Posing subjects can often be one of the most challenging aspects of portrait photography. Great posing can add emotion to a photo, and even shave off weight when done correctly. Photographer Gracie Hagen shows us just how important posing really is in her latest series entitled “Illusions of the Body”.

Gracie explains --

"Illusions of the Body was made to tackle the supposed norms of what we think our bodies are supposed to look like. Most of us realize that the media displays only the prettiest photos of people, yet we compare ourselves to those images. We never get to see those photos juxtaposed against a picture of that same person looking unflattering. That contrast would help a lot of body image issues we as a culture have.

Within the series I tried get a range of body types, ethnicity & genders to show how everyone is a different shape & size; there is no “normal”. Each photo was taken with the same lighting & the same angle.

Celebrate your shapes, sizes & the odd contortions your body can get itself into. The human body is a weird & beautiful thing."