bushnstache: Hoops

Take the ball, hollow out the middle, and you get another useful photographic toy: the hoop.

1. Bo Linstrom holding a small hoop with dramatic lighting.

2. Jean Pierre Pastiou holding a hoop behind his back (Pastiou was also featured yesterday holding a ball above his head).

3. Jack Reno holding a small white hoop behind his back to frame his butt.

Here the negative space becomes as important as the object itself. Hoops can frame a torso, limb, or entire figure while introducing strong curves against the body's own lines. Hula hoops bring a playful period reference, while tires, wagon wheels, and decorative rings accomplish much the same thing with very different personalities.

4. Thomas Ramey holding a large hoop that is creating a thin shadow across his thighs and on the floor.

5. Sig Latschwowski holding a small dark hoop in a profile pose with a posing strap.

6. Sig's younger brother, Hans Latschkowski, holding the same hoop in another profile pose. The caption says, "Hans is Sig's younger brother -- two years. Soccer was also his sport while living in Germany. Hans is shorter -- only 5'8" tall, and weighs less -- 175 lbs. Hans has developed excellent posing ability."

7. Bob Koklick (quite the name there...he must've gotten a hard time on the playground) holding a small dark hoop.

And that may be the real pleasure of handheld props. Instead of simply posing, the model has something to do. Something to hold, lean against, look through, or play with. Give someone a toy and self-consciousness can disappear for a moment. The pose becomes an action—and sometimes the photograph catches the play.