Motion in Still (Glamour) Photography

I've noticed that, sometimes, an element that takes an image to higher levels of appreciation is the addition of a sense of motion or action in the photograph. It seems to me that many glamour portraits are static. Not merely static because they are a still image, but static when the image was captured. In other words, they are static images of static subjects.

That's not to say a static image can't be a fantastic image, it can, but as shooters we should remind ourselves that we live in a world in motion and although we are capturing frozen moments in that world, those frozen moments can sometimes have quite a bit of impact when motion is captured.

It's much like our attempts to add depth to our images. Photographic images are two-dimensional. But we often strive to add the illusion of a third dimension. We do this, for instance, with lighting or by manipulating the depth-of-field. We also occasionally accomplish this by adding elements to the foreground or by clever use of perspective. There are many ways to add a (seemingly) third-dimension to two-dimensional images.

But as I view many glamour images, my own included, I can't help but notice the element of motion is often neglected in many shots.

The most obvious way to capture motion in still images is to have the model in motion while capturing her. Shooting with flash photography makes it fairly easy to freeze motion while keeping it sharp. We've all seen, for instance, excellent examples of photography that captures a model leaping into the air. Sometimes these images are quite dramatic and made moreso by clever manipulations of the shutter, the flash, post-processing techniques, or a combination of these techniques. There are also less dramatic and obvious ways to capture motion that still can heighten appreciation of an image.

Let's say you've instructed the model to lose her top, i.e., remove it. Why wait for her to do so? Instead, why not have her slow the process down and have her dramatize it a bit--play with it--while you continue clicking the shutter? Most of us are shooting digital so it's not like we're burning film.

I've also noticed that, sometimes, the most engaging expressions take place while a model is in motion or is just completing some action or motion. One directing technique I sometimes use is to pose the model's body then have her lower her head--I mean really lower it so her chin is touching her upper chest--and have her look at her breasts. Then, I'll ask her to simultaneously (and slowly) lift her head and, as she does, to find the camera and make eye contact. Often, the resulting image includes both a subtle sense of (faux) motion accompanied by an expression that seems more candid and honest. I like having the model do this because I know that, somewhere in those images, odds are there's going to be a fairly dynamic keeper that includes many elements I'm looking to capture-- e.g., motion and a more realistic expression.

If you're not already doing so, try adding motion to your still images next time you shoot. I think you'll find some keepers of your own as a result.

The models accompanying this post are, from top to bottom, Kayla, Kori, and Andrea.