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How to pose a round face?
Hello, I'm newer here and just starting out in the modeling world. I recently had an interview with one of the big agencies here in Seattle and ended up not being right for them. I understand my look isn't very standard but I asked if she had any constructive criticism for me and she said that "while I am very pretty, my face photographs very round." In a currently modeling world where angular is trendy, does anyone have any tips on how to pose a face to not look so soft? Thanks in advance, AJ Mar 12 11 12:19 pm Link Yes, my face can photograph round sometimes. My suggestions would be: 1) makeup - contour, contour, contour. 2) suck in cheeks, but keep your mouth relaxed. 3) elongate your neck - shrinking into your neck makes your face look bigger than it actually is. Mar 12 11 12:35 pm Link Makeup contouring, dramatic lighting/shadows, and poses that don't put you full face to camera. Tilt your head, turn your face, raise or lower your chin, etc. Photographer should be able to help guide you by what she/he is seeing through the lens as far as flattering head angles that take you away from the 'full front facing camera' looks. Eyes can still be to camera or away, even if your head is turned at an angle. Mar 12 11 12:43 pm Link I would say dont have your shots done straight on so we can see the total roundness of your face at once. Keep your face slightly turned...and even go for 2/3rd or 3/4 shots to disallow people to see that other side that completes the roundness. Just a slight turn can hide the opposite side. To get an angular look...go to your local MUA or go to your local mall where a JC Penneys, or Macys cosmetics counter is (for example). See if you cant get yourself made up by a sales person who looks very well made up themselves...and look for those sales people that have good blush and contouring. This is free way to get a taste and sampling of the colors that might look best on you, how to contour your face and chizel your cheeks so they look more angular via cosmetics and not by perfect natural inherent bone structure. You do have nice cheeks...they need to be highlighted by intelligent makeup. Get a "couple" of free makeovers...they look good if they have people sitting in their chairs getting advice! In summary, You would check around in alot of places and ask other models, mus's, or cosmetics persons how to give you tips on how to get a more chizzeled look and how you would minimize roundness visually through shading and makeup and turning your head...you can somewhat trick a camera view by not letting it see your roundness, and by brilliant visual makeup. Only a few of your shots are very round, the others show your potential. I think you would be able to get the look you are after...if you did some research and time experimenting. Mar 12 11 12:50 pm Link Lighting: Shadow on one side of your face. Long hair falling forward shadows both sides of your face. Never tuck hair behind your ears. Bare forehead makes your face look longer. The second image in your portfolio is a good example. Mar 12 11 01:03 pm Link never look straight into the camera, it makes your face look wider, then it really is. always look to the left or right of the camera, never let it see more than 3/4 of your face at any time Mar 12 11 01:09 pm Link Thank you so much for all of the responses! They've been exceedingly helpful. I am planning on studying character and costume makeup, so some research on makeup shadowing will be extra beneficial for me. I've got some shoots coming up so I will definitely give these all a swing! Thanks again, AJ Mar 12 11 01:46 pm Link Mar 12 11 04:33 pm Link Angles help. Study positioning. Also, if you lost 15+ lbs, it may leave your face and create some more natural angles. Not that anything is wrong with being 5'9 and 135... but if you're looking to be signed at an agency... would help. Mar 12 11 04:48 pm Link I just updated my portfolio/avatar with a picture I took today trying to keep your advice in mind... Did it work at all? @JTI I know I am not high fashion sized and am in the process of trying to lose some weight. I maintained about 120 in high school and I would be happy being back around there. Part of it is the way I am built; I will always have significant curves so I will never be 5'9" and 105-110 like some of the girls. I also am not really aiming for that look either. I also am not sure if it will come out of my face. My mother has always had a soft face, even when she was rail thin as well as the lady who critiqued me at the agency. It's great later in life, just not in today's market. AJ Mar 12 11 04:49 pm Link It's all about contouring your makeup, the angle, and lighting.  For me, I rarely look a lens straight on 'cause it makes my face look round. But slightly turned ... it's all good. Mar 12 11 04:53 pm Link I can see what the agency is referring to, but I don't think how "constructive" the criticism as there is very little you can do about it. Look into commercial print modeling perhaps would have been more constructive. Mar 12 11 05:04 pm Link I have a round face, and I try to open up my lips a little bit, so my face gets larger! It really helps... Mar 13 11 11:39 am Link I don't think that your face is round. However your profile picture is a good example of how to elongate your face (using hair on the sides of your face). What I would recommend for you is to have more photos in your port where either your head is tilted up, and/or the picture is taken level or slight lower than your chin. Because looking from the top, your full lips tend to hide part of your chin, which creates an illusion of too much roundness. Mar 13 11 02:50 pm Link I'm glad my new pic seems to be better. I took that one trying to keep the comments above in mind. As for shooting from below, is there any way to do that without getting a pig nose? I feel like that happens a lot if I'm shot from below. Does anyone else have this problem or am I being overly critical? Mar 13 11 06:23 pm Link AJ Mietus wrote: With those thoughts in mind... I would tell you to own it then. Mar 13 11 09:06 pm Link My face is round too. (Stop saying people with round faces can/ should lose weight. It's called bone structure.) Always think: Out & down. Definitely keep focused on the "out" part, down &/or slightly angled. Framing your face [with hair] helps too. Mar 13 11 09:40 pm Link Ms_Samantha_Marie wrote: As one of the people that said this was something to try - just like any other area of the body, the face is a place that fat is stored. Mar 13 11 09:43 pm Link J T I wrote: I've met stick skinny girls with super round faces. Mar 14 11 07:48 pm Link I like your look. I have a round face too and sometimes I feel like my cheekbones take over, but I have experimented with cheek contouring and it helps a lot! You can watch how-to videos on youtube. Jun 04 12 06:10 am Link Short lighting and vantage point Jun 04 12 06:38 am Link Tori Long wrote: Yep. I remember reading somewhere that this was why Lindsey Wixson was initially rejected by a lot of agencies. I have a super round face, and I don't hate it. A lot of the women in my family do, and when you're older, you end up looking young because of it. I'm 23, but everyone always guesses I'm 19-20. You have to just work with what you have... not all models are super hard/angular, anyway. Jun 04 12 06:31 pm Link I used to have the same issue, here's what I've noticed helps: 1 contouring and highlighting - easy to learn yourself, i highly recommend lisa eldridge and pixiwoo on youtube for amazing tutorials on that 2 weight loss IF IT IS HEALTHY FOR YOU. fact of life - i had a round face until i finished school and lost a few 3 angles and lighting. that's the photographer's job. 4 sucking in not the cheeks (aka kim kardashian duck face...) but just above the jaw line, relaxing the mouth aka "novacane face" 5 you're stinking beautiful. not all models are supposed to have the cheekbones...and another plus, you'll look younger longer hope that helps! m. Jun 09 12 02:44 am Link I agree with makeup contouring, out and down chin, and most of all hair in front of your ears on the sides of your face...that last one instantly 'shaves off' the sides of your face into more of an oval. Jun 09 12 04:16 am Link it's not necessarily that you need to pose differently you know... when an agecy rejects you and you ask why, sometimes they just give any random reason. if they really loved you, it really doesn't matter what face shape you have. daphne groeneveld has a very round face, and she's supersuccesful right now... don't worry too much about how to pose your round face, just do your thing and keep applying to agencies. my advice goes against what everyone else has said here: milk the round face  ! it's part of your look, so make it part of what is special about you. Daphne Groeneveld  Lindsey Wixson  2 VERY succesful models with very round faces (and some special looking lips as well). embrace the roundness, make it edgy instead of trying to take it down a notch, making you more bland Jun 09 12 04:24 am Link Seattle is a hard town. Lots of competition over a minor amount of work. I believe you were really being told "we have too many models already and too little work to spread around." I say this, because an experienced interviewer could visualize what you would look like with different makeup. I know very little about makeup, but I can look at a model's face and tell her what she needs to do to get the look you are talking about. If the agency had work, I think they would have told you they needed to update your book right away. If you can, you might try seeing a Portland agency. Things are a tad more active there. And...Seattle is a big convention place...so you might try to work your way into the "booth bunny" market where high fashion looks aren't important. I will also add that some places won't take you seriously if you show up with that ring in your nose or a lot of visible piercings. (PS: The main modeling activity in Seattle is in the nude modeling market, and that is fairly aggressive among models right now.) Jun 10 12 01:24 pm Link let your hair down and use it to partially obscure the face. short lighting (have the model look a bit to the side and then throwing the broad side of the face into shadow on the edge) is another technique. Jun 10 12 01:27 pm Link Carina D wrote: Yeah, parting the lips works. Try making different shapes with your mouth. Say vowel sounds. My favorite word for facial expressions is "prune". Jun 10 12 06:49 pm Link |
