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.
