I will start this post with a disclaimer…I’m NOWHERE near the best at posing. I actually struggled with it for a really long time and have only recently gotten much more comfortable with it. I’m still learning, but thought it would be fun to share what has helped me the most so far.

Previsualize your poses and write them down
When I first started photography, posing was one of the things that intimidated me the most! I struggled to think up great poses when I was actually out at a shoot and then I would also struggle to explain the poses I thought up to my clients. All in all it was very stressful for me, though I hope my early clients never noticed! One of the things that has really helped me not struggle with ideas for poses is to pre-envision the poses in my head, and then write them down! Whether it’s in my phone or on an actual sheet of paper, the actual task of writing something down helps my memory out a lot. So even if I never check my paper for an idea, I am way more likely to remember it.

Give SPECIFIC directions
One of the things that used to make me really nervous was trying to explain to someone how to get into a pose I wanted them to be in. I couldn’t really figure out HOW to create the looks I was going for. Well, the secret to great poses is really REALLY specific instructions! Sometimes I will be able to give out vague instructions and the couple goes into the pose beautifully on their own, but the average person is not used to being in front of the camera and will need you to help them out. That’s your job, after all! And when I say be specific, be really specific! Tell them what to do with their hands, where to look, and whether or not they should be smiling. In the end I know they will be grateful!

Tweak Your Poses for more “looks”
One of the most helpful things I’ve learned so far about posing, I learned at Katelyn James‘ spring workshop…she calls it the pose evolution and it’s basically the idea that you can take several unique images by making small tweaks to one or two poses. For example…if a couple is in a really great pose that you are loving, take a wide shot and a close up one. Then tweak or “evolve” the pose by asking them to look in a different direction or modify the pose in another small way. Also, walk around the couple and get different angles! I sometimes get caught in a trap of taking an image straight on, but that’s not creative or exciting!! I’m trying to work on that!

Gauge the Couple
My favorite types of images are the super intimate, romantic ones that show off the sweetness in a relationship…but I always take into account the type of couple I’m working with when thinking up my poses. There are some couples that are more playful and would be better suited for fun and more quirky posing. There are also those that are much more reserved and would probably think I was a nutcase if I asked the groom to pretend to dance and twirl his fiance. Getting to know your couples and really finding out where they’re coming from is really helpful because the most genuine images come from people who feel confident and comfortable in front of your camera. If you ask someone to do something that is TOO outside of their element, you will be able to tell, because the camera does NOT lie.

Have several go to poses
This one is awesome for everyone to do, but it’s especially important for people who struggle with posing and sometimes get stuck and somehow contract posers block during a session…having several “go-to” poses you can throw out there to your clients gives you some time to get yourself together and refresh your mind without your clients even knowing! Plus, knowing I have a few go tos in my back pocket helps me feel like I can be more creative and try new poses!

Be Confident!
This is probably the thing that has changed my posing the most….confidence! You have it in you to create these beautiful poses you see in your head, so just get out there and go for it!

Just to sum up this post, posing is another one of those things that you have to find your own way to do. Not everyone is going to pose their clients the same way, and that’s great! I hope these tips were at least a little bit helpful! They have really made a difference in my posing, so I hope you can apply some of them to yours as well:)