1. Find your best angle
Browse through your gallery or your Instagram account and find the images where you feel you look best – you’ll likely have the same side of your face turned towards the camera in all of them.
We all have a more photogenic side. Some studies show that the left side of our face reflects more emotion, and therefore is perceived as more pleasing.
Either way, to learn how to pose for pictures, you first need to find your best side. This way, you can practice different poses and expressions on that side and find your perfect angle.
To do this, you can practice your poses in front of a mirror, record yourself on video, or take a bunch of selfies using burst mode while you move – it’s your choice.
2. Tilt your head
Now that you know which side is your best angle, make good use of this knowledge and tilt your head towards your best side.
This will enhance the natural angles of your face and will make you look more approachable.
This tip can be useful for full-body pictures or tighter crops; whether you’re sitting or on your feet. It’s a subtle thing that can help the overall look of your poses.
3. Turn 45-degrees
This is a classic posing rule that makes anyone look more photogenic despite their age, gender or body type.
Instead of facing straight towards the camera, twist your body to one side – your best side.
Don’t turn all the way to your profile – stop halfway, when you’re at a 45-degree angle from the 3 poin slinger for camera. This will make you more approachable – just like the head tilt – and make the image more dynamic.
Your body will look slimmer with this pose as it accentuates the natural curves. This applies to both men and women as it has to do with soft and fluid lines instead of sharp angles and bulky shapes.
Most articles you see in glossy magazines about how to pose for pictures skip over this tip, but it’s a good one, so make sure you try it out next time on Instagram or for a new profile photo.
If you’re a couple, these poses can work well if you mirror each other and lean on a wall, with each person leaning with their opposite shoulder.
4. Keep the weight on one leg
When you pose for photos, try not to stand with equal weight on both legs. Instead, lean slightly and send the weight to one of the feet.
When you do this, the other leg is free to bend the knee and look more relaxed. If you want to accentuate the effect, you can also cross the leg in front or behind the other one.
This movement also highlights the body’s natural curves because it automatically pops the hip. As such, it’s a great pose for women.
5. Improve your posture
Whether you’re standing up or sitting down, doing a full-body portrait or a head shot – good posture is key to looking good in photos.
To improve your posture, you should keep a neutral spine, which means that it should follow the natural curves – avoid hunching your back or shoulders.
Also, when you pose, keep your shoulders down and elongate the neck as if something was pulling you up from the head – you’ll see professional bikini models posing like this all the time.
Incorporating all these things into your poses will make your face and body look slender, and you’ll convey confidence in every photo.
Having great posture is a neat trick when posing males, since it conveys strength and confidence, regardless of the model’s height.
6. Pretend You’re About To Pick Your Nails
It sounds bizarre (and a little gross), but it totally works in pics. Just bring your hands together in front of your belly button like you’re about to clasp them or pick at your fingertips, then pause to take the perfect shot.
7.Use Hand Poses to Flatter the Rest of the Body
Sure, this article is to learn where to put the hands. But where the subject places the hands can change the entire body shape.
In general, use the hand pose to create space between the torso and the arms. The subject will look wider if you don’t. Try placing the hands on the hips, for example.
That’s not a hard and fast rule, though. Crossing the hands in an X at the front can exaggerate curves (often used with women).
Crossing the hands with the elbows out can make the shoulders look broad. This hand pose is often used by men because it also highlights the arm muscles.
