500 Poses for Photographing Men: A Visual Sourcebook for Digital Portrait Photographers Paperback – Illustrated, January 18, 2011

THE MICHELLE PERKINS SERIES OF BOOKS ARE EXCELLENT AS A REFERENCE SOURCE! AS A SEASONED PROFESSIONAL I'VE RARELY HAD PROBLEMSPOSING MY CLIENTS, BUT IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR FRESHNESS AND IDEAS, THE SERIES OF BOOKS THAT MICHELLE PERKINS PRODUCES ARE WORTH THE INVESTMENT.TRUE THE BOOKS DON'T GO INTO THE ENTIRE LIGHTING SETUP, THESE BOOKS ARE NOT MENT FOR THAT; THEY HELP WHAT MAY BE STALE TO LOOK AT SOMETHINGFRESH THAT MAY SPARK AN IDEA; TO USE WHATS THERE OR ADD YOUR OWN TWIST TO YOUR STYLE. THE BOOK PRESENTS MANY PHOTOGRAPHERS WHO ARE KNOWNFOR THERE PARTICULAR STYLES AND FRESHNESS OF PHOTOGRAPHIC VIEW. WE CAN ALL USE A SPARK, AT TIMES THAT MAY BE JUST WHAT WE NEED!FOTOJOCK,

Essentially a collection of 500 portraits, this book comprises a lot of photographs of men, divided into the following sections of poses:Head and shouldersWaist up¾ length seated¾ length standingFull length seatedFull length standing(Apparently real men don't recline) :)Each photograph gives credit to the photographer, but no other information.There's also a short section on posing basics and a long section about the contributing photographers.Many of the poses were duplicated and uninspired, and the pictures are a random mix up of boys, older men, sportsmen, musicians etc. depending on the pose. One shot for example, is just a man squatting in the middle of the road, another is a man squatting next to a truck, and a third is a man squatting next to his golf clubs. I guess men squat a lot.Also, work and formal wear are mixed in with sports and casual wear, so if you're looking for inspiration to pose a bridegroom, you have to flip through the whole thing. Most of the photos show quite small on the Kindle, and although each one can be zoomed for better viewing, it's really a pain on the original Kindle.It would also have been helpful if some footnotes were used for each portrait, emphasizing a few significant elements of its composition and lighting. (eg - 3/4 view, medium light box, backlit, note the position of the hands and the torso angle)The posing basics section was informative, and some of the portraits are useful as visual prompts for unwilling or pose-challenged male subjects, but on the whole it's a tad limited for practical use on a shoot.Amanda Richards, January 17, 2012

It’s just a collection of unorganized portraits. Lots of repeat poses, no info in posing or how to pose or how to light different poses or anything. Very little text at all actually. It’s like a print version of a Pinterest board.Oh and the 9.99 sale sticker is still on it despite the seller listing it for double that price.

Most of my clients have been women. I ordered this book to get some great ideas for men and it arrived just in time as I received a call to photograph some young men for their senior pics. Beautiful images and great ideas, the only thing more I could ask for would be some comentary from the photographers. However, it is an idea book.

I started with 500 poses for groups and couples and have since added every 500 poses title from Perkins including a pre-order of 500 Poses for Infants and Toddlers. These are exactly what the title says...a visual source book. And, as I've said in reviews of other books in this "series" I guess you could call it, while I don't imagine I'll duplicate any pose exactly, I can see myself easily combining some of the different poses present for more pleasing compositions. I am a very visual learner so this is the perfect medium for me to learn posing as it's just image after image after image after image of men posed/posing in various scenarios. The same goes for all the other options in the 500 poses family.

the book is strictly poses, not enough background on how they were set up. Not a total waste, but you can get the same information by looking at men photos in magazines.

This book should not be priced at $30+.But, the poses give you a starting point of what looks good and what doesn't.Just like everyone else says, there are absolutely no f stops or ISO. And in this book the photos are not crisp or clear. However, the poses are there.The backgrounds aren't spectacular.The clothing is common.The lighting is horrible.Focus isn't crisp.*But the poses are there.*A compilation of photographers.Nothing that tells us how to bend and tilt shoulders. No instructions. Just photos and name plates who snapped the Pic.*But, the poses are there.*It could have been better for the price. This book series on poses should be $10.99 a book.

I make a little money on the side taking pictures and the hardest part of most photo shoots is that people don't know what they want! This book is organized by head shots, upper body, 3/4 poses and finally full body shots (and props). It is super easy to just let people flip though the book to help them narrow down their focus and get ideas. Then I use the books photo to adjust my lighting. What could be more simple? I also purchased the 500 Poses of Women and get a ton of use out of it.