of my favorite instructions is “giggle down your shoulder” or in some direction that I specify! It is a mixture of the directed and in-between moments that I use to tell the story.

Don’t Move!

My most-loved line during a session is “WAIT! DON’T MOVE!!” Sometimes, we just fall into place in a way that is both authentic to ourselves and also lovely on camera, and I want to document those moments, too. What will also sometimes happen is the moment will have passed, but I will have you re-do it. It’s cooler than it sounds, promise 😉

Hope’s Search for Home

comments +

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Paris & California strolls; plenty of flowers; stories; and looking for the beauty in the everyday. I hope you'll come along as I take the year to document the entirety of my home state!

LET'S BE INSTA-FRIENDS