POSE!: 1,000 Poses for Photographers and Models

WOMEN

Portraits | Beauty | Fashion | Lingerie | Implied Nude | Curvy | Curvy Boudoir | Sports | Business | Wall

PORTRAITS

Always accentuate a model’s most attractive attributes, and work with the characteristics that make each individual special.

# 001

LEGS TOGETHER

Poses with legs and feet close together have a soft, feminine feel. Once you have positioned the model’s legs, concentrate on her torso and arms. Combined with a good head position and an appropriate facial expression, you will end up with a nice soft pose. A straight back is just as important here as it is in the more masculine version (see #002).

# 002

A TOUGH ATTITUDE

Compare the difference between this pose and #001. With her legs apart, the model presents a more confident, masculine look. This is because the pose is more rigid and the model commands more space. The model can rest her hands or elbows on her thighs, or try out different positions for her hands.

# 003

THE ESSENCE OF COOL

This is a classic pose for creating cool-looking portraits. While sitting with the back of a chair facing the camera, the model can vary the position of her arms, hands, head, and back. If your model is leaning on a chair, on another model, or on any hard surface, make sure she doesn’t lean too hard—models with fuller arms tend to produce unsightly dimples or skin folds.

# 004

TURN AROUND

Use your props and their posing potential to the full. If you are not getting the look you want, don’t give up too quickly but continue to experiment with different poses. Try to categorize poses using attributes such as the direction the model is facing. While you practice, you are sure to produce a lot of awkward shots, but awkward moments often lead to insights you simply can’t learn from a book.

# 005

WATCH YOUR BACK

Is a straight back always exactly what you want in a pose? A straight back makes a model look strong, confident, and resolute, but what about poses that present a more emotional, casual, or thoughtful look? Compare the main image with variation #1 to see the difference that even a slightly slumped position produces. Changes like this enable you to control the energy level of a pose.

# 006

THE THINKER

Portrait poses often involve resting one arm on the other. One hand, finger, or fist is sometimes positioned at the model’s temple, under her chin, or supporting her jaw. An experienced model’s free hand will also look good. Make sure your model doesn’t rest her elbow in the palm of her other hand, however, as this often looks unnatural and can easily spoil an image. Ideally, she should rest her elbow on or in front of her other wrist. Make sure she positions the fingers of both hands elegantly.

# 007

THINKING ABOUT . . .

This a great, natural-looking pose. The model isn’t trying to strike a perfect pose that carries a message, but instead communicates an emotion. To help your model with expressions, try calling out adjectives such as surprised, contented, happy, disappointed, hurt, arrogant, or thoughtful. Everyone has memories of these kinds of feelings that they can call up and use to shape a pose.

# 008

ELBOWS ON LEGS

In a sitting position, with her elbows on her legs, your model can let her hands fall loosely or draw them up and back toward her chin, neck, or hair. For this pose, it is important that the model leans forward while retaining a degree of tension in her torso so that she doesn’t droop. Make sure that hand contact with her chin or cheek is light to avoid producing dips or folds in her skin. The same applies to her arms and elbows if she rests them on her legs.

# 009

SHY GIRL

If you want to communicate a mood that is playful, shy, or just plain cute, using an unusual stance can help accentuate the effect. In the main image, the model’s hands underscore the cute aspect of the pose. These kinds of things are usually personal habits that a model contributes to a pose without actually thinking about it. With a little practice, and with the help of a few instructions, you can get any model to play along. The important thing is getting her to vary her facial expression while keeping the expression subtle.

# 010

LEAN ON

Ask your model to imagine that the chair is a window ledge or the rail on a balcony or bridge. On location, you can use the local infrastructure to create new and interesting poses. Whatever your model is leaning on, make sure she keeps her back straight. If you want to give this shot a sexy edge, you can include the model’s behind. If not, you can simply adjust your framing as required.

# 011

BARSTOOL

The great thing about using a stool is that your model cannot lean back. If she did, it would bring her feet, legs, and tummy closer to the camera than her face. Decide how straight you want her back to be, and how it best suits your overall idea. You can then decide whether to have her pose her legs in a feminine, masculine, symmetrical, or asymmetrical way. Finish up by positioning her hands accordingly.

# 012

BARSTOOL II

As in the previous pose, your model shouldn’t lean back—otherwise her legs will be closer to the camera than her face. In contrast, leaning forward works very well. The multi-angle icon is there for a reason. Apart from the positions of her arms and head, there are plenty of various camera angles and positions you can try out with this pose. In addition to moving around while you shoot, you can vary the height of the camera.

# 013

HEADS UP

The model’s facial expression and head tilt is, of course, one of the main factors that determine the emotion communicated by an image. However, it is not always easy to get it right. The two upper variations show how tilting her head to the side or keeping it straight makes the difference between an emotional and a businesslike look. This may seem obvious, but it is an extremely important aspect of a pose. You will see later how it affects a whole range of poses.

KEY LESSON

CONNECT!

The direction of your model’s gaze, and the way she positions her chin and shoulders, determine how the pose connects with the viewer. If all three point directly at the viewer, it creates a strong connection and gives each aspect equal weight. This is particularly clear in variation #2. In variation #1, the model’s averted gaze automatically attracts the viewer to her torso and/or her clothing. In the main image, her torso is turned to the side, but her chin and eyes point straight at the camera, thus putting more emphasis on her face.

# 014

GROUNDED

This is one of the oldest and simplest poses, but it can still be used to create top-notch images if you get it right. Start with