Perkins Michelle. - 500 Poses for Photographing Children: A Visual Sourcebook for Digital Portrait Photographers

My deepest thanks to the photographers whose work appears in this book. Their powerful images are truly inspiringas is their commitment to educating other professionals. If you have a chance to learn from them, whether at a workshop or through their writing, take it; you wont be disappointed.Thanks also to my husband, Ron, and to the good friends who allowed their childrens images to be included. Copyright 2012 by Michelle Perkins. All rights reserved. Front cover photographs by Christie Mumm. Back cover photograph by Brett Florens.

Published by: Amherst Media, Inc. P.O. Box 586 Buffalo, N.Y. 14226 Fax: 716-874-4508 www.AmherstMedia.com Publisher: Craig Alesse Senior Editor/Production Manager: Michelle Perkins Assistant Editor: Barbara A. Lynch-Johnt Editorial Assistance from: Chris Gallant, Sally Jarzab, John S. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopied, recorded or otherwise, without prior written consent from the publisher. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopied, recorded or otherwise, without prior written consent from the publisher.

Notice of Disclaimer: The information contained in this book is based on the authors experience and opinions. The author and publisher will not be held liable for the use or misuse of the information in this book. Check out Amherst Medias blogs at: http://portrait-photographer.blogspot.com/ http://weddingphotographer-amherstmedia.blogspot.com/

In any case, posing children will almost always be a process that is ongoing throughout the shoot, as the child reacts to everything around him or her. While the traditional rules of posing are an important starting point, its important to remember that most kids arent great at holding any given pose. Fortunately, children do tend to fall into body positions that feel natural and reflect their personalitieswhich is, after all, what youre trying to capture. Therefore, even a pose that isnt exactly what you planned may turn out to be the right pose for that childor may be something you can refine to create the look you want. This collection is designed as a springboard for facing the many challenges of posing kids. Filled with images by accomplished professionals, it provides a resource for photographers seeking inspiration for their own work.

Stuck on what to do with a particular child or unsure how to use a given location? Flip through the sample portraits, pick something you like, then adapt it as needed to suit your tastes. Looking to freshen up your work with some new poses? Find a sample that appeals to you and look for ways to implement it (or some element of it) with your subject. For ease of use, the portraits are grouped according to how much of the subject is shown in the frame. Thus, the book begins with head-and-shoulders portraits, followed by portraits that introduce one or both hands into the head-and-shoulders look. Next are waist-up portraits, featuring images that include the head and shoulders, arms and hands, and at least some of the subjects torso. Moving on to three-quarter-length portraits, the examples feature kids shown from the head down to mid-thigh or mid-calf.

Next are full-length images, which include the entire body. (Note: Both the three-quarter- and full-length portraits are subdivided into poses designed for standing subjects and ones for seated or reclining subjects.) The last portion of the book provides ideas for posing small groups of childrentaking the posing challenge to the next level! It can be difficult to remain creative day after day, year after year, but sometimes all you need to break through a slump is a little spark. In this book, youll find a plethora of images designed to provide just that.

Photograph by Hernan Rodriguez. PLATE 3. Photograph by Christie Mumm. PLATE 4. Photograph by Christie Mumm. PLATE 5.

Photograph by Tracy Dorr. PLATE 6. Photograph by Brett Florens. PLATE 7. Photograph by Brett Florens. PLATE 8.

Photograph by Christie Mumm. PLATE 9. Photograph by Mimika Cooney. PLATE 10. Photograph by Christie Mumm. PLATE 11.

Photograph by Brett Florens. PLATE 12. Photograph by Brett Florens. PLATE 13. Photograph by Brett Florens. PLATE 14.

Photograph by Brett Florens. PLATE 15. Photograph by Michelle Perkins PLATE 16. Photograph by Christie Mumm. PLATE 17.