A posing model’s arms can make a shot or break it. It is all about positioning. While the legs may often be a focal point, an area of interest, the arms offer balance, create an artistic tone and lend support to expression.
Arms should receive a great deal of attention in model posing because they can make the overall shot more attractive.
At times, your model may be unsure about posing arms. This can leave you with a series of shots that are awkward and the focus is pulled off of the subject. While the arms may be all over the place, the frame of the shot is putting limits on the range of motion.
While this may be a bit tricky, it doesn’t have to be difficult. If you break down the arm area into three segments of upper arm, forearm and hand, you can begin to see the arms as viable props within a shot.
The camera can pose interesting challenges in composition. To illustrate this, try to imagine the arm as flattened, as if cut out of cardboard. Divide the arm by three segments: the upper arm, forearm and hand, joined at the shoulder, elbow and wrist. Each segment can rotate up or down, but never move away from or toward the camera.
It this were the case, for posing model the arms would never be an issue.
But it doesn’t work that way. Arms are flesh and bone, three dimensional. Their range of motion is typically much more advanced and the possibilities are endless. While it is a best practice in certain types of photography such as commercial and glamour, is to limit the motion of the arm toward and away from the camera, the side to side, up and down motions are boundless.
We limit the movement of the arm toward and away from the camera for a very simple reason, distortion. The camera does not see like the human eye, which is connected to the brain and adjusts the depth of an object, keeping it in relative proportion to the objects surrounding it (most of the time anyway). The camera sees objects within its scope as near or far. This means that an arm that a model pose is a little too close to the lens will look very large and disproportionate to the model. Likewise, if the arm is moved too far away from the lens, it can look abnormally small in relation to the model.
The restrictions that the camera sets, however, can be manipulated and used in a creative format where the distortion and off set perspective are intentional. This is seen in more artistic compositions, but is present in some commercial photography. The smart photographer and model will have a grasp of the camera’s restrictions and work to keep movement within the boundaries of the frame, limiting posing to that area.
Depending on the aperature setting of the camera, the model may have a very restricted range of motion toward the camera and away from it. On the other hand, smaller setting will give her a broader range within which to work. However, in a typical shot with the F stop set at 10, she will have limited forward/back ranged of motion, but almost unlimited up, down and side to side range of motion. She can drop her arms, swinging them at her sides, raise them to meet overhead or cross her body at various heights and levels.
This is when it becomes apparent that the so called restrictions are not necessarily set in stone. Each arm does have its own rather broad range of motion within the limitations. Even as the forearm and upper arm are limited in movement as far as depth is concerned, there are still many very interesting, attractive positions that are available for each arm.
Upper Arm positions are directed from the elbow which acts as a point of reference for the arm’s position within the frame. For instance, with the body facing front, the upper arm may move out which carries the elbow up and away from the body. It can also move up, in, so that the elbow is somewhere across the center of the body and down to a resting position.
This circuit of sorts, sets the stage for many different positions that fall within these four primary positions.
The normal position for the upper arm is hanging down from the shoulder. This is the natural position for the arm. However, care must be taken to critically view the arm as it lies in relation to the body. For instance, if the model raises her arms and crosses her wrists behind her head (much nicer and more relaxed than placing them on her head), the upper arm position is critical. If it is too close to her face, she looks as if she is being compressed. If it is too far away, she looks as if she is about to take flight. Minute changes in position can make all the difference.
While the hands are indeed a part of the arm, for these purposes, only the upper arm and forearm will be discussed here.
Forearm positions are directed from the wrist and where it lies in relation to the elbow. With the elbow acting as the pivot point, it is usually best practice to set the upper arm prior to setting the forearm.
The normal, resting position of the forearm is hanging down at the side. This segment, too, has the same four basic positions as the upper arm.
Good photography is more than just taking a pretty picture. It is about the artistic development of the shot, the positioning of the various parts that make up the model and the composition of the shot. It is important to keep in mind not only the position of the arms in relation to the lens, but also their position in relation to the model. Arms that are too close to the sides or too close to the face can give the area a compressed, unnatural look. By the same token, arms that are too far away from the face or body can be just as unappealing. Don’t be afraid to try different positions, even moving one part of the arm or the other one degree at a time. Great arms can give you great shots.
You’re right about arms… women always pick up on their arms looking fat in photos, so it’s a good thing to pay attention to. Don’t forget knees though – standing poses with locked-out knees make even a great pair of legs look awful.