Basic Poses for Portrait or Fashion Photography

A portrait or fashion photographer would know how the subject would pose to create the mood and scene that are needed to be seen in the photo. The best poses for portraits highlight the assets of the face or body of the model. For commercial fashion photography, the clothes, shoes, overall mood, or whatever is being sold in the photo should be accentuated. If you're the one posing for a portrait or fashion shoot, you also need to know, at least, how to do the basic poses and what they project.

If you'll do the most standing pose for a portrait or for commercial modeling, you need to slightly put your weight on one foot and cross the other foot in front. Slightly bend the leg that you've put in front so that your body will twist a bit at the hip. Put both hands on your sides. Keep them relaxed, but not too much that your shoulders would sag. Remember to keep a straight back and square shoulders. This is a classic pose that you'll see in many full-body shots and in print advertisements that would like to present simplicity, elegance, and minimalism.

If you feel awkward about just having your hands on your sides, one variation of the basic standing pose is to casually put one hand on your hip. For some people, this would look more natural. It also projects more confidence. This is why you'll see this pose done by contestants in many beauty pageants. For men who are wearing standard trousers, it would be best to put your hand, except for your thumb, inside the pocket.

You can also have two hands on your hips, but relax your arms and shoulders. With this pose, your body will appear to have an hourglass shape. With this position, women can emphasize their curves more with this position, while men who have strong shoulders and trimmed abs will look even sexier.

But a photographer doing fashion shoots or portraits might ask you to cross your arms in front if he'd like to show more power and serious business in a shot. In communicating with people, you're warned against using this stance, because it turns off anyone who'd like to talk to you. The crossed-arm pose does come off strong. This is why you'll see presidential candidates, women executives, and other personalities representing serious matters in this pose in magazine covers. It really gives off an authoritative image in the mind of anyone who sees it.

To practice these poses, do each of them in front of the mirror. This is the best way to correct your stance in your photos. If you wish, you can even do your own variations. If you think it looks good, then go ahead and use it in your next photo shoot.