Looking for posing tips of larger ladies

[Golfwidow]

I am doing an in home photo shoot in 2 weeks and the lady is not stick thin model like so am after an tips that can help me capture a great shot. Am researching poses and general posing tips but anything extra would be fantastic.
Thanks

[Lakitu]

How about arms folded under chin and leaning on a table. That would be a close up shot of her face. I guess it depends how old she is. Going the other way, you could have her doing some kind of happy, wild gesture (arms spread out above head) and not try to hide her size.

[Golfwidow]

Thanks for that Lakitu

I forgot to mention she is turning 50 so she wants a nice pic to use at party. Also hates body so will only take face shots. I like the head on arm idea.

[bagofscraps]

If you stand above her and look down at her, while she's looking up at you, her neck will stretch and any double chin will be lessened (and neck wrinkles disappear!). If she only wants face shots, that's a good one.

Lakitu's idea was good too, as that will also hide her neck.

[peeperita]

bag of scraps is definitely on the right track.....

the first portrait i remember taken this way was of leona helmsley.....the photographer was on a ladder above her as she was seated on a couch.....the perspective did wonderful things for her neck and made her torso relative to her face much smaller....i loved what it did for her and tried a few on myself with good results....

peeper

[windrider86]

Lighting plays a HUGE factor in this as well. Shadows on one side can thin a person quite dramaticaly if played right. For rounder faces, dont shoot straight on. Shoot from an angle with the shadows played on the furthest side away from you.
You can also slim a person down (if thats what they want) by using the warp tool. By very carefully going over edges using contract you can slim them down. You have to be careful tho as it can warp your background

[dlaf]

My two favorite ways to get my photo taken is to be behind a tall chair like a wingback or recliner, cross my arms on the top of it, leaning forward a bit. No uni or double chin and arms aren't squished against body (adds bulky look).

My other way is to have a nice medium height chair where the back faces the camera, the model sits sideways (but slightly toward camera), puts one arm up on the chair and grabs that wrist with the other hand and turns the face more toward the camera.

If that doesn't make sense, pm me and I'll send a couple of photos from my recent 50th birthday party.

Debbie
(recently turned half a century )

[oldwolf]

if you do happen to get her arms and body in the shot then make sure there is space between the arm and her body. this will make her look a bit slimmer since there is a break in the picture and not one continuous piece of human. sorry, can't describe it any other way without being politically incorrect. i used that technique on some senior portraits this past weekend. he was a skinny kid bit big baggy clothes. i used that technique to make it look like he wasn't a head popping out of a tent hehe.

[daft_biker]

Take the shots at the top of a really big hill miles from a road.....she'll be thinner by the time she gets there (and no, I'm not being serious )

[Sodaman420]

well, since you're saying she's older
she might be prone to wrinkles or blemishes
so to avoid them you will want to light from head-on if you can
this will help avoid shadows from any peaks and valleys she has in her face if you know what I mean