How to Do Upper Body Poses for Photos

Photographing the upper body gives both the photographer and the subject the opportunity to showcase the face and shoulders using angles to make illusions and create dynamics not possible in full-length pictures. Knowing how to pose your subject's upper body is key.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Have your subject sit on a stool. This will force the subject's posture to either lean forward or sit straight up. Comfortable chairs encourage slouching, which encourages double-chins and therefore, bad pictures.

2. Ask your model to square up to the camera, then turn a 45-degree angle to the right or to the left. This angle gives the photo a sense of depth and motion. If the model doesn't know which is her best side, see if you can determine it for her. Everyone has a side that photographs slightly (or much) better than the other side. Another variant in this same genre is to have your model face the camera squarely and drop one shoulder down.

3. Work with facial angles after placing the shoulders. Have the model turn his face squarely to the camera, angle it downward, tilt it back. Play around and see what you find as his best pose. When you think you've found it, ask him to hold it there and move very slightly, smile or intensify the eyes to keep getting a variation in pictures.

4. Encourage the subject to always look directly into the lens, not at you or another object. Remember, the eyes are the window to the soul; when the photo is printed, the viewer will think your model is looking directly at her.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep the background simple but natural looking if possible. Don't let the background be a distraction from your subject.