Posing Tips For Non-Models

There are various techniques you can use when shooting people to create a flattering effect. Some posing tips for non-models include:

Pose the hair as well as the model. If someone has long hair, do not just let it hang onto the shoulders. Push it back, bring it forward, tie it up, something other than just leaving it hanging.

Ask the model to bring their ears forward to tighten the skin under the chin. Suggest they imagine something is pulling their ears forward gently and they move their head with the ears. If you ask them to bring their chin forward they may instead tilt their chin upwards which does not create the same effect.

Try to get the person to pose from a slight sideways angle with their hand on their hip. If their arms are flat against the body this can have the effect of flattening the arms and making the top of the arms look chubby. Bringing the arms away from the body through having a hand on a hip also highlights the waist line separately. If the arms are flat to the body, this can create an effect of the waist being artificially expanded to include the width of the arms.

If you are taking a business photograph which needs to convey a sense of power, shoot the person head on. Otherwise generally turn the subject slightly away from the camera as this can create a very flattering profile.

Make sure you can see the irises in the person’s eyes. By turning them from the camera there is a risk you might only capture the whites of their eyes. This can look quite intimidating, if not a little unnatural!

Try to keep the nose line within the line of the face. If the nose breaks the line of the face, this can have the effect of making the nose appear larger than it is. If the line of the nose is within the cheek lines, it is a more flattering shot all round. An example of this sort of pose is shown below.

Another technique is to shoot from as close to ground level as possible if you are taking photographs of someone who is short in stature. I lay on the floor to take the following image which has added some height to the subject.