A Guide to Photography Posing Positions

Photographers should know the various poses they can use to make a great picture.

If you are a photographer, you know that the position of your subject's body is very important. Whether you are photographing a group or an individual woman, man or child, you will want your picture to have a certain kind of style. Posing the people in your photo in the correct way will influence how others see the photograph and invoke a certain emotion or reaction.

Instructions

1. 

   Position a man facing forward, his body having a straight line. It is best to accentuate the chest here and have the man stand with his chest wide open. Pose a woman in a more feminine position. Instead of straight lines, position the woman with her body curved with smooth lines.

2. 

   Make the man's eyebrows the center of the photograph, especially if he has thick and heavy brows. This will give the photograph a masculine attractiveness. Ask the woman you are photographing to look upward or have her tilt her head forward, looking up into the camera lens. Both of these poses will cause her eyes to look large and expressive.

3. 

   Capture the moment a woman is touching up her makeup or smoothing her hair. This will cause her femininity to stand out and accentuate attractive features.

4. 

   Lower the chin of both a man and a woman. This will also help give clear sight to the face. A chin sticking up is not attractive and the face will not appear as clearly as you would like.

5. 

   Position the legs of a man or woman so that their weight is primarily on one leg instead of equal weight on both. Have the man stand with his legs halfway open. The woman should stand with her feet raised if she has shorter legs. Give her the option of wearing high heels to give her legs some length.

References

• Photography Poses: Photography Poses for Women -- the Main Feature and 19 Tips for Your Photography Session
• Photography Poses: Photography Poses for Men -- Nine Tips for Your Photo Session