Best Female Poses for Portrait Photography
Best Female Poses for Portrait Photography
My first portrait photography session made me realize how important female poses can be. The location was perfect, the light ideal and my equipment were at the ready.
But when the model arrived, the photo session did not go well.
This article is full of tips and tricks for achieving the best female portrait poses to ensure your portrait session goes much better.
Have a Collection of Female Poses Ready Before the Shoot
I highly recommend spending some time before the photoshoot researching female poses and posing ideas.
Keep a record of the best poses and bring them to the photoshoot for when your inspiration hits a wall.
Once you start taking more and more female pose portraits, you can add them to your collection.
Practice Some Female Model Poses Yourself
Knowing how a model pose feels yourself will help you better guide your model. You can practice some common female portrait poses in front of a mirror.
If something feels unnatural or difficult to you, it will probably feel the same to your model too.
You can also take some self-portraits. Place your camera on a tripod and grab your remote shutter release (or use the self-timer option).
Try different poses like fashion poses, sitting poses, model poses, and feminine poses.
At first, you might feel a little strange if you are used to being behind the camera. But this will improve the way you work with, direct and capture your models.
Get to Know Your Models
Your models will appreciate it if you spend some time explaining how the session will go.
I also like to remind my models that if they feel uncomfortable with any pose, they can tell me and we can move to the next female pose.
This makes them feel more at ease. And a relaxed and happy model looks better in photos.
Try Some Emotion Photography to Break the Ice
Occasionally, you’ll find yourself struggling to find those great female model poses. Or maybe your model is feeling shy and uncomfortable.
You can also show her your female poses references, standing poses, and sitting poses references.
You can try breaking the ice with some easy emotion photography. Tell your model an emotion and she needs to do the first thing that comes to mind. Smile, laugh, mimic crying, etc.
You need to jump from emotion to emotion fast and take at least one photo of each.
Your model might feel a bit strange at first, but if you do it fast enough, both of you will end up laughing.
Start With Easy Portrait Poses
There are women poses that are more natural than others. A good one to start with is the hands-on-waist model pose.
From this basic pose, you can build a sequence by adding a few variations.
If at some point you draw a blank and don’t know what else to do with your model, don’t worry. It happens quite often.
Have a quick look at your female poses reference list, pick one and add the variations you like.
How to Give Better Visual Instructions
Words are not always enough to explain a female pose. It is much clearer to use visual clues.
‘Look at that tree’ is better than ‘Look right. Not your right, my right’
Even better, you can show your models how to do the pose yourself. A tripod is useful here, as you can move your hands freely to demonstrate the pose.
Watch Out for the Hands
Sometimes, it is easy to forget to check your model’s hands. It is important not to because strange hand placement can ruin a portrait.
Hands need to look relaxed. If your model is clenching her fists, tell her to relax.
She can play with her hair or place her hands in her pockets, and the portrait will look much more natural.
When crossing arms, our natural tendency is to hide one. Tell your model to keep both hands visible for a more balanced pose.
And the Hair
This is especially important if you are taking portraits outdoors and it is windy.
Avoid hair on the model’s face or strange hair placements. It is always handy to have a comb, hairpins or a ponytail holder in your camera bag when shooting female portraits.
Take a Break
Taking a break to show your model how the photos are coming along can be beneficial, even for professional models.
It helps foster that relaxed environment that leads to stress-free, natural female photography poses.
If you have some water or some light snacks, your model will feel looked after, giving her a little more energy and life to continuing with the shoot.
Have Some Fun
Give your model some room to be herself. It’s always good to have a list of female poses planned for a portrait shoot. But don’t take it too seriously.
If your models feel uncomfortable doing a certain pose, consider letting it go.
You can either look for a modification of the pose or try a totally different one.
Or if your model is naturally inclined to pose a certain way, let them keep doing it and see what happens.
They might have some great ideas on their own.
List of Common Female Poses
These are some additional feminine poses you could try out the next time you’re doing portrait photography.
Starting Poses
Chin forward and out, tilted up slightly. The shoulder should also come up (but not much) to allow a small gap under the chin.
Lengthy Sitting Poses
A nice and cosy pose, great for showing a relaxed time indoors or outdoors.
Walking Poses
Capture the model walking into the shot or frame for a less staged look.
Face-On Sitting Poses
Suitable indoors or outside, have the model sit and face you. This is better if you can show some depth behind.
Sitting Poses
Have the model sit on a chair, and add some depth to the scene.
Place her arm over the chair for a relaxed look.
Hands-On-Waist Poses
Placing the hands on the waist shows control and power.
It is very photogenic and great for half body shots.
Wall Poses
Utilize a wall or object, where the model touches the object gently.
Hair Flick Poses
Use a hair flick if your model has long hair. Ask the model to quickly spin her head to the desired position. Combine the motion with a fast shutter speed.
Full-Height Shot Poses
Thumbs in the pockets or hanging naturally.
Sitting on Ground Poses
Find some steps and sit the model on them. Shoot at a very slight upward angle and try different angles and hand positions.
Side-On Shot Poses
Easy and Beautiful for a formal portrait shot. They should be side-on, with the head facing and tilted towards the camera.
Simple Poses
Using one leg to support herself, her body should curve into an S shape.
Crossed Arms Poses
Crossing arms means putting up barriers, or could show insecurity or a little more humility.
Use this to your advantage to soften some of the more powerful stances and shots.
Formal Sitting Poses
This is more formal than casual, and a great way to utilise triangles in your model’s arms and legs.
Open Stance Shot Poses
Having the arms less in the scene makes for an unusual yet open stance.
One-Leg Stance Poses
Arms and legs don’t have to be placed in any specific place – letting them hang naturally can work wonders.
Have the model support her weight on one leg.
Conclusion
When it comes to achieving the best female model poses, the most important thing is to allow your models to feel confident and communicative.
Prepare some feminine poses ahead of time and build easy sequences by adding little modifications. Help your models with visual cues or try showing them the poses yourself.
Your role as a photographer is to guide your models but also allow them space to be themselves.
This is the balance that will lead to natural-looking poses and great portraits.
