Tips on photographing larger clients

[becksjd]

Hi you guys,

So I need some advice on posing larger people. I am going to be photographing some people coming up here who are heavier set and also very insecure with their body. I want to take a picture that they can be happy with. Two of the photos will be family photos, so I am wondering what would be better, standing? Sitting? At an angle? Do I still take the shot higher than them? What would be best?

I am also going to take some photos of a good friend of mine who is quite overweight. She is BEAUTIFUL inside and out in my opinion, but oh so insecure. She wants me to take some pretty photos of her for her husband. I need some ideas. I was thinking of taking only her top half, since I know every photo of her whole body she hates.

Can anyone give me some ideas or even examples you may have for me to help me with this. I am not focusing on their weight, nor do I have a problem with it. My whole focus is on capturing the beautiful people they are in a way that they can be happy with and also see their true beauty in!!! I don't know if I am skilled enough to, but I am going to give it a try!

Thanks again, I hope my questions make sense.

Becky

[Jim Bryant]

Originally Posted by becksjd

Hi you guys,

So I need some advice on posing larger people. I am going to be photographing some people coming up here who are heavier set and also very insecure with their body. I want to take a picture that they can be happy with. Two of the photos will be family photos, so I am wondering what would be better, standing? Sitting? At an angle? Do I still take the shot higher than them? What would be best?

I am also going to take some photos of a good friend of mine who is quite overweight. She is BEAUTIFUL inside and out in my opinion, but oh so insecure. She wants me to take some pretty photos of her for her husband. I need some ideas. I was thinking of taking only her top half, since I know every photo of her whole body she hates.

Can anyone give me some ideas or even examples you may have for me to help me with this. I am not focusing on their weight, nor do I have a problem with it. My whole focus is on capturing the beautiful people they are in a way that they can be happy with and also see their true beauty in!!! I don't know if I am skilled enough to, but I am going to give it a try!

Thanks again, I hope my questions make sense.

Becky

Don't shoot high angle looking down and do use a wide angle shot much like environmental

portraits. good examples can be found here: Posing overweight people - Canon Digital Photography Forums

[becksjd]

I was scared no one was going to reply! Thanks Jim, I will take a look!

[Photologyst]

Ask the clients what they believe their best features are. Many heavy people never look into a full length mirror. Women may say their eyes or hair. Men might be more difficult?

Basic black unless they insist on wearing something else. Well fitting clothing. Baggy stuff makes people look bigger. Lighting, shadowing, vignetting and lots of PS tweaking.

[BigFuzzy]

Originally Posted by Jim Bryant

Don't shoot high angle looking down and do use a wide angle shot much like environmental

Odd, i don't find myself disagreeing with you much Jim, but I think shooting from a higher angle with your subject looking up at you helps pull their chin up which helps with any doublechins and helps create a nicer jawline. I've used it quite often, though it helps that i'm tall and I'm typically looking down at people quite often (literally and metaphorically! )

I'm not saying they're sitting (which can help make them look bigger) but a standing subject, with their body a bit tilted (ie not square on) and their head angled up a bit works in my book. Even the link you shared Jim has such examples.
I also use a very shallow DoF to help soften sometimes which can draw the eyes away from the fatty bits.

[becksjd]

Fuzgfgfzy (my 3 year old helped me type this),

What number would I use for my DoF then for a couple shot? She is very large and he is very skinny, I don't want to fuzz them both I don't think. I have this little bridge overlooking fall leaves and a little creek, I was planning on standing on the ledge of the other side, which is quite a bit higher than them, so I can get her chin up a bit and also get the view behind them a bit.

What kind of angle would I tilt her at? Should I put her more in the back of him? She has a BEAUTIFUL face and a long neck, she actually doesn't look that big the top half, it's her hips and bottom half that are very large and what makes her the most self conscious, so I guess I just need to avoid the bottom more, but I don't want to get the wrong angle and make her look bigger than she is. She's my good friend and I want her to be happy. He had a photographer snap a picture looking up at her, legs and up and she used some choice words to describe how she felt she looked. Like I said, she is beautiful, and I know I can get many gorgeous shots of her, but I just need a head start to getting it.

Thanks guys.

[becksjd]

I thought I would post some of the pictures I took today with some of the tips used. I found that shooting from above worked the best, and I had to choose the right angles, and pick how much of the client to fill the frame with. I think that it seemed to work and she really liked them! I tried taking some from her side and realized after that that is not flattering. It was a good experience overall. Here's just a couple of the shots:





Thanks for the help everybody!

[Photologyst]

Pretty woman. Nice shots.

Use some PS processing to adjust colors and soften the faces and they will love the photos more.

[BigFuzzy]

Sorry i got back to this so late and didn't answer your ?s to me.. but it looks like things turned out really well.

Personally, I don't soften faces, I think it looks too much like something everyone does.. hence your photos will look like everyone elses.. but that's a judgement/taste thing. I use DoF to soften images if I feel it needs it.

In the photo with the woman only, I'd bump up exposure a bit and Clarity a bit (though that'll make the skin a bit more detailed which you may not want a la photolgyst).

Well done in the end!

[Barbara V]

Originally Posted by becksjd

Fuzgfgfzy she actually doesn't look that big the top half, it's her hips and bottom half that are very large and what makes her the most self conscious, so I guess I just need to avoid the bottom more, but I don't want to get the wrong angle and make her look bigger than she is. She's my good friend and I want her to be happy. He had a photographer snap a picture looking up at her, legs and up and she used some choice words to describe how she felt she looked. Like I said, she is beautiful, and I know I can get many gorgeous shots of her, but I just need a head start to getting it.

Thanks guys.

As someone with this same body type, I would say to get her from the waist up, and she'll be happy.