Portrait Posing

8/9/2019 Portrait Posing

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Portrait posing

digital-photography-school.com


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If you ever run out of ideas, getstuck in creativity or simply needsome guidance when shooting femalesubjects, you may use followingposing samples as a posing cheat

sheet. any pro photographers usesuch a techni!ue when preparing forand during the photo shoot.

"he poses in this article areselected as initial reference. I would

advise to look at the poses togetherwith your subject, especially if she#sine$perienced. %uring a photo shootdon#t hesitate to discuss with thesubject which pose is or isn#t workingin any particular situation. It#s usuallyvery productive and you both will feelmore con&dent in what you are doing.

'(, let#s start, one by one.


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). *ery simple portrait pose to startwith. +ave the model look over hershoulder. ote how unusual andinteresting a portrait might look, ifshot simply from a dierent angle.


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. In portrait photography, hands areusually not visible or at least notdominant. +owever, you might get

creative by asking the model to playaround with her hands trying dierentpositions around her head or face.(eep in mind, though/ o 0at palms,and the hands should only show theirsides1


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2. 3ou might be familiar withcomposition rules like the rule ofthirds. In a similar way, pleasing

eects can be created by usingdiagonals. 4lso remember that youdon#t need to always hold yourcamera on a perfectly even level.%on#t be afraid to tilt it, you mightachieve some interesting and unusualperspectives.


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5. 4 really nice and lovely pose with amodel sitting. "he knees have totouch each other. 6hoot slightly from

above.


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7. 4nother open and inviting posewith the model lying on the ground.8et down and take your shot nearly

from the ground level.


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9. :ust a variation for a pose with themodel lying on the ground. ;othhands might as well be resting on the

ground.


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=. 4 basic easy pose, yet looksabsolutely stunning. 8et down andshoot nearly from a ground level.

"hen try to move gradually aroundthe model while making shots. 4lsoask your model to change head and

hand positions.


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>. 4nother easy yet gorgeous posefor all body types. "ry dierent handand leg positioning. 4nd remember to

focus on the model#s eyes1


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?. 4 really lovely pose.


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)@. 8orgeous and easy pose for amodel sitting on the ground.


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)). 4nother simple and friendly posefor a model sitting on the ground. "rydierent directions and angles.


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). 4 wonderful way to demonstratethe beauty of a model#s physi!ue.


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)2. 4 simple and casual looking pose.Aots of variations are possible. 4skthe model to twist her body,

e$periment with hand positioning andtry dierent head turns.


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)5. 4nother very simple and elegantpose. "he model is turned slightly tothe side, hands in back pockets.


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)7. Aeaning slightly forward can be a

very attractive gesture. It is a subtleway to emphasiBe upper bodyshapes.


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)9. 4 sensual pose. ;y holding thehands above the head body curvesare emphasiBed.


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)=. Cndless variations are possible forposing in full height. "his pose is justthe starting point. 4sk the model to

slightly turn her body, change handpositioning, change head and eyedirections etc.


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)>. 4 rela$ed pose with the modelstanding upright and supporting her

back against a wall. Demember thatthe model may use a wall not only tosupport her back, but also to put herhands on, or resting a leg against it.


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)?. ote that full height settings arevery demanding and work well onlywith slim to athletic body types.

Posing guidelines are simple/ "hebody should be arched in an 6 shape,hands should be rela$ed, while theweight &nds support on just one leg.


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@. 4n e$!uisite pose for slim toathletic models. any variations arepossible. In order to &nd the best

posture, tell the model to slowlymove her hands and twist her bodyconstantly.


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). 4n absolutely romantic anddelicate pose. 4ny kind of cloth Eevena curtainF can be used. ote that the

back doesn#t need to be completelybare. 6ometimes as little as a bareshoulder could work pretty well.


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. 8ood starting pose. 4nd very nice

way to make the model slimmer. "hemodel should push her chin forwardand tilt it slightly down while at thesame time the shoulder up, but nottoo much1 "here should de&nitely bea little gap between chin andshoulder.


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2. ost often the best poses are thesimplest ones. Gor female modelssupporting body on just one leg and

curving the body in an 6 shape is asimple starting rule.


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5. *ery beautiful way to utiliBe a wallor some object for a portrait pose.odel should gently touch a vertical

surface with her hands.


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7. If your model has long falling hair,try showing them in motion. 4sk herto !uickly spin her head to a desired

position allowing the hair to continuethe movement. 3ou might want toe$periment with dierent shutterspeeds to either capture or avoid amotion blur. "hese are usually verypositive and rewarding shots.


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9. 6uitable for sitting on a couch orin bed. In order to add some thematicdepth, the model could hold a coee

cup in her hands, maybe implyingthat she is warming her &ngers.


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=. 4 nice and coBy pose, verysuitable for indoors with the modelsitting on a couch.


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>. 4nother variation for a modelsitting on a couch.


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?. *ery nice looking casual pose fora model sitting on the ground. "rydierent shooting angles, for

e$ample, move gradually around themodel or change the shooting point#sheight.


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2@. 6itting positions are not limited tocasual shots. %on#t be afraid to trysome sitting poses also for more

formal shots.


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2). 4ccording to some popular andcommonly e$ploited body languagerules, crossing arms and legs means

putting up some barriers etc. Cven ifsuch beliefs are widespread, itdoesn#t mean they are correct. Inpictures crossed arms on the chestdon#t send any subconscious signs orwarnings at all1 Hrossing arms and


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legs in all dierent ways is absolutely&ne for people photography.

2. ot always your model needs toplace hands somewherespeci&cally. It is absolutely &ne toleave them loosely by the sides. "hesame goes for legs, no e$aggerations one leg supports the weight, that#s

the only rule you need.


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22. :ust another sample for a fullheight shot you can use as a startingpoint. "humbs or hands partly in side

pockets also work &ne.


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25. 4 very nice pose for summertime.Aet her lose her shoes and ask her towalk slowly.


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27. +ands behind the back, unusualbut very open gesture. 6he might aswell stand and support herself

against a wall.


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29. *ery easy and beautiful pose for aformal portrait. odel should turn alittle bit sideways, head turned

slightly down and towards thecamera.


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2=. Placing both hands on the waist isalso a very photogenic pose.


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2>. If available, some higher furnitureor interior object might be helpful toplace an arm on and slightly support

the body. "his will create a formal butat the same time an open andpositive posture.


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2?. Partly sitting on some object isanother very nice pose.


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5@. 4n e$ample of a feminine andfashionable pose for a full heightpicture.


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5). %emanding pose, becauseindicating model#s movement is not

easy. +owever, if done right, veryrewarding for trendy fashion or veryelegant full height shots.


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5. Aovely looking pose for theappropriate settings the model is

supporting herself against somefence or bridge railing or some similarobject. 6hooting from a side with alarge aperture provides goodopportunities for a shallow depth of&eld with a nicely blurredbackground.


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52. 8ood starting pose for an

intimate glamour.


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55. :ust a dierent variant for themodel lying down.


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57. Deally nice and lovely pose. 6hootfrom a low angle. 4sk the model tokeep her upper body slightly lifted,

but the head slightly tilted down."oes should always be pointed.


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5=. 4nother challenging pose. ot soeasy to pose and very demanding fora photographer. In order to shoot this

pose successfully you have to payattention and scan all body parts hands, head, waist Eavoid skincreases1F, hips and &nally legs.


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5>. ;eautiful pose for an outdoorshooting. 4sk your model to laydown, curve her back and stretch her

feet.


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5?. ;eautiful pose for the model lyingon the ground. Jpper body should beslightly lifted and the model looking

back over her shoulder.


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7@. Casy and simple pose toemphasiBe a feminine shape.


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7). *ariant for &ne arts nudephotography. *ariations are endlesswith dierent hand, leg and head

positioning.


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7. Casy and gentle pose. 4 modelshould sit on both of her legs andfeet, but it shouldn#t be too heavy.

Cyes looking over her shoulder.


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72. Casy yet gorgeous pose.


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75. 4n absolutely gorgeous pose ifdone properly. Horrect limbpositioning is crucial.


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77. *ery challenging pose, legpositioning being the decisive factorfor good results. Harefully guide your

model to the intended postures. +ighheel shoes are a must.


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79. 6imple and digni&ed pose. akesure that model#s face is not partlycovered by her hand or shoulder.

Cyes looking down to her bodycreates particularly romantic mood.

"he raised elbow should be pointingaway from the camera.


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7=. *ery feminine and delicate pose.Demember that glamour and nudephotography doesn#t e$clude using

some props. 6ometimes a singlepiece of clothing might be a superbaddition to a shot. "hus, the modelmight partly cover her body.


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7>. *ery helpful aid for creatingdierent poses is utiliBing a wall Eorany other object of a kindF.


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7?. Gull height at the wall shot. 4gain,endless variation and shooting anglesare possible.


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9@. Gollowing from the previous, fore$ample, change you angle andshoot as well from the back.


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9). 4n e$!uisite pose for slim toathletic models. any variations arepossible. 4sk the model to curve a

body in 6 shape, twist her hips andchange hand positions. Aet her turnher head in dierent directions.


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9. Jsing a sheer te$tile as a propcreates endless possibilities for themodel and photographer to create

very rewarding and outstandingresults. Cspecially marvelous lookscan be made in windy weatherconditions outdoors.


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92. 4nother good idea for a creativeglamour photography is to shoot invast open &elds, for e$ample, some

corn&eld or wild0owers meadow oreven in a deserted landscape. 4spreviously mentioned some te$tile orother piece of clothing is very helpfulfor the model to come up with someinteresting and graceful postures.


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4s a &nal note I will say onceagain each of these initial sampleposes is only a starting point. Cach

pose has endless variations. Girst ofall, the model can always try dierentface e$pressions, smiles, head turns,hand and leg placements, body turnsand twists etc. 'nly slight variations

can make a completely dierent poseEand a better one1F. oreover, alwaysremember to take a shot fromdierent angles Eup and down, rightand leftF, try changing your distanceto subject, try dierent crops and

compositions of your shots. 4fter all,posing is trial and error eort. "hemore variations you will try, thebetter results you will get.

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Portrait Posing