The Story Behind the Pro Posing Database

by | Jan 6, 2020 | Updates & Opportunities, Stories & Expeditions | 2 comments

It all started back in 2011.

My brother Robert was getting married and he asked if I could help out with the photography at his wedding. I was assisting his soon-to-be brother-in-law, Kerzdenn, as the second photographer. It was my first time ever shooting a wedding.

And it wasn't exactly the most pleasant experience for me.

By the end of the day, I had a splitting headache and a ton of pictures I knew were just . . . awful! One thing I was sure of, I never wanted to do that again.

But then this guy came up to me at a Conference I was attending a few months later. He asked if I could shoot his wedding. I smiled politely and explained that I didn’t really do wedding photography. "Why on earth would anybody want me to shoot their wedding?!" I thought.

But then Tim went on to explain. "James, I just really want a conservative photographer to shoot my wedding." He'd seen the photos I had taken at Robert & Kendalyn's wedding, plus shots I'd taken at other friend's weddings just for the fun of it, and though he knew I wasn't a pro, he thought it would be the greatest thing if the photographer at his wedding actually held the same standards in modesty as he and his bride-to-be.

And that really made me think twice.

I was still dreading the stress and headache of it all, but now I wasn't just being asked to shoot a wedding. Someone actually cared about the same standards that I felt were appropriate for a wedding. It wasn't just another wedding shoot, it was a tangible promotion of wholesomeness.

So now, I had the motivation to push through it. But that didn't mean I was any better at wedding photography!

Being second shooter for Robert & Kendalyn's wedding was great, but I still had a ton of prep work to do to figure out how to shoot this thing.

I commensed my wedding-photography research and posing-idea gathering in earnest. How should I set up my shots? What should I say to get people to give me genuine smiles? How do I arrange the groom and groomsmen? How do I take pictures of the bride that will meet her expectations? What family groupings am I supposed to do? What do I tell a new couple to do who are staring at me awkwardly waiting for me to tell them what to do?! Ugh, the whole thing just boggled my brain.

And yuck. I couldn't believe what came up on the Internet for simple wedding posing ideas!

I remember at around that time I was expecting I could surely find some Christian sources for at least some half-decent posing inspiration.

But I could hardly find anything.

Thankfully, I came across Christopher Maxwell's website somehow, and that was a breath of fresh air. I was quite encouraged by how upfront he was with his convictions too. He became my main source for wedding posing inspiration from then on.

But still, it bothered me. Year after year. Wedding after wedding. Family photo shoot after family photo shoot. Why was there no place to go to get descent posing inspiration? Did anyone else run into this problem? Why wasn't there any portraiture training out there with wholesome example images?

Finally, I decided that since no one else was doing anything about it that I knew of, I might as well start putting something together myself!

And it's been just an idea for a long time.

But now, almost 10 years later, and with many people coming together to help out with it, the Lenspiration Pro Posing Database is finally a reality!

If you're a Lenspiration member, check it out here: www.lenspiration.com/proposing

Finally! A place to go to get both creative and traditional posing inspiration for wedding, family, engagement, maternity, newborn and senior photos without the pathetic influence of a sexualized culture.

With hundreds of ideas in five main categories, it's still only the beginning.

Let us not hesitate to accurately represent our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ—the One Who made it possible for us to have our filthy rags exchanged for His robes of righteousness so clearly illustrated in Genesis 3:7-21—in our photography.

“Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” (1 Timothy 4:12)

Interested in contributing your own photos to the Database? Click here to request an invitation to be a Lenspiration Pro Posing Contributor.

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2 Comments

  1. Robert Staddon

    These pictures bring back some great memories, James! This PRO posing database is such a great idea!

    Reply

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