One of the keys to shooting great portraits of men is to give them a chiseled jawline. In just 60 seconds, Pye Jirsa from SLR Lounge demonstrates how to incorporate this technique in your portrait photography to give your model a masculine, defined jawline:
Step one is to take a quick reference shot.
Next, ask your model to slightly extend their neck just enough so as to tighten the skin around the jawline. Make sure not to overdo this or else you risk making your model look turtle-necked.
Turn the chin toward the light and put the broad side of the jaw into the shadow to define the jawline.
Adjust the chin slightly up or down to further define the jawline.
From there on everything is downhill. Direct the model so that he gives the right expression.
Posing to accentuate the jawline makes a significant difference considering that everything else, including the lighting and the camera exposure settings, remain exactly the same.
This small tip can help you truly transform your portrait photography, helping you to create more masculine ‘hero shots’. This technique can be applied to wedding portraits, corporate headshots, family portraits, and a wide range of other situations.
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Awesome tutorial!