Turkey Neck - Meatbeard - neck spam - gwaddle - meat scarf - cowsaddle - chin dumpling or
chinsulation.
What ever you want to call them - double or triple chins are not flattering and can make
your subject appear much heavier than they really are.
I've got some killer tips to help you thin the chin and instantly take weight off your
subject.
Stay tuned!
Hey gang!
My name is Joe Edelman and my mission is to help photographers like YOU to develop a solid
understanding of the HOWS & WHYS behind great photography so that you can achieve your goals
as a photographer.
I get loads of requests to do posing videos and the reason I have avoided it for so long
is that photographers tend to be lazy - they want a simple solution to a complex problem
and there is really no simple solution for posing unless you like your subjects to look
stiff and uncomfortable.
So instead of a bunch of razzle dazzle with pretty models who already know what they are
doing - it's just me in the video because I'd rather break it down for you and teach
you a little about anatomy, body language, camera angles, and lighting so that you learn
to SEE the things that will ruin your shots and so that you have an idea of how to fix
them.
My hope is that you will watch and listen and then try these things yourself.
Until you try them - you really haven't learned them.
So look for more of these short posing tips spread out over the next few months.
If there are things that YOU struggle with in your poses… be sure to comment below
and I'll try to help you out in a future video.
All of those nicknames btw - I didn't make them up, so please don't send me hate mail.
They are all listed in the Urban Thesaurus along with a bunch more that I can't repeat
on YouTube!
Ok - back to the double chins…
A double chin is a nightmare to photograph because it often makes people look heavier
than they really are - even skinny people can get double chins.
They are also tough because pretty much everybody that has one - hates it and is VERY aware
of it when they have their picture taken.
The heavier the person is - the more impossible it can become to eliminate or hide the extra
chin.
Let's look at the tips...
Simply have your subject push their chin forward.
This will tighten the skin on the neck and help to thin the double chin.
Now here is the catch… you can't just tell your subject to stretch their neck or
to push it forward - that rarely works.
For some reason, with most people if you tell them to push their chin forward - they will
push it forward and up at the same time.
Not only does this look like they are looking down at you but you'll be shooting up their
nostrils.
So when I am giving a subject directions - here is how it goes…
"That looks awesome.
Ok.
I'm gonna ask you to do something that's a little different.
I want you just a tiny little bit - were talking like this much right - I want you to push
your chin forward for me and kinda of hold it out there So its like literally like just
that much alright?
Not a lot - just a little.
Yeah, yeah that's it.
Great, great good.
Really good.
A little happier nice!"
And then no matter how well they do it - believe me - even after showing them - a lot of people
will still lift their chin - I will shoot off a bunch of frames - tell them they are
doing great and then I will ask them to relax and say:
"Awesome - alright relax for a second - were gonna go one more round.
I know this chin push thing is a little weird.
I promise you that with the lighting I am using it brings a little bit more definition
to the jaw line and it looks amazing - ok.
So feels weird - looks great.
Let's try it one more time - do the chin push for me - just a little bit yep thats
it - keep it nice and level.
Here we go - good - that's it - really good energy - happy yeah that's it - awesome!
Notice how when I give the directions, I take the camera away from my face and make eye
contact - I lean in - I do the task myself - I give them positive feedback - in other
words - I keep my subject engaged.
Also, just in case you have never tried doing this yourself in front of a camera… understand
that it feels awkward.
Don't leave your subject guessing because the more they feel awkward - the more they
become tense and then it shows in their body language and facial expressions.
I acknowledged that I am asking them to do something that feels awkward and then reassured
them that it's going to look great!
In addition to the chin - with some subjects it helps to ask them to push their shoulders
back and then push the chin forward.
Go ahead and try this yourself - it is even more awkward and takes more work - so this
should be a last resort and if you do use this technique - don't make your subject
do it for more than about 15 seconds at a time so that they don't get stiff.
It's better to shoot a few frames - let them relax for a few seconds and then start
over - you'll keep the body language much more relaxed this way.
Frequently I will either raise my camera angle to slightly above their eyes or ask them to
push forward and lower the chin just a tiny little bit.
That brings me to the second tip.
Any time you are photographing a subject who is a little or a lot overweight - shooting
from a higher camera angle will help to thin their body.
This is because you are essentially creating an optical illusion by putting their head
closer to the camera and their body further away.
Kind of the same way we figure out which is the best side of a persons face.
Also when your subject lifts their chin towards the camera - that tightens the neck muscles
and has a thinning effect
Understand that I am not suggesting extreme angles otherwise you just make your subject
look like a caricature.
I am talking about moving just a little above your subject.
Now I know - some of you want me to say that it should be 6" or a foot or two feet - there
is no rule - you have to learn to pay attention to how it makes your subject look.
In other words - go practice.
Oh - one other little trick if you are shooting from above - having your subject tilt their
head just a little bit while the chin is pushed forward will also help to hide the extra chin.
If you're working with a makeup artist - which you should be if you really want to do great
work… a make-up artist can contour the jaw line and darken the extra chin to make it
appear thinner.
A darker shade of powder, foundation or bronzer will make the chin appear to recede.
Then a little highlighter on the tip of the chin will make it seem to pop forward.
Again - its not a cure - it won't make the extra chin disappear completely - but every
little bit helps.
A little hair tip.
With women that have long hair - having their hair up or pushed back or better yet behind
the shoulders will also help thin the neck.
You can also have your subject wear a high collar.
I mentioned in the beginning of the video that even skinny people get double chins.
This is the story of what I call the Chin Tuckers.
The easiest way to figure out if you are working with a chin tucker is to simply ask your subject
to lower their chin.
When they do it - they will do it one of two ways…
Some people smoothly lower their chin and it moves slightly forward in the process.
Other people actually pull the chin in to lower it - in other words they tuck it.
This will almost always create a double chin.
In addition to the double chin - the body language is off because the person is essentially
pulling away from the camera - ideally you want their face and body to feel like it is
moving towards and welcoming the camera.
The solution - is easy - kind of.
Just like I did in the first tip explain to them that you need the chin to travel forward…
"Awesome - great relax for a second.
Ok - this time when we lower the chin - I want to do something a little different.
So watch me.
Just a tiny little bit when you drop your chin - be careful not to go like this.
But what I want you to do is drop the chin forward and down.
So its almost gonna feel like you are stretching your chin out and dropping down.
I know that feels kinda weird, but I promise you with the lighting that I'm using it
really brings out the definition in your jawline - it's gonna make everything look great.
Ok.
So lets try it again - little push forward - chin drop - awesome thats it here we go
good happy great energy.
good your good.
Understand though that since they are a natural Chin tucker - over the course of 15 - 30 seconds
while you are shooting they will unconsciously begin to tuck their chin - because it feels
more natural to them.
When that happens.
Give them a break- remind them that you need it to go forward and start again.
Some chin tuckers actually have a very hard time keeping their chin out.
In this situation you can tweak your pose to use anatomy to your advantage.
Instead of just having the subject sit on a stool like you see here.
Set up a second stool or chair for them to lean on.
The idea is for them to have to lean their body slightly forward.
If you try this even sitting at your desk watching this video - if you lean your body
forward and rest on your hand or elbow - your chin automatically pushes forward and it is
actually harder you to tuck your chin.
The bonus to this posture is that you get a really nice diagonal line from the shoulders
which enhances the pose and composition of your shot.
Now I am not a big fan of altering my lighting to hide a double chin - because more often
than not you will be working with lighting that is not flattering for the rest of the
image.
So the only tips I will give you for lighting - avoid clamshell lighting where you will
have light coming from below your subject - I prefer to keep my light above and if I
am photographing someone with a double chin I may tend to set my lights slightly - not
a lot - just slightly higher than usual.
So hopefully you are getting little better sense of why I don't agree with teaching
"poses" or rules for poses.
Poses are STIFF and BORING.
Basically you are taking a square peg and making it fit into a round hole.
The more you learn to pay attention to your subjects emotions and body language - the
more you learn to put yourself in your subjects position and become a better communicator
- the LESS you have to actually pose and the more relaxed your subjects will look in your
photographs.
As always, I hope that gives you some ideas, so take this idea and run with it - go practice
and show me what you come up with.
Until next time, Please hit that thumbs up and subscribe so that you don't miss any
videos and don't keep all this cool stuff to yourself - please share it with your photography
friends.
Remember - photography is not a competition - its a passion to be shared.
Now go pick up that camera and shoot something because your BEST shot - it's your NEXT
shot, so keep learning, keep thinking, keep shooting.
Adios!
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