Hip Action: How these 3 Subtle Body Moves Can Transform an Image

The way I approach boudoir photography is simple: There are eight points of posing that make women look, and feel, their best. Before I press the shutter, every single time, I check a woman’s head, shoulders, arms, wrists, waist, hips, knees and ankles.

Knowing these eight points, of course, is one thing; knowing what to do with them is another. Here are three before-and-after examples in which I focus on the posing of a woman’s hips—and show how changing their position can change a whole image.

Photos © Jen Rozenbaum

Angle Back
Hips can make or break an image by making a woman look curvy and well-proportioned, or out of proportion and heavier than she really is. By asking the client below to push her left hip away from the camera, it not only creates a diagonal line, but allows the light to hit her in a more flattering way. This small movement also helps women with bigger bottoms or wider hips look more proportional. It also lengthens the torso, which in turn makes the belly look slimmer.

Bottoms Up
I almost always keep hips away from the camera. Don’t forget, everything away from the camera appears smaller, so it makes sense that hips should be away. There are exceptions to every rule, however. When photographing bottoms, pointing hips toward the camera is the key. Not only does it help give a woman a curvy, full bottom, but it also helps get rid of the appearance of cellulite, which means less editing for you!

Creating an Hourglass
I am always amazed by how making one small change in the body can change how the other parts look. In the first image, you can see that her torso is not very flattered by the pose. By asking the client to push her hips all the way back as far as she can, I am able to change the shape of her torso to give her more of a desirable hourglass figure.

Jen Rozenbaum is the proud owner of Jenerations, a boudoir photo studio in the New York City/Long Island area. Through her work, she is helping women celebrate their unique femininity.

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