Choosing a pose can be a challenge. Have you ever been on a shoot where you feel like everything looks wrong, a bit of a stretch, and you can’t get your model to look natural? You as a photographer will have to take responsibility for making these decisions and be confident enough to guide and work through even the minor variations that can make so much difference and give you the shot you’re aiming for. You can also look at Skulum’s blog for inspiration, there’s a lot of interesting material there. For example, there you can read about plus-size boudoir photography and find amazing ideas for photo shoots.
How to portray a model
It’s important to reflect a little bit before you dive right into the shot, wielding the camera and hoping for the best. Think about how you’d like to portray the person you’re shooting and discuss with them how they would like to appear in the photos.
Do you want shots of them looking bright and optimistic, tender and sweet, or scared and insecure? Understanding what you are aiming for will make a big difference in your subsequent pose decisions. There are too many potential poses to discuss here, but we’ll go over some of them to give you an idea of how you can use them!
Right in the frame
Shooting a person looking directly into the frame may be the easiest way to establish a connection between your model and your audience. This way you convey a sense of trust and confidence and allow the viewer to truly interact with the model since nothing is hidden from view.
It’s important to make sure that the shot is really interesting, focus on the eyes and blur the background as otherwise, the result will look like a corporate photo!
Profile
A really interesting way to shoot a portrait that can actually tell a lot more about a person than you might think. If the model is shy or nervous about taking the picture it can help her get her confidence back. Also, this pose can be very useful as a creative tool, as it is not the way most portrait photographers use it. Again, it is very important to be creative.
Over-shoulder pose
This pose will give the shot a relaxed and effortless feel. Often used in fashion photography, this is something that is probably more natural for women, but can work for men as well. Just try to get it right, because this pose can very quickly start to look like a ridiculous parody!
It is also important to make sure that your neck is not turned too much. When we say looking over our shoulder, we really only mean a slight turn of the head.
Sitting
This is a great option if you want to take a shot in which the model looks relaxed, as most people feel at ease just sitting down, so they know what to do with their limbs! Don’t limit yourself to the usual chairs for seated poses, there are many things to sit on in different ways, so get creative!
Leaning in
A pose where the model is leaning against something is very good for conveying a sense of nonchalant confidence and ease. Ask your model to lean against the wall with her side or back. It can be a full-face shot, but it also works great for a profile shot as it accentuates the angle of support.
Lying down
This is a great way to capture the relaxed or playful mood of someone lying on their stomach or back. You can shoot it from ground level or from above, allowing you to create a dramatic image of the model!
Model hands
This can be a real dilemma for models because they often think about their face and body structure. Not knowing what to do with your hands can lead to unwanted nervousness in the frame. Setting the position of your arms will add an extra point of interest and structure to your shots:
- Crossed arms can create a sense of confidence and reliability, which works especially well for men. Relaxed arms dangling along your body can look a little lost, but you may just want to take the attention away from them!
- You can keep hands busy by asking the model to put them in their pockets or place them on their hips, which again will look both quite relaxed and deliberate. Hands touching the face can tell a lot about a lot of things.
- When shooting women, the open position of the hands can give a sense of benevolence, but hands resting on the body can be used to build sensuality into the shot.
Just try it yourself and see what expressions you can form by touching your hands to your face: displeased, tired, surprised, angry! You can also use your hands to hide certain details on the face to give the shot a touch of mystery.
Concluding thoughts
Some models may be completely unfamiliar with the rules of posing for a portrait and will need lots of guidance and confidence building. Below are a number of small tips that can help them at the beginning stage.
Tell them not to hold their breath, it makes the model look very tense and distracts them from the pose. Avoid completely straight limbs as it looks very unnatural and static. Remember that a slightly unfortunate shot can easily be corrected in a photo editor.
For example, you can easily change the shape, size, or expression of the face with the help of tools from Luminar Neo. If you need an intuitive AI editing tool that is easy to use and produces professional results, Luminar Neo is perfect.
Also, don’t forget to read the article about poses for plus-size boudoir photography on the Skylum developer’s website.
