I’ve had a lot of requests lately for portrait posing tips so I thought I’d share a couple of good videos I found on the subject.
In this first one photographer and author Erin Manning demonstrates five tips to help your subject pose and look natural.
- Shift their weight to their back foot and turn 3/4 to the side
- Create a sense of movement in the portrait
- Give direction and interact with the subject
- Try the “pufferfish” technique (you’ll have to watch the video to find out what that means)
- Shoot from different angles but slightly above eye level is traditionally portrait height
If you like her tips you can pick up her book on Amazon:
In this second video Lindsay Adler goes over some tips for posing high school seniors, but they are great for any female you’re photographing.
Do you have any other posing tips? I would also add to bend body parts, and have them put the parts they are self-conscious about further away from the camera. So if they dislike their arms, have them aim their elbow away from the camera.
