Red and Re-read

Poses

Criteria for judging poses:

Expression:
Does the pose express a certain mood?  Is it sultry, or emo, or standoffish?  I demand that my poses have expression.  I want them to tell a story.  You may have a perfect outfit and setting, but it’s really the pose that will tell the narrative — the narrative that helps to make a picture worth a thousand words.

Naturalism:
Does the pose look realistic?  It doesn’t matter how awesomely expressive a pose is — if the normal (non-contortionist) person cannot achieve the pose, I’m not interested.  In my opinion, so long as you’re representing an RL avatar in an RL setting, the pose should be  realistically possible.

Fit:
While all my criteria are subjective, this may be the most subjective of all, as we all have different and unique shapes.  No pose is going to fit every shape perfectly.  What really matters is whether the specific pose fits your specific shape.   I have a few poses that I adore, but can’t ever use, because my hands get lost in strange places.  (Also, if you’re buying a pose to wear with a specific outfit, you may want to make sure the prim attachments like hair and skirt work with the pose.)

Mesh distortion:
This may not matter to you.  However, if you’re a blogger or creator, and you’re interested in showing off products at their best, this should be terribly important.  If I’m showing a patterned top, the pose should not cause my ribs to stretch or eat a part of the design — it’s ugly, and it does not show off the product well.

Value:
How expensive are the poses, and are they worth the money?