Posing Tips; A Few of My Best Tricks For Posing in Photos

Hi guys! Welcome back to my Industry Series blog section, or if you’re new here welcome! This is a place where I talk all things industry. This includes blogging tips and tricks, experiences, thoughts, and anything in between. For today’s post I’ll be doing a highly requested topic – which is my tips and tricks for posing. Let’s get into it!

It Takes Some Time

First of all I have to start off by saying it truly does take some time to get comfortable in front of the camera. At least for most people, and I was no exception. When you first start creating content you can feel awkward and silly in front of the camera. This is normal – so don’t get despaired. But if you’re in this for the long haul that’s something you’re going to have to actively work through in order to succeed. And like most things with time and practice put behind it you will definitely begin to feel much more loose and at home snapping photos. However, I must admit you will probably still find yourself in some situations where it feels awkward and uncomfortable. For example, sometimes you need to shoot somewhere that has a crowd watching you, or you’ll find yourself in an environment where most people aren’t that into social media and content and will look at you like you’re crazy – but you gotta do what you gotta do to get the shot! So just power through and find comfort in the fact that content creators, models, and bloggers all over are working through the same thing.

What Do I Do With My Hands?

I think the most common question when taking photos is ‘what do I do with my hands?!’ For some reason when we find ourselves in front of a lens we feel like our hands don’t belong to our bodies and we cannot think of a natural way to use them. Super strange right? But it’s true. We’ve all been there. My advice is to use your hands to your advantage, instead of trying to hide them because you don’t know what to do with them – make them a statement in your photos. For example, touch your hair, touch your hat, pull on a belt or top, touch your mouth, and if it’s an extra fun vibe for the shoot throw up a piece sign. Use your hands to frame your face, and create interest between you and your settings. Don’t be shy, although it may feel silly just try a bunch of different things and you’ll be surprised what you like once you review the photos!

Create The Mood

Another major tip I will suggest is to create a mood around your photo. I usually build this based off of the outfit I’m shooting but it can also be built around the environment, your actual mood, a campaign brief etc. For example, with today’s look the outfit was giving me major boss lady, mafia, bad a$$ vibes. So I shot it in a street style environment with some moody/artsy poses. In my opinion this wouldn’t be an ideal outfit to throw up a piece sign or a big smile. More or less you’re going to want to ‘get into character’ for each look you shoot and convey that character/mood through your poses.

Keep It Fresh Keep It Fun

Lastly I would say to never stop trying new things and to make sure and have fun. It’s very important to have fun during this process because if you don’t your photos won’t turn out as good. If you aren’t having fun you’ll find it much more difficult to think creatively and your energy will also show in the photo. You also want to remember to keep trying new things. We all get very comfortable with certain poses and angles, but to keep your work fresh and inspiring you need to remember to push yourself to try new things. For me I tend to shoot half bodies straight on. It’s a pose that I feel comfortable in and I always like the way the images turn out. However, I want to diversify my content and be able to share more styles of images. So I’m challenging myself to shoot more full bodies, new angles – like over the shoulder or to the side etc.

If you enjoyed this post on posing tips you may also like this post on how I schedule my content here or this one sharing three quick tips to improve your Instagram feed.

Shop The Look Below

Blazer (similar) – Here

Pants (similar) – Here

Booties – Here

Hat – Here

Photography by Clayton Wenner @clayhendrx