Posing

As soon as people are in front of the camera, they become self-conscious and awkward. How can you pose them in an authentic, natural way, without it looking all… posed? In this section we’ll show you how to use the way people naturally hold themselves to get portraits that – with a little fine-tuning – flatter them but also look true to who they really are.

Posing People Without Posing

Sometimes, you may want to achieve a fashion-style image with a subject in a dramatic, posed position. The rest of the time, you probably just want your subject to look good and be comfortable. This section is all about the latter: flattering people, but keeping it natural and authentic, too.

Dealing With Reluctant Subjects

Generating Genuine Expressions

Working With Men

Traditionally, when posing men most photographers look to emphasise their subject’s masculinity. This can be achieved through a more defined jaw, broader-looking shoulders and a pose (and camera angle) that convey confidence. This section will give you plenty of tips, tricks and techniques for achieving all of these and more.

A Portrait With A Prop

A Crouch To Suit The Composition

Using Your Subject’s Natural Stance

Close-Up Male Portraits

Working With Women

Traditionally, when posing women most photographers look to emphasise their subject’s femininity. This can be achieved through exaggerating their curves, softening their hand position, guiding them into flattering poses and shooting from optimal camera angles. This section will give you plenty of tips, tricks and techniques for achieving all of these and more.

High Key Office-Style Portrait

Flattering Feminine Portraits

Working With Children

Working with children is about much more than making babies smile. First, parents need to feel relaxed, so that their children relax, too. Then you’ll need to overcome the wariness of shy children and calm the energy levels of excitable ones. Lastly, you’ll need to understand their abilities and motivations, so you can connect with children of all ages and capture their latest stage of development.

Newborn Portraits With No Kit And No Time

Kai With His Skateboard

Searching For Giants

Turning Props Into Fresh Portrait Ideas

Working With Groups And Families

Just when you’ve mastered posing one person, you’re asked to capture a whole bunch of them. How do you pose multiple people to achieve a visually pleasing composition? How do you avoid the totem pole and police line-up effect of stacking people head on head or side by side? How do you make posing look natural? This section has the answers…