Posing for Portrait Photography

Demonstrating Variations.

As I’ve mentioned before, we have each client select the background

and poses they want done in their session. These ideas are written on

the client card for the photographers to follow. With each pose, the

photographer is to demonstrate the client’s selected pose, as well as

show the client at least three other variations on the pose.

Male photographers hate this. I have heard it all—“How am I

supposed to pose like a girl?” or “I feel really dumb!”—but I don’t

care how they feel. Until you can pose yourself, feel the way the pose

is supposed to look, and demonstrate it to a client, you will never

excel at posing. Yes, you get some pretty strange looks when you’re

not a petite man and you’re showing a young girl a full-length pose

for her prom dress, but that is the best learning situation I, or any

other photographer, can be in.

Keep Poses in Your Mind.

Using variations keeps each of your poses in your mind, so no mat-

ter how much stress you feel, the poses are there. It’s just like mul-

tiplication tables—once they stick in your mind, you’ll never forget

them. This is an important factor, since I have ten shooting areas in

our main studio and often need to go as quickly as I can from one

VARIATIONS 119

That is best learning situation

that I, or any other

photographer, can be in.