Portrait Poses that work a Treat

by Mia Rose
(Queensland, Australia)

When it comes to portrait posing, you have one super-important task... to make your subjects look as spectacular as possible.

The best way to succeed with portrait posing is to keep in mind that it's all about body language. If your subject's body language reflects that they are comfortable, a pose will work. If they're not comfortable, it will no doubt show in the end-product.

I approach portrait poses by asking the subject to relax and position themselves comfortably. Less direction is often more helpful than telling them exactly how to sit and stand. Where I do provide direction is in the little details, for example, a woman's hands should be long and elegant, while a man's hands can be lightly fisted (as if holding a small object).

Build on their personalities. If they're confident, they will most likely stand or sit tall; if they're somewhat shy, allow them to express that in their body language too.

Doing portrait poses is truly an art. The more experienced you become in posing your subjects - and the more relaxed YOU are as the photographer, the better you'll be able to find portrait poses that really work for each individual subject.