Where did I put that?

(squeaking)

You guys asked us for a tutorial

on how to pose solo portraits,

so today my sister Megan is gonna help us show you

how to pose clients and friends

who aren't necessarily models.

We're gonna draw on a lot of tips

that we've show you in previous tutorials

to show you how you can apply these

to almost any genre of photography.

Let's get started.

(funky space indie rock music)

(rattling)

(squeaking)

Remember when we told you that straight lines

provoke feelings of brashness and masculinity

and S-curves provoke feelings of softness and femininity?

Well, that applies to posing people as well.

Depending on the mood and look you want,

have your subject keep his or her limbs

and torso straight and jagged or bent and curved.

Two, direct instead of pose.

If you remember from our tutorial on shooting couples,

we would recommend directing over posing.

So after you've chatted with your subject

about the shape of her limbs and torso,

don't give her any more direction

on where to place her hands or chin, et cetera.

Instead, give her a role to play or an emotion to act out.

Here, I've told Megan to imagine

that I've just given her access to any of the clothes

in my childhood bedroom closet.

It's funny to her, because I would never do that.

Here, I've told her that my parents had her on accident.

Before you start shooting, figure out the story

you want to portray in your image.

Determine the emotion that will help convey that message,

and help your subject feel and act out that emotion.

This will give your photos

a more lifelike and interesting quality.

A great way to naturally capture a candid moment

is to give your subject (camera snapping)

an action to portray that creates motion in your photo.

This could be as simple as having your subject

shake out her hair or repeat a stride in place.

Capturing the photo mid-action

can bring life and interest to the shot.

Recap.

1, use straight lines & S-curves.

2, direct your subject instead of posing him or her.

3, utilize motion to add interest.

- We hope you guys enjoyed that tutorial.

This week, when you post your portraits,

use the hashtag #mangostreetportraits on Instagram

so we can check out your work.

And as always, please like and subscribe

if you haven't already, and I'll see you next week.

♫ We the stars we the stars

♫ We all stars we all stars