Overtime I’ve skimmed through tons of posing material as well as tested impromptu poses throughout my shoots. In this time I’ve gained a keen eye for poses I like and poses I don’t like. I’m typically most attracted to the heavily awkward and outrageous high fashion positions since my work is creativity-based, but I can also appreciate a gorgeous beauty or glamour pose when I see one!
Here’s some do’s and don’ts, in my opinion, of poses to recreate as well as ones to omit:
NayMarie Loves
Photo Courtesy of HolmesLewis Models
The model in these photos poses effortlessly (and in some cases awkwardly). What did she do right?
*Her breathing is controlled
*She is conscious of her body and angles
*Her muscles are relaxed which alleviated the chances of tension
*She knows where the camera is and where she needs to face in respect to it.
NayMarie Cringes
The poses in this image are extremely common and require little effort. Unless the aim is to be an Eye Candy model, I suggest deleting them from one’s forte. In addition to these I would also seldom utilize the following.
*The Pigeon Stance. Please correct your feet.
*The famous avant garde pose of the inverted arms with the hands on the hips . This can still be pulled off if incorporated properly, although it is now WAY overdone, but it must be finessed. Improper positioning can make the model look scrunched, uncomfortable, forced, or all of the above.
*The high school graduation pose. This pose is only acceptable when taking a school picture or maybe a headshot…maybe… I suggest steering away from this pose as it’s very basic and typically doesn’t reflect the model’s potential nor the product’s brand.
*Static hands. I’ve seen some gorgeous images ruined by stiff hands. Relax relax relax.
For the newbies here’s some vague definitions:
Commerical/Catalog – Accentuates the clothing; wear it like the consumer would wear it.
High Fashion – Accentuates the clothing; the poses are typically bizarre
Beauty – Accentuates the product; typically focuses on make-up, hair, or accesories and only showcases the model from the chest plate up, bare-skinned.
Glamour – Accentuates the model; the images where the model “makes love” to the camera with more extreme make-up, hair, or accessory combinations.
This is 100% true! I love the poses shown initially, but get very turned off at the “misunderstood” poses at the bottom. I don’t know how people can look at those poses and feel they are sufficient enough to fit in a professional portfolio.
Wonderful article!