Body Language Secrets For the Photographer

Interpreting body language is simple. How the body talks is no mystery. It speaks of character within, state of health, state of mind, age, station in life. It talks in attitudes that are universally understandable and are repeatable. When you seek to use the body as a means of communication, rather than as a physical assemblage of parts, you reach deep into the realm of its typical characteristics, feelings, psychological reactions and a myriad of intangible qualities.

General impressions of types of people, their moods and station in life are pretty nearly the same the world over. The physical characteristics, or mental attitudes made evident by their stance sets each apart.

Visualize six male characters of approximately the same size and weight; a tramp, an industrialist, a cadet, a pugilist, a ballet dancer, a teenage boy. Mentally dress them all alike and face them toward the camera. Would anything in their body stance or bearing reveal differences in their character or occupation? What positions would you accentuate to set them even further apart from the other men?

Imagine six female characters such as those listed. Each is distinctly different in carriage and attitude. Reach into your memory for more and more details about these people, for the model and director who have developed an acute sensitivity to the people around them must have a rich storehouse from which to draw and can translate expressiveness into their work from memory. The keener the original observation the more exact the impression that can be created.

Did you know that a great deal of the responsibility for carrying these body messages falls upon the shoulders?

SHOULDERS CREATE IMPRESSIONS of mood and character. They, more than any other part of the torso, reveal the spirit of the model and are considered a thermometer from which the temperature of the mood can be measured.

Although it takes but little physical force to move the shoulders, they are capable of exerting great mental force in the finished picture. Interpreting body language is easy if you are aware that:

Neutral shoulders…
have little expression of their own and are used as a starting point from which to measure how much expression you wish them to project. They need not move from this position at all if they are not to express anything.

Forward shoulders …
relay a feeling of weariness, weakness, sickness, shyness, etc.

Low shoulders…
reflect studied poise, elegance, natural case, casualness, etc.

Back shoulders …
give the impression of physical vitality, pride, courage, strength, happiness, etc.

High shoulders …
may give the impression of lack of confidence, tension, strain, fright, etc.

Different combinations of these movements suggest complex feelings or mixed emotions such as:

Up and forward shoulders …
indicate that the model is kittenish, flirtatious, coquettish, etc.

Low and forward shoulders …
reveal age, defection, discouragement, weariness, etc.

These movements that bring the shoulders into expressive positions may be slight or great, depending upon the role they must play.

TORSO POSITIONS
can also delineate mental attitudes, depict character and convey moods. Have you ever noticed how the relationship of the upper torso to the lower torso creates a definite impression? Would you believe that so slight a matter as the relationship of each part to the edges of the picture page could make a difference? It does.

When the model is facing the camera with her hip-track stationary (parallel to the bottom of the page) and her shoulder-track tipped to the side, you might get a feeling of curiosity, interest, concern, alertness, etc. (If you draw a line from one shoulder to the other you have the shoulder track. Drawing a line from one hip joint to the other is the hip track.)

A different impression is conveyed when the shoulder-track remains stationary and the hip-track swings sideways. A common reaction, would be an interpretation of flirtation (haughty above … naughty below) or casualness. Do you sense these distinctions?

Positions of parts of the body in relation to the page build feelings, even in the arrangement of groups. In a group, where the shoulders lean toward each other, people appear more friendly than those whose shoulders draw away from each other.

The position of each part of the body, on the picture page, makes a difference … regardless of how the body faces.

It is imperative for the photographer to learn all he can about interpreting body language. More effective photographs will be the result.

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