A crouching pose portrait is one of those tricks for photographing men in casual attire – relaxed and informal, yet striking and full of presence. By definition it’s a more compact pose than a standing pose and it allows the camera to be close to the floor (if that’s your particular taste) – this gives an opportunity for a simple image that has a ton of presence.
When Steve arrived at the studio in jeans and a jacket, a crouch felt like the natural choice: it suits the outfit, it reads as genuinely masculine, and it allows for a complete portrait with no cropping, which keeps everything in a clean 2:3 ratio. Getting the most out of a crouching pose in photography is about far more than just asking someone to squat down, though – the light, the camera angle, the lens choice, and the composition all have to work together. Here, a long lens at 170mm compressed the background, a shallow depth of field at f/4 kept the focus exactly where it needed to be, and lying on the floor with the camera meant the roofline could frame Steve’s head in a way that gives the whole image a real sense of intention.
Matching the pose to the subject and his outfit
Steve arrived at the studio wearing jeans and a jacket, so I aimed for a pose that complemented that combination. This crouch is quite striking and masculine, yet relaxed and informal, which aligns perfectly with his outfit. I particularly like a crouch as it allows for a complete portrait—no part of the subject is cropped—while still maintaining a nice proportion for a standard ratio image (2:3). Since Steve is an ex-footballer, this crouch also evokes memories of those poses so often seen in footballer photographs, which seemed fitting to me. I have never been a sports photographer, but sometimes images like this just stick in your head for later use!
Placing the subject for the best light and composition
Before asking Steve to get into the crouch, I looked for the best light. In this spot, the light was coming from above and to the left. A brick wall on the right absorbed light, casting shadows on Steve’s face and body. I chose my camera angle so that the roofline in the background acts as a frame around Steve’s head. If I were to do this again, I’d try to align the roof slightly better for a neater frame within a frame. I took this shot lying on the floor, adjusting my position with the camera to line everything up. Having the floor in the shot helps draw your eye toward Steve. I used a fairly long lens (170mm) to compress the perspective, making the background elements appear larger than they would with a wide-angle lens. Additionally, I shot with a…