DO YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW TO ROCK YOUR OWN PORTRAIT SESSION LIKE A PRO? — Natasha Staszak Photography | Buffalo & Rochester NY

BUFFALO & ROCHESTER NY BOUDOIR PHOTOGRAPHY

Portrait photo shoot ideas by top photographer.

HOW OFTEN HAVE YOU LOOKED AT STUNNING PORTRAITS AND THOUGHT…

“Wow, she looks beautiful but I could never look like that.”

WELL, DO YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW TO ROCK YOUR OWN PORTRAIT SESSION LIKE A PRO? MULIT-TALENTED PERFORMER CORTNEY CHYME SHOWS OFF HER STAR POWER IN THIS PHOTO SHOOT AND WE CAN SHOW YOU HOW TO ACHIEVE A SIMILAR LOOK…

MEET CORTNEY

First and foremost, I need to introduce you to today’s subject, Cortney Costanzo who performs under the name Cortney Chyme. Cortney is a multi-talented performer in Buffalo NY. I am not over-stating “multi-talented” either - this lady is a real POWERHOUSE of talent! Cortney has an extensive number of groups she performs in from singing, dancing, acting and even performing as an aerialist! You can see where she is performing next here. To see the latest news from her, follow along with her on her Facebook Page. Cortney has a variety of performances coming up this year and to really get a great feel for her talents, be sure to check out her Facebook Fan Page as this really gives an awesome impression for the depth of her talent.

Best Portrait photographer in Buffalo NY photographs Cortney Chyme

NOW I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE THINKING…

“She is a professional performer, of course she knows how to look awesome in photos.”

I would say that you are quite right! Cortney came to me armed with the confidence of a performer who is used to being on stage in front of hundreds of people. There was no denying her ability to pose for me was exceptional, but doesn’t that make her the perfect subject to illustrate how to ROCK your own portrait session? For as much as Cortney was able to easily slip into these poses, I aim for this with every single client who enters my studio - you just may need a little more coaching and direction, that is all! This little guide will really help set you up for success when being photographed. So with no further a-do, let us jump straight into the list on how YOU can ROCK your Portrait Session like a Pro!!

EMOTIONAL VS PHYSICAL

Do you know what is one of my favorite things about photography? It is the physical representation of an emotional state. We do not hear anything when we look at a photograph. We need to interpret what the subject is thinking and feeling entirely through the portrait - no words, no sounds. That is both the challenge and joy of portraiture. When a subject is being photographed, they really need to show their emotions physically - it is all about body language people! However, believe it or not, what you are FEELING really does affect your physical appearance and your ability to convey your emotions through good body language. So let us break down the emotional and physical attributes that will help you ROCK your next portrait session!

EMOTION BASED: CONFIDENCE

There is no doubt that confidence is the number one factor that helps you rock your portrait session. Contrary to popular belief, a glass of bubbly is not the only solution to gaining more confidence. What I say to my clients is they just need to realize they will not be confident right out of the gate. You need to expect it will take you 10-15 minutes to relax and get used to the process. Don’t expect too much from yourself straight away. I tell my clients to just relax and tell yourself the confidence will come. After all, the portrait session is just them and me, no judgement, just two ladies hanging out and having some fun taking pictures!

EMOTION BASED: BELIEVE IN YOURSELF

Once you have decided to give yourself the permission to warm up to the shoot, knowing it takes a bit of time to be confident, then you need to BELIEVE in yourself and know you are capable of taking beautiful pictures. If you believe in yourself, that will make great strides in how quickly we take phenomenal pictures of you! That belief will show in the photos, just as much as confidence. Give yourself permission to believe you can look awesome in the pictures. Trust the process and trust your photographer to take fantastic portraits of you.

EMOTION BASED: CONNECT WITH THE PERSON NOT THE CAMERA

When you are being photographed, you do not need to be intimidated by the big lens looking at you. Instead, concentrate on the fact that it is a person relating to you and connecting with you behind that camera. Photographers aren’t too scary!! Haha! Your photographer should be able to help you almost forget that you are being photographed. The more you can relate and connect with the person behind the lens, the more natural you are going to look in your portraits! Your portraits will then truly become portraits where you can see into your soul a little and something from within you begins to unfold in front of the camera.

EMOTION BASED: BELIEVE IN YOUR POSES

It is one thing to be posed by your photographer, it is another thing to make the poses look believable. When your photographer poses you, the better you are at believing in these poses and “owning” them, the more believable the pictures will look. Again, this is something your photographer will work with you on the day, but it also helps to know how it works in advance. If you are told to place your hand on your cheek and you think to yourself:

“OK, this is really weird”

Then, yes, it will look really weird!! Hehe! But if you believe in the pose, it will look more natural and immediately believable! However, don’t worry, if you feel it looks fake, it is up to your photographer to keep working with you until the pose is believable.

PHYSICAL BASED: RELAX THE MOUTH - YOU DON’T ALWAYS HAVE TO SMILE

So now we are going to look at some of the physical attributes to posing that will help your ROCK your portrait session. We have observed some of the ways your emotional state can affect your portraits, now it is time to work on the physical. Once you have your thoughts in the right place, it is easier to tackle the physical task of actual posing for success!

One thing you will learn early on in your session is that you don’t have to smile for every picture! Sometimes a non-smiling picture can be more intimate in nature and more revealing about the subject’s character - as if you are seeing beyond the veil of the smile. So one thing I say to my clients often is to relax their mouth, which basically ends up being a very soft part in the lips - this also gives you a sense of breathing in the picture which makes the viewer feel like the photo has some movement/life to it.

PHYSICAL BASED: BRING OUT THE S CURVE!

The S Curve in portrait photography is often talked about. In the most basic sense, it means you never want to stand front on to the camera like a square, rather, you want to present soft curves, turning the hips on an angle and having a nice S Curve to your pose. Not every pose is going to have an S Curve, but the more you soften the lines of your body and add dimension to the image, the more flattering it is! Again, your photographer will help you with this, but it is nice to know ahead of time what you are in for!!

PHYSICAL BASED: DANCER’S HANDS

The hands are a common place to hold tension and when you are being photographed, it is usually the place where you physically show how tense you are feeling on the inside. If you can make your hands look fluid and relaxed, it goes a long way to making you look very natural in front of the camera. If you imagine long, soft elegant hands that a dancer uses, this will give you a great visual of how you want your hands to appear.

FINAL WORDS

Thanks to Cortney for being an awesome subject, it was a true pleasure photographing you and meeting you! Remember to check out her Website for her latest concerts and performances. Also, remember you can follow along with her story on her Facebook page.

I also want to do a special shout out to Jenny from Salon-A-Go-Go who did an awesome job on the hair and makeup!

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Are you interested in your own portrait session? Feel free to CONTACT us today! Do you know someone who might be interested in a portrait shoot like this? Feel free to share this post with your friends!