Perfect poses: Tips from professional photographers for creating natural, emotional portraits

 

 

Posing is one of the most challenging aspects of portraiture, particularly when you’re working with subjects who aren’t used to having their photos taken. Everyone wants to look natural and relaxed, but for people who don’t spend a lot of time in front of a camera, that can be very challenging without the photographer giving direction and helping them along. Body language is critical for conveying a certain mood in a portrait. SLR Lounge has just released their “Complete Posing Workshop,” which costs $149 (or is free if you’re an SLR Lounge Premium member) and covers flattering poses for men, women and groups plus in-depth posing analysis and tips for showcasing genuine emotion in portraiture through its eight hours of HD video and PowerPoint slides.

To help celebrate the release of the workshop, Pye Jirsa and the rest of the SLR Lounge team have asked 20 portrait photographers for tips and tricks and their favorite posing cues. For wedding photographers in particular, Jason Vinson says to tell brides “grab a big handful of your dress and whip it back and forth like a fan.”

When photographing couples, Christina Blanarovich tells clients to “walk towards me like you’re drunk, laughing and holding each other up. Bonus points for knocking into each other!” James Day will “have the groom stand behind the bride and I encourage him to squeeze her until she pops.” These types of direction will not only result in sincere, natural-looking images, but will also help lighten the mood – which is never a bad idea.

For more posing cues and tips from the rest of the professional photographers, see SLR Lounge. To learn more about the new workshop about posing, click here.

(Via SLR Lounge. Index image by Shannon Cronin.)