The Portrait Photographer's Guide to Posing Reviews

• A bunch of photos with a slap-dash attempt at essay

  
  By A680RUE1FDO8B on 2004-12-04
  I received this book today from Amazon and will be returning it tomorrow.
  
  The author has assembled some stunning pertraits and surrounded them with a trite attempt at an essay explaining pow to pose people for portraits.
  
  Mr. Hurter doesn't carry it off. The portraits are often beautiful, but there is no explanation of how they were acheived. The captions are often ridiculous and read like a museum curator's strained attempt at reading meaning into a canvas of paint drippings.
  
  The narrative is ofen just plain silly as when Hurter speaks of image stablization lenses that have very limited application to portraiture. Statements such as "Most photographers agree that a pleasant, happy expression is considered more desirable than a big smile" aren't worth paying money for.
  
  In sum, the serious student of photographic portraiture will find nothing of value in this book.
  
  Jerry
  
  

• not enjoyable

  
  By A2FZJ5RAQTGNUM on 2005-07-12
  I used to think should never judge a book for the cover. But this time I was wrong.
  The book is plenty of average wedding photos. It's a sort of frustrating to try to be inspired by a book where the pictures are so standard, conservative and uncreative.
  But the worst of all is that there is almost no direct relation between most of the pictures and the text. They are no real examples of what the text describes and there are only a few schemas for covering the topics explained.
  
  I wanted a posing book but only a few chapters cover this area. For me 70% was un-useful information. Sometimes the author tries to teach you about depth of field or how to use a ladder and the possible complications you can having using it.
  If I wanted to read about lighting, well then I would buy a lighting book written by a master of lighting. For example, this guy don't know the existence of the big and expensive studio/fashion ring flashes and he adjudge the circular catch lights in fashion portraits to powerless macro ring flashes.
  
  This book should be named: "The Wedding Portrait Photographer, a basic guide to photography".
  
  I don't give this book one star because, yes!, there is still very useful posing information on it.
  
  

• A great instructional book with stunning photographs

  
  By A2P9XPGZBPLS46 on 2004-07-14
  Upon opening The Portrait Photographer's Guide to Posing I was presented with a stunning photo of an exuberant bride and I realized immediately that I could learn much from this book. I was not disappointed as I learned many subtleties about positioning the face, placing the hands and fingers and identifying flaws and working around them, etc.

  The book is illustrated with extraordinary photography from many masters of portrait photography. The work is so beautiful and the text so insightful that it pulled me along turning pages like it was a new Dean Koontz novel.

  I didn't think that posing was a subject that warranted an entire book but I am proved wrong by the Guide to Posing and I look forward to applying what I learned in my work.
  
  

• Good discussion on posing techniques with creative imagery

  
  By A35T7AVM3A5F4A on 2006-05-16
  I bought this book because of the wide variety of images shown and discussed, and also because of how well the sections covered typical topics. While not a quick reference guide (like "Posing Techniques for Digital Portraits" by Jeff Smith), I enjoy owning this book because even flipping through the images prompts me to think about posing creatively while portraying my subject in the best way possible.
  
  While the images are not directly referenced in the text that I noticed, that was ok with me -- I was not looking for a cookie cutter approach on "how to pose." The table of contents is descriptive and allows you to easily find the section you are interested in. In order to get the most from this book you will need some time to sit and read through the sections -- skimming probably won't allow you get a comprehensive understanding of the techniquest described in the text.
  
  This book also reviews composition techniques (the golden mean)and discusses the camera angle in relation to the film plane (useful to remember when photographing large groups). Both of these topics provided helpful diagrams to illustrate the concepts.
  
  If you are looking for a book that gives examples of "good" and "bad" poses/shots, this one is not for you. But, if you are interested in reading about the techniques and concepts behind posing, then you will probably enjoy this book for its creative images and in-depth discussion of posing techniques.
  
  

• Don't look at picture samples

  
  By AAA226360DNPM on 2005-12-31
  If you have a (digital) camera, you're not a pro or advanced amateur and you're shooting your family or friends, read this or a similar book. However, the picture samples don't support the text. That's the big problem of this book to me. Mr. Hurter has put together a decent text that explains the rules of posing but there are no pictures with these rules clearly applied. Even worse, some of the pictures are the exceptions that **break the rules**. It doesn't seem to be the efficient way to teach somebody the basics.
  So, I decided to read the book by not paying attention to the pictures and then to go back and try to get any value from the samples I paid for too.
  
  
• Portrait Photographer's Guide to Posing
  By A25SIVHKXASW3L on 2005-01-21
  This book had wonderful photos and helpful text.
  However, while the photos were all really great, they tended to be breaking the rules that were being described in the text. As a professional or serious amature photographer one might understand how to follow the rules. However, as a beginning photographer I would really like to see photos that follow the rules being described.
  
  
• excellent book with usefull information and examples
  By A3A2BE0JTBV4U on 2004-08-30
  I'm a beginning/amateur photographer and knew close to nothing about photographing good portraits. After reading this book I'm much more confident and thanks to all the info and examples in the book I have a very good idea on how to make people stand/sit to be able to take a flattering photograph of them.
  Really worth the money.
  
  
• Quite disappointing
  By A1U3UCM3BA29BT on 2005-09-06
  This book may provide some info to the totally ignorant snapper, but any decent amateur already knows these things. Moreover many concepts are not even clearly explained, and all the photos are rarely linked to the text. The useful info could have been enclosed in 20 pages booklet!
  As an outstanding example of superficiality, 90% of featured photos are digital, and no consideration is due to the choice of film (while portraiture often requires medium and large format films).
  
  
• Great Images
  By ABBUOFYWL5BWB on 2006-03-29
  This book is a collection of some of the finest professional photography that I have seen in any book. There are many creative posing ideas throughout and the author provides some solid information on the art of portraiture.
  
  I would have given this book 5 stars if the author had asked each individual photographer why he posed his/her subject the way that they did. I think that this insight would be valuable to any photographer.
  
  
• Good Posing Guide
  By A37LAFHEAXG6W9 on 2006-03-09
  Bill Hurter has created a collection of some of the finest photographers on the globe to illustrate various posing techniques. There is something in this book for everyone. I would recommend this book highly
  
  
• Best Portrait Book Yet
  By A3BL6R26JVANB2 on 2005-06-03
  This book is probably the best portait book I have ever come across, and here's why:
  
  1. The layout is great, lots of pictures which are very pertinant to the current subject being discussed.
  
  2. Packed FULL of very useful technical tips for correcting common facial challenges.
  
  3. Very straightforward, concise writing. The author gets right to the point without blabbering about how they did this or that, they just tell you how to do it and why.
  
  4. Easy to read, easy to understand.
  
  BUY THIS BOOK! It's worth every penny, and more!
  
  
• Not very useful
  By A15M6WPPEIPWGK on 2007-03-25
  This book did not meet my expectations. The text and pictures seemed to belong to different books. Hurter writes how a person should not be posed, but most of the images in the book break those rules! I wanted to see pictures that illustrate the text. I would recommend Posing for Portrait Photography: A Head-to-Toe Guide by Jeff Smith instead. The pictures aren't quite as lovely and artistic as the ones in this book, but Smith shows you what he means.
  
  
• Good Discriptions of other peoples photos
  By A3B5IUNNJEN9TF on 2006-08-24
  The author throughout the book does a good job of explaining how the photos in the book were taken. He also does a good job of describing good posing technique. The photographs in the book are amazing but none or very few of the photographs are made by the author of the book you are reading which I feel is a disappointment. I feel it is important to see the work of the person from whom you are taking advice. If this is Bill Hurter's book then I want to see some of Bill Hurter's work in the book. The author does a great job of adding verity to his book on posing by explaining how lighting and camera position effect the overall look of the portrait. He briefly discusses shutter speed and aperture as well. Overall I give this book a high rating because the author seems to know what he is talking about it is just to bad he does not "show" us through his own photography.
  
  
• One of the Best Posing Books Available
  By AGNEEH9P6IEEJ on 2006-03-17
  The author has written what I feel is one of the finest posing books that is available anywhere. There are numerous examples of traditional and non-traditional posing from some of the finest photographers on the planet. This book should easily inspire any photographer to try something new with their next client. I keep this book in my camera room for quick reference during my portrait sessions.
  
  
• Useful Guide; Needs Better Structure
  By A2J0IBS4PFRO2C on 2007-02-04
  This is one of Bill Hurter's better books. Like his other guides, every page contains highly professional, artistics examples by well established portrait photographers. Along these examples are Hunter's copious guidelines and suggestions for setting up and taking portrait shots in various situations. This book will be a useful guide if you underline and make notes in the margins of the book as you read, and then actually take out your camera and practice many of the suggestions he provides in this book.
  
  My reason for giving the book 3 stars, however, is I have a problem with the structure. I think the book would have been a lot more useful if it had been set up with less of a long expository format. It would be nice to just have two or three photos on each page with a different topic heading for each particular guideline or suggestion. Each page could consist of just a few paragraphs explaining a technique that is reflected in the picture(s) on the page. The end of each section of the book could also contain a summary list of all of all the guidelines. This is mainly the structure of the book, but you have to read through the long expository narrative to discover the guidelines. And sometimes the photos don't always match the guidelines that he explains on a particular page.
  
  
• Great book for beginning modesl, and the beginning model photographer
  By A30ZA2CM8YL91X on 2007-02-15
  Ok, the title of this review says it all. If you are getting into modeling and/or model photography, this book is great. Provides good information on corrective posing, how to effectively pose just about any body type, and more.
  
  Models and photographers who have been doing this for a long time, however, will not really find this book useful.
  
  
• Getting it right
  By A2V90WOV7G50G3 on 2007-02-20
  This book is a great help to photographers entering into portraiture. It helps you to get the basics right thus giving you confidence during the shoot.
  
  
• Very informative
  By A1PQDR6BYWTX77 on 2007-03-09
  The book was very informative. It teaches you general rules for posing people, and actually contains quite a few tips that you would normally feel awkward doing. However, I tried some and they actually look pretty natural and good. Recommended if you haven't a clue about posing people, I don't know how useful it would be for photographers that have been posing people for a long time.
  
  
• good choice for portrait photo library
  By A8RHCDJKOXDOC on 2007-05-06
  This is a great reference tool for those of us that like to "think outside of the traditional portrait photography box." Anyone like myself with desire to expand our scope of professional options will find this book worth adding to our library without redundant information.
  
  
• Posing..... and more
  By A3E8SXQEV8S9EA on 2007-05-22
  This book contains many very fine pictures. Thers's sufficient variation not only to start with, but to look at time and time again after you progress in this rewarding field of work. Bill has made it a feast for the eyes, you want to turn the page to see the next and next... but you should read also, the text explains, in nice to read language, that although we're on the subject of "Posing", it's the combination of surroundings, light, camera angle and (yes !) pose that makes the picture that stands apart. So here's a book that offers more than it says on the cover ! Look, read, learn and enjoy !
  
  
• Very good
  By A300VRWAHQUEL8 on 2008-01-08
  The title of this book is slightly misleading. It's not a strictly posing guide but and all-around handbook on portraits. It covers things as technical camera settings for various effects, depth of field rules (and how to break them), posing and communication techniques, composition rules, detailed guide on how to enhance/fade various details of your model (ex too large chin, overweight body, etc).
  It is a great guide to have around and the perfect first step towards portraits. What I love most about it, is that for every rules it gives an example on how/when to break it.
  Don't expect very creative examples, this book isn't meant to put you on a pattern. The examples are average and to the point regarding the technique discussed, they are detailed and explain both the technical part and the concept behind it. Don't expect extreme creativity or breathtaking images inside, the images inside are meant to inspire, not to guide. After you learn the techniques inside, it's up to you to put them into practice according to your own style.
  
  
• Easy steps to posing
  By A1EUBYKE4F3H2B on 2005-09-09
  This book is good start in making a model to take a pose, all rules can be bront but only after you have learned them and tried them
  
  
• The Portrait Photographer's Guide to Posing
  By A2W1C1ZJ0ORX55 on 2006-08-23
  Right on time as usually. The product is what I expected
  
  
• The Portrait Photographer's Guide to Posing
  By A3W3345SKPPZDX on 2007-03-21
  Good book. Thoroughly covers the subject and is easy to follow.
  
  
• Generaly good, but...
  By AWJWSMS21RXG5 on 2007-07-14
  This book is very-very good to lead to portrait photographing, but when I was reading this book, I had a strange feeling, something missing...
  
  After I have fhinised it, I discover what I miss from this book. It conatain a lot of examples portrait, but i miss a theoretical drawing from placing a modell(s) , lighting, camera, etc.
  
  But i have to make it clear, this is very good book to laern a basic elements from this art.
  
  

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