Brand photography musings… When did posing become a dirty word?!

Hello my lovelies, how are you keeping?

I realised recently that on a lot of the brand photography calls I have with potential clients, they say that they are drawn to my work because it looks natural, like my clients are having a great time and feel comfortable in front of the camera…… All true, my clients are awesome and we plan the shoot to best represent them and their brand. But what I am also hearing is that they (the prospective client) love that the photos aren’t “posey” and are capturing natural moments, and so I wanted to dispel this myth!

Yes, my clients look and (hopefully) feel comfortable and relaxed in front of my camera, that’s because we get to really understand their brand values, understand what will create those killer images for their business. We talk about and plan locations, outfits, styling – all the things that make people feel nervous in front of the camera, removing that fear of the unknown. So that on the shoot day, they know they are in safe hands and we can have a fun shoot.

But, I am also guiding and showing you the most flattering ways to stand/sit, tweaking how you may have your hands and arms, a slight movement of the chin, the altering of your posture or adjusting how your top is sitting. This gentle guidance is posing, but not in the sense people think of, where they are awkwardly draped against a wall like someone on the front cover of a magazine! It’s about you looking your absolute best on camera, because the camera “sees” differently to our eyes depending on a few factors, so angles and posture are really important.

And that’s why it’s so important when you start looking into brand photography, to work with a photographer who you trust will have your best interests and image at heart, because sometimes it may feel a little strange and you want to feel assured that it’s all for the purpose of those amazing brand photos that will elevate your marketing message and really captivate your audience. (normally just the mention of posture above will have many of us sitting up a little straighter as we realise how hunched we are over our phone or laptop as we read!)

So please don’t worry about posing, it’s not a dirty word – it’s just been given a bad rap over recent years. If a brand photographer’s work looks natural and relaxed, it’s because they’ve worked hard on learning the best ways to pose their clients to create that look and feel. Trust us, we have you and your brand vision at the heart of what we do.

Until next time,

Amanda x