How To Pose for Photos
Someday, centuries from now, a class of aspiring historians will be reviewing our current reality. They will dissect every part of our lives, from politics, internet culture, the tattoos we’ve placed on our bodies up to the processed foods we’ve consumed. Now, imagine your great great grandchildren attending one of these classes. Imagine that they were assigned to bring photos of their ancestors… Just to have them bring in one of your selfies.
Now, I was a pretty awkward kid.
I saw the other popular girls in middle school getting 20 likes on their Facebook profile pictures, and felt like that was my sole purpose in my life. To obtain that glorious number. I remember taking hundreds upon hundreds of photos just to end up with 1-2 decent ones.
The day I hit 20 likes was an equally momentous and depressing day when I discovered the blight of humanity. That having goals is an endless pursuit, and that reaching them won’t necessarily make me happier.
Now, 10 years later, I would consider myself a seasoned vet in posing.
Despite having fairly unphotogenic features (an underbite, an unflattering profile etc), I’ve realized that the problem wasn’t me.. but the way I was being captured.
I think we’ve come a long way since then.
Whether you’re hiring a professional, getting your friend to agree to a shoot, or having an intimate self portrait session, let me guide you on how to pose for portrait photography.
Know your angle.
In all seriousness, having a good side is a very real thing. Practise your angle. When facing a camera, take the time to have the camera snap a shot at nearly every angle of your face. Which pose eccentuates your jawline? Your cheekbones? Your favourite features? Check back on the results until you feel comfortable. Keep note of how you felt when you took a specific shot that felt/looks good.
The fundamentals of body posture.
It’s important to embody the physical posture of the mood you’re trying to emulate. You want to pose as strong and powerful? Give us, Peter Pan. Feet shoulder width apart. Hands on the hips. Chin slightly up. Embody this character, or someone you admire that you consider powerful.
When it comes to flattering angles, you want to focus on accentuating your most flattering features. In this pose, we’ll be focusing on the hips and legs. Bringing the weight in that back leg, while placing the front the ball of your foot down. Play around with bringing that front hip out more. Remember, if it feels super unnatural, it probably looks unnatural.
Photo originally from Art of Being Photographed (https://theartofbeingphotographed.com/)
3. Hire a good photographer.
If you want to save yourself the hassle of trying to figure this all out, you can hire the right photographer to give you direction as you go. The right photographer will be able to bring you right into your comfort zone, giving you access to seeing yourself as the shoot goes so you’re both happy with the results. Once you grow more aware of what poses are working for you, rinse and repeat the same postures. I absolutely adore working with clients who have little to no experience in front of the camera, because I love ushering them into how empowering the whole process can be. From the shy initial interactions of taking the photos, seeing them for yourself, realizing how good they look, and being cheerlead on throughout the experience. As a photographer, I consider my job done when my client walks away from our session feeling way more confident than ever before.
4. Play with different facial postures.
You can slightly adjust the positions of your face to ensure your features are accentuated in their most flattering angles. As a slight underbite girly, most cameras capture my mouth in such a way that makes it look like I’m always frowning. After many personal shoots, I discovered that parting my lips slightly, and pressing my tongue to the roof of my mouth more accurately depicts my facial features in photos. So, honestly play around with different methods. I can’t emphasis the importance of it feeling natural for it to look natural.
5. Change it up. Change it often.
The greatest method of posing was taught to me when I was shooting my first model. She was the sweetest woman I’d ever met. I honestly felt intimidated that she wanted to shoot with me because I was pretty new into photography at the time, but what she showed me will stay with me for a lifetime.
What was the life changing tip?
She changed her poses every time she heard the camera click. She had been posing for photos since she was a teenager (at least 15 years of experience in modelling at that point). So she just new what postures made sense for her.
I realized in that moment how we often stay in the same static pose for a full minute before moving on when having our photo taken. But, as a photographer myself, I’m trigger happy. I’m basically taking the same exactly photo from very slightly different angles in the 60 seconds you’re sitting there in the exact same way.
So change it up. Hold a pose for 3 seconds, then try moving your chin slightly up, slightly down. Tilt your head to the right, or to the left. Really give your photographer as many options to choose from as possible.
I hope you leave feeling more relaxed and excited about your next photography session. You deserve to be seen and feel beautiful about it.
