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Model Posing Home
What is a Pose? Section II |
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Legs | Leg Movement | Legs in Standing Positions | Basic-leg Positions | Show-leg Positions | How to Diagram Standing Legs | Duplicating a Leg Position | The Contour of a Leg | Feet | First Movement of the Ankle | Second Movement of the Ankle | Fan-like Movement of the Foot | Building the Pose: Director | Building the Pose: Model
in standing figures, contribute to the support of the body, while in
sitting and reclining figures, they serve a more ornamental purpose. Whatever its prime
function, proper leg posing adds to the natural balance of the body and the design of
the picture as a whole.
The leg, as defined by the dictionary, is 'That part of the lower limb
from the knee to the toe'. Universal use of the term however, has extended that meaning
to include ... 'that part of the limb extending from the hip to the toe'. For leg
posing purposes, we will take the longer view.
Parts of the leg are also referred to in various terms in different regions of the
world and so to avoid confusion and establish a common basis for understanding, let us
define the parts of the leg as they will be referred to from time to time throughout
our leg posing tips.
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Thigh - the upper section of the leg from the hip to the knee.
Lower Leg - the lower section of the leg, from the knee to the ankle, which has the shin in the front and the calf or fleshy portion in the back.
Foot - the third section of the leg. It tapers from the ankle to the base of the toes, parts of it include the heel, instep and ball-of-the-foot.
Toe - the five terminal parts of the foot which work in unison and for photographic leg posing purposes will be referred to as one unit.
The basic-leg shown here is dark while the show-leg is light. This difference in tone will be standardized throughout the illustrations to help you evaluate the position and activity of each leg separately, a very important factor in leg posing. Remember thiis leg posing rules: basic-leg - dark, show-leg - light.
The basic-leg carrying the bulk of the body weight, can pivot on its heel while its toe can point in any direction. If you should compare it to the hand of a clock, it would remind you of the hour hand which indicates each hour.
The show-leg does not support the body to any great degree. It
performs another function; it balances the body and adds to the artistic value of the
picture.
This show-leg, in its freedom, can swing around the basic-leg in a wide circle during leg posing. In fact, the
sweeping movement of the show-leg is like the minute hand of the
clock.
This becomes a significant simile, for, as you relate legs to the hands of a clock, you immediately find dozens of natural leg positions at your disposal.
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A FLOOR-CLOCK encircles this model's basic-foot. Her heel is in the exact center of the clock and her toe pivots around the heel, pointing to a different number on each clock she occupies. The number to which her basic-foot points, dictates, to a great degree, the direction her hips will face.
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FOOTNOTE:
The HEEL acts as a pivot for the basic-foot.
The TOE gives the foot direction and points to the hour.
The BALL OF THE FOOT, especially the bone behind the big toe, should support the weight of the body, and can, if used correctly, keep the model from swaying.
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The toe of the show-leg marks the rim of the clock. Its movement can be clockwise or counter-clockwise. This model's basic-leg points to eleven and her show-leg stops at each of the twelve numbers on the clock. Her exact leg position in each picture can thus be identified.
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Note that in some leg positions the show-leg may cross either in front of, or behind the basic-leg.
The unencumbered show-leg is an asset to creative leg posing. Its position can add innumerable qualities to a picture such as grace, ease, length, strength, design, composition or interest.
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1. SELECT A STANDING LEG-POSITION
HOW TO DIAGRAM A STANDING LEG-POSITION
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for analysis and duplication. Certain combinations, however, are more usable than others and it is important
to be able to recognize and remember a good leg posing when you see it. |
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A simple way to analyze a standing leg-position is to draw a rough floor-clock about the feet of the illustration so that you can quickly estimate leg placement. (Where it is undesirable to deface a fine photograph or a borrowed magazine, use transparent paper and draw your diagram over it.)
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2. DRAW A LONG HORIZONTAL LINE THROUGH THE HEEL OF THE BASIC-FOOT
3. DRAW A SHORT VERTICAL LINE THROUGH THE SAME HEEL
3) Draw a short vertical line through the heel of the same foot perpendicular to the
bottom of the page. (When the foot is on the toes, as in high heels, the line should be
drawn through the point at which the heel of the shoe touches the floor or would touch
the floor if it were set down.)
4) Describe an elliptical circle to represent the edge or rim of the floor-clock. Start the line at the tip of the show-toe and swing the circle to each end of the crossed lines.
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5) Turn the picture upside down and arrange twelve numbers clock-wise around
the circumference of the ellipse. Put 12:00 o'clock at the center-top of the
page. |
4. ENCIRCLE THE END OF THE CROSSED LINE |
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Our floor clock says seven minutes after 1:00 o'clock. What does yours say? In order to save time and space, most experienced photographers, directors and models use a direct method of indicating leg positions instead of saying the actual time. For example, twenty minutes until one o'clock on the floor-clock means that the basic-foot points to 1 and that the show-foot rests on 8. Such a position of the feet is said to be one over eight. |
If the position is written, it is separated by a diagonal line thus:
basic-foot number / show-foot number or, l
If the basic foot is to be designated it might be written R -J or L 1, which would
indicate, of course, that the (R)ight or the (L)eft foot is to be the basic one.
Other positions might appear R "{, L \ or R J, and would be verbalized
as right 3 over 6, left 2 over 1, right 1 over /, etc.
Could you duplicate a standing leg position from one of these simple diagrams?
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in any standing position, depends upon the degree of tension at the knee. This affects the physical outline of the leg and influences the viewer's impression or interpretation of the position. Too often and too late ... legs do not appear in a finished picture
as you thought they would. The trick is to exercise control of the knee and see
that it adds to the significance of the leg. |
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| The taut knee position with its bowed
effect is associated with the young and awkward. It is often used to characterize a
cocky individual or give a comic impression. Sometimes this position occurs
unintentionally when a model shifts too much weight to one leg and forgets to ease
the knee before the camera clicks. When both knees are forced back with pressure or undue tension, they appear bowed like barrel staves. The relaxed knee is actually a flexed knee. It is purposely relaxed or slightly bent to keep it from looking stiff. This position appears perfectly normal in a picture and lends ease and flexibility to a straight stance. |
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The bent knee can present the leg as a long curve or a sharp angle. A slight curve accentuates the flowing line of the leg and its natural contour. If it is bent at a sharp angle, the angle usually assumes more importance than the leg's contour.
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play an important part in the arrangement of leg positions and are interesting in themselves. Did you know this about leg position... .. the position of the feet can make the legs look ... that feet can indicate whether the legs are |
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It is hard to realize that even though the ankle joint is a swivel-type joint,
capable of moving in almost any direction, the important views, so far as the
camera is concerned, all stem from simple movements. |
These movements of the ankle, whether used singly or in combination, affect the appearance of the foot regardless of the camera's viewpoint.
Let's examine these simple movements of the ankle in detail:
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is an up-and-down action and is best illustrated in a side view of the foot. The relation of the heel to the toe identifies its position. The heel moves from a position higher than the toe to a position lower than the toe.
With the heel in its highest position, the toes curl back and form a continuous curve with the instep. This position denotes trained control and is used primarily by dancers, divers, acrobats and other skilled performers because it adds maximum length to the leg.
It is often misused by models in would-be spontaneous or candid-type pictures; tension in this leg posing is easily detected.
For naturalness and ease, without sacrificing the length of the leg to any notable degree, the toes remain relaxed while the instep alone arches down. This streamline position is popular whether the foot is bare or encased in high-heeled shoes, whether it touches a support or is suspended in space.
As the heel drops closer to the ground, the length of the leg diminishes. When the heel touches ground, the leg looks quite stubby.
When the toe rises above the heel, a more abrupt angle is formed and the leg appears even shorter. The effort exercised by the model to hold her toe up, gains prominence, and qualities such as adolescence, pertness, impudence, awkwardness or comedy are inferred. Regardless of the camera's viewpoint, these impressions remain the same. For instance, an arched instep (from any camera view) makes the leg look longer and more graceful than any of the other positions.
In ballet, the position with the ankle rolled out is called sickling because it reminds one of the shape of the sickle used on a farm to cut grass. Most directors find the position sickening as it destroys poise, balance, grace and the form of the leg. If you use this position, be sure you are after adolescent, primitive or comic effects.
The foot fanned-out about 900 presents the inside of the leg (when the body is in front-view) and is typical of ballet's precise control.
Fanned-out excessively and used loosely it is associated with the flatfooted, unsophisticated person of limited intelligence and is employed by comedians and clowns.
Footwork is best initiated by your model because she usually knows her own balance and can, in most instances, suggest a stance that is not impossible to maintain while other parts are being adjusted. Before you begin to tell her exactly what to do in leg posing, see if she herself can approximate a position. If you are striving for a more creative or unique leg position than she can offer or suggest, it becomes advisable and necessary to help her construct her leg position through your direction.
In order to translate your leg posing ideas into her action, you must have a keen understanding of body balance and leg mechanics. You must also be able to visualize and analyze both basic and creative leg positions.
Collect, for observation and evaluation, at least 50 illustrations of leg positions. Separate them into two piles according to weight distribution:
- Equal (weight evenly distributed)
- Unequal (a basic-foot and a show foot)
Invert pile 2 and diagram each picture with a floor-clock. Separate the pictures into piles that indicate the same hour. Note and compare the difference that the placement of the show-foot has made on each.
Select the leg positions you prefer in leg posing. Remember them in terms of time. Try to execute them yourself. Of course you are no model, but if you will experiment with each position in private, you will learn several leg posing things:
- Methods of directing a model you never thought of before.
- How to think clearly and quickly from your viewpoint and that of your model.
- Exactly how the legs balance the body as weight shifts from point to point.
Several years ago this floor-clock method of placing feet was used as a class experiment. A gawky teenage boy was selected as the subject for demonstration.
Modeling was the furthest thing from his mind. He was given three simple rules of the leg posing game. He became interested. In less than five minutes he was complying with every foot position at command and feeling pretty proud of himself!
The three-point briefing he received was this:
- 'There is an imaginary clock encircling your feet on the floor. 12:00 o'clock is directly in front of you'.
- 'Pretend that the foot in the center is an foot is the minute hand on the clock.'
- 'Put one heel in the center of this clock and shift all your weight to that leg. Notice how the toe of this same foot can point to any hour on the clock without taking your heel from the center.'
The instructor began to call...
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