Whether you’re interested in commercial modeling, or you’ve just booked a photographer for your senior pictures, you’ll get the best results if you give some thought to how to stand in front of a camera. A photoshoot is a team effort, and you’ll get the best results if you take an active role in working with the photographer as the model/subject.
So here’s a quick, head-to-toe run-down of how to pose and model in a photoshoot. This is an easy strategy I use with both portrait subjects and commercial models to build poses quickly with as little awkwardness as possible. First, some things to remember:
There is no such thing as a model
It’s important to remember that “Model” just a name for a special kind of actor. There are actors on a stage, there are actors on a screen, and models are actors on a print, one picture at a time.
If you’re modeling, get a good sense of the kind of story you and the photographer are trying to tell.
If you’re the subject in a portrait sessions, work with your photographer to give them a good sense of who you are, and then be yourself!
It doesn’t matter how much of you is in the picture
Your whole body matters even if it’s just a headshot. People can intuitively tell if you’re sitting or standing; if you’re doing something with your arms or not; if you have good posture or not. So even if the photographer is just taking a headshot, think about your whole body.
These are rules, but . . .
Most rules in photography can be broken as long as you know them and you do them on purpose. So work with your photographer and decide whether these rules need to apply or not.
You can think of rules as building blocks: If what you’re building doesn’t need a particular block, don’t use it! But unless you us some blocks, you won’t end up building anything at all.
Now on to what you’ll do with your body!
Your head
There is a HUGE body of research in psychology about the way humans recognize faces.
In commercial photography, where the model is selling a product instead of being the main subject, you’ll find that the face is normally in focus. Even in Victoria’s Secret ads, the face is normally in focus even though the model’s face is by no means the product. Studies even show that images posted to Instagram perform 60% better on average if they feature a human face.
So make sure your face can be seen by turning your head toward the main light. You don’t have to look straight into the light (I actually suggest you don’t if you can avoid it), but make sure your face is being lit by the main light.
Your face
Speaking of your face: keep it genuine. Nothing is less attractive than a fake smile! So be an actor!
If you need to smile, visualize something that makes you genuinely smile. I like to think of a corny joke or a special moment with one of my children. If you need to look serious, visualize a solemn situation and live in that moment for a little while.
And if you begin with a genuine face, the rest of your body will follow.
Your shoulders
To put it delicately: Everyone looks more like everyone wants to look with good posture. Things you want to appear small will look smaller with good posture, and vice versa.
Simply straighten your back and roll your shoulders back and you will improve the whole shoot!
Your arms
Arms a so awkward! They just kinda hang off the side of your body, and you’ve really got to think about what to do with them if you don’t want to look goofy.
But never fear! Just make a triangle with one or both arms, and you’ll be just fine.
If you touch your hair, your clothes, your jewelry or one of the joints in your body, your arm will naturally form a triangle. And humans LOVE triangles in design.
Your hands
You don’t want hyper-extended witch hands, and you don’t want to have a clenched fist. These tend to happen when a subject or model is thinking too much about their hands. And telling someone not to think about something just makes it worse!
So instead, I like to have my models and subjects play a game: Just pretend your hands have been cut off. You no longer possess hands. Instead, your just have stumps and the ends of your arms.
When you pretend your hands are gone altogether, they’ll tend to relax into a more natural position.
Your legs & feet
The triangle rule applies here, too! If you’re standing, consider shifting your weight between your feet. Consider varying the distance between your feet. If you’re a lady with a skirt or dress, just be sure your knees are pointed away from the camera if you’re seated or lying down.
Click-move
Let’s put all of this together into building poses!
Models charge good money for their services because building completely new poses for each shot is not easy. It requires creativity and experience.
That is . . . unless you cheat!
The easy way to cheat is with a game I like to call “Click-Move”: When I click, you move ONE thing.
After the first picture, move your head. After the next one, move one arm. Then move the next one. After the third shot, change your facial expression and after the fourth, shift your weight.
After the fifth shot, you’ll have at least three usable, different poses without running the risk of getting stuck trying to think of a completely new pose.
Are you looking for a photographer for your portrait session? I’ll be your huckleberry!
If you’re interested in modeling, contact us! We’d love to help!