We have been working with Jess La Frankie, our favourite Melbourne-based photographer, for years. We love her and her endless talent. From years of honing her craft she experienced it all and directs a photoshoot like no other.
Recently, we have seen posts like this one, complaining about international brands utilising strange model poses to sell their products online. The feedback seems to be that it's hard to visualise yourself in the item when you have a model posed in weird angles, elbows and knees poking out all over the place. Many theorise that it's also masking the inferiority of the product. Presumably, this is not the effect the brand were going for!
Here's an example that we found today. This product had three image variations, and other than this one, the product was very far away. It's hard to see detailing, or how it sits on the model.
We grilled Jess on how to take amazing photos to represent a brand accurately, and show a clothing collection in its best light. Not only so that it looks great, but so that our customers can visualise themselves wearing the pieces and make informed decisions about their purchases.
Check out our collection to see how our models are posed.
Let's see how Jess gets that perfect shot...
1. Make models comfortable
Jess takes time to introduce herself at the beginning of a shoot, meeting each model and having a chat. This helps them feel more comfortable. Models are people too and they have a tough job. They're going to get poked, posed, and prodded by people they don't know. Taking the time to set them at ease can impact the success of a shoot.
2. Show them the brief or mood board
Liaising with your models and talking through your ideas for posing the vibe you want to create, can also help. When they can visualise what's needed, you can work together. Note: Try not to interrupt their posing flow, let them move and then just guide them.
3. Don't forget hands!
Always look at the hands and make sure they are contributing to the pose.
4. Connect the pose and the clothing
Try to connect the pose and the type of clothing being worn, if it’s a soft texture try to add a touch of softness to the model's body or expression (unless you’re going for a juxtaposition).
5. Reference Images
If you get stuck, have some reference images for them to imitate.
