When you are taking your model out to a location to photograph, bear in mind that you have a lot more freedom in posing them.  You can have them sitting on a balcony or beam, leaning against a wall or you can even photograph them peeking through an old window.

The possibilities are endless….  Take the time before your modelling shoot to get into the’zone’.  By this I mean getting into the right frame of mind.  Look through magazines with high-end fashion photographs, Look at the way the models are posed, even how they pose the professional model’s hands etc.

Have the model lean her back against a wall, peeking around a corner or even spreading her arms against the wall, remember you are probably shooting on digital so use this technology to review each image fleetingly, and always shoot from a few different angles.

Let’s start with the hands, never let your model’s hands just dangle down, this makes them look like funny extensions of the body.  Always try and find something for the model’s hands to do, like holding onto a piece of clothing( like a scarf) or “hanging” onto a broken window pane….

There are many different ways you can make use of walls to enhance your pose.  Look for a brightly coloured wall, which maybe matches or contrasts your subjects outfit, or maybe a wall with peeling paint which adds great texture to any photo. You can have your professional model lean against a wall with their back, or even put their hands on the wall and lean their face on their hands, the possibilities are endless….  Always try a shot or two shooting along the wall rather than straight at it.

Doorways are also great ‘props’.  You can pose your model so that they’re leaning against the doorjamb with their back, if it’s a female model you can also try poses where she rests her back against the doorframe and raises her one hand above her head to make the pose more interesting.

Another great architectural design for professional location modelling portfolios are stairs.  Stairs make a great background and are especially ideal when your posing more than two models in your shot.  They create a pattern and symmetry in your photographs.

If you are still nervous about having a location modelling photoshoot with a client, get a few of your friends together, use them as your models and find an old building to take some photos in.

Enjoy!

Riani