D Jenner it Photography wrote:
Next shoot you do have them shoot the mid drift or what ever you called it. just a thought.

Shouldn't be that hard. Not tryin to be mean.

Why would I think that was mean?

Julia Gerace wrote:
cross light - ie.  say your main light is on the left, turn your hips to the right, shoulders a little less to the right but keep your head going to the left - your face will be short lit, your body cross lit.... you have to experiment with this though to get the light where you need it (and the pose isn't 'extreme' either...)  hth..

Cool!  Thank you!

ken daugherty wrote:
don't forget the trick of blowing all the air out of your lungs,,,you'd be amazed what that does for the mid section

Well forgive me for being dense, but I am going to assume that is a joke.

Mike in Maryland wrote:
I don't think it's a joke.  When you blow all the air out of our lungs right before the shot, your diaphragm and ab muscles contract and it tightens up your torso a bit.  That, combined with standing at an angle to the lights as was stated above, can have very desirable effects.  There are a lot of books out there on corrective posing for photographers that cover this topic very well.  If you want, you should go down to the local book store and browse through them.

I will do that.  Thank you.

Mike in Maryland wrote:
I don't think it's a joke.  When you blow all the air out of our lungs right before the shot, your diaphragm and ab muscles contract and it tightens up your torso a bit.  That, combined with standing at an angle to the lights as was stated above, can have very desirable effects.  The worst thing that you can do is be squared up with the camera under flat light, as you are in the shot you posted.  Not to be overly harsh, but that's usually not a good pose for any woman, no matter what their body type or frame.  There are a lot of books out there on corrective posing for photographers that cover this topic very well.  If you want, you should go down to the local book store and browse through them.

isnt it the opposite??  when I blow air out, my belly gets bigger. when I inhale and suck in..  then my belly gets flat!!

C I wrote:
The only part about that I didn't like was making the rear smaller...I need the opposite...haha.  Is there a way to make it look like some of the weight in my chest is actually in my butt?

sure..  it's called Photoshop! a small procedure that runs about $700 or so...

Dark Photography wrote:

isnt it the opposite??  when I blow air out, my belly gets bigger. when I inhale and suck in..  then my belly gets flat!!

try breathing from your belly, rather than you ribs...  you'll see what I mean.

C I wrote:
The only part about that I didn't like was making the rear smaller...I need the opposite...haha.  Is there a way to make it look like some of the weight in my chest is actually in my butt?

Physically moving boob mass to butt mass might be difficult:) 

Practice posing in the mirror.  One thing to try for that, is arch your back and bend over slightly.  Have the photographer shoot you from a 45 degree angle from the rear.  That'll make your butt look big! 

Take this one for example:


The posing angle and wider-angle lens that I used in this one gave her a little more "meat".  I guess it was a happy accident as that was not my intention.  She likes the image though.  (by the way, her butt is small, and what I would consider to be perfect!  Butt, that's just my preference!)

Mike in Maryland wrote:

try breathing from your belly, rather than you ribs...  you'll see what I mean.

ok.. i'm with you now

Shelly Scott Photos wrote:
You need to have her twist in the middle.  A good pose will make her look a lot thinner.

Like your avatar, very good point

Shelly Scott Photos wrote:
You need to have her twist in the middle.  A good pose will make her look a lot thinner.

"her" as in me?  haha.  It's a self-portrait.  Yes!  Thinner!