Portrait Posing Basics and Composition
Looking for a Balance in the Composition of Your Photographs
As you look at these images you will see how many of the images might appear off center. However, when you see the closely cropped versions you will see that the "off center" version really does look better. The reason is that with the angle of their head the blank space draws the viewer into their face. The result is better use of white space, composition and balance.
As you take photographs or crop them for
printing keep this option in mind. When these images were cropped the
white space on the sides was used to balance the composition. Look at
both versions and see which is more appealing to you. 
Learning to look at the entire photograph and just not the subject will help you create better images of your family and friends.
What you are seeing is the natural tendency for a person who is viewing a photograph to follow the persons eyes or direction of travel. If the subject is not looking toward the camera the eyes are drawn to where the subject is looking. Think of it as giving the subject of your image some space to look into. By leaving the open area, or white space, it also gives the viewer a chance to be drawn into the photo.
Whenever you are taking photographs you should always remember that you in the story telling business. Your job is to turn a one dimensional object into something that tells a story and provides the look of depth and illusion.
Using a Pyramid or Triangle in Your Photo Composition
The way subjects, or objects, relate to each other in a photograph forms lines and shapes that draw the eye from subject to subject. If the photograph's composition lacks a smooth flow then the viewers eye will not flow well as it views the photograph.
The triangular composition seems to work best because squares and circles tend to be too symmetrical and they leave too much empty space around the subjects.
Triangles and diamonds are often the best shapes to work toward.
When working with groups of people posing them as a slightly irregular triangle helps keep people from creating a portrait which does not view well.
When building a portrait you using this technique you will want to make sure that it is slightly irregular. Doing so will keep from having eyes on the same horizontal plane.
In the example to the left the kids are arranged so that their heads form a pyramid. As your eye views the image it has an entry point and a natural flow from one child to the next child.
The final aspect to creating this image was to darken the corners so that the viewers eye was drawn into the center of the image. When photographers were using film this was often done with a filter in front of the camera or as part of the darkroom printing process. The latter process was called burning.
Photo Critique:
The following collections of photos are photos submitted by aspiring photographers being taught by Art of Art's Photography If you are looking for affordable portraits, weddings, or special event photography please check out his web site. If you are looking for inexpensive educational books please visit the web site. he uses for his local and photography education. Art's Photography School
The
Photo at the left has a great model with an inviting smile. With that
kind of personality and figure it is hard to take a poor portrait.
However, there are a couple of flaws that would improve the image. Do
you see them? My recommendations to the student were:
* Change her body position so that her left arm is not behind the plain of the body. This will eliminate the effect of having her arm appear to be out of proportion to the rest of her body.
* Whenever you have a subject supporting themselves like this they will have a tendency to raise the supporting shoulder. Watch this to make sure their shoulder does not appear hunched.
* Another
issue with the image is that having her head tilted away from the
camera tends to enlarge her shoulder. By contemporary standards this
might be a portrait that she really likes. By traditional standards
this is not a correct approach for the pose. As a long time
photographer myself I try to keep the traditional methods in mind while
keeping in mind the contemporary images that my customers see.
If you are an aspiring photographer a good place to study current
trends is to look at the magazines and popular fan sites for
celebrities. In addition to these sources you should check out book
recommendations on Amazon 
they will have new and used books for photographers of all skill levels.
The
photo on the left was the pose that the student sat up. The image on
the right was the image after Art tweaked the pose. The logic behind
the change was that by bringing the arm around the head and letting the
other arm support her chin the two "heads" were better tied together
and a relationship was formed. Do you see some things that could have
been done to improve the image further?
* The left elbow is overexposed. When working close to a light source small changes in posing can cause large differences in exposure.
* The
image is shot too tight. If for publication or portraiture you will
want to leave some room for ad copy, cropping, or possible matting. If
your subject is a senior you will want to make some allowances for
wallets and lettering.