Recently while I was working on a photography project for a fashion company I met a well-established model photographer named Michelle. Michelle was the head photographer of Michelle’s fashion Photography based in the USA.
She has been in this industry since 15+ years and has worked for some renowned fashion magazines like Vogue, Fashion, Marie Claire, etc.
She loved everything about this profession except for one small thing. She said that the most painful thing about this profession is to set up model poses for fashion photography.
And while talking about how much time-consuming posing is she also said that she’d figured out some simple ways for female poses for photography. I was eager to know about the posing tips from her. I was actually desperate because she is the most experienced photographer I’ve ever met.
After the shoot ended she sat down with me and shared her tips on outdoor photography poses for female. I took out a pen and paper and start noting them down.
In this article, I’ll share with you those special female photography poses which I got to know from Michelle. These portrait photography tips are actually pretty helpful and the outcome is great too.
So without further ado, let’s start!
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The basic pose – outdoor photography poses for female
Like every other things posing also has a basic. You will need to know the basic poses and ways to make your model look stunning in the image. The basic pose for outdoor portraits for a female is to simply keep doing work. By work I mean is to read a book, clean your glasses, fix dresses, etc. These are basic steps.
The Sideway Pose
One of the most used poses for fashion portraits especially for profile images is the side-facing pose. Turn yourself aside and lift your head up a bit. This pose comes really great if you capture bokeh.
The shoulder pose
In most of the fashion shoots, Michelle has done she has always kept this pose in them. In this pose tell the model to turn towards one of her shoulders and tell her to look at the shoulder and touch her hair. This pose looks great on many fashion portraits.
The seated pose
This is the pose Michelle said is very fun to capture. You can get friendly with your model white she’s sitting on the set. Make her smile and tell her to simply give any kind of expression while sitting on a couch or any other place. Make sure you’re taking the image from the ground level. Sit at the same position as the model is and then shoot.
The chin in Hand poses
In this pose all your model has to do is to keep her chin on her hand. It’s like she’s resting her chin on the hand. This pose makes her look friendly and special. These photos are highly liked by the fashion industry.
The hands-on waist pose
This is the most used pose for models. It is a great pose for outdoor model photography. In this pose, the model has to keep her hands on her waist. The upper part of the waist is the place. This Pose brings great value to the photographs.
Lean on something
If you want to highlight your model then a lean pose is pretty great. All she has to do is to lean on a wall or any place and give expression. These expressions should be according to the theme of the shoot. A lean pose looks attractive all the time.
The classic pose called S pose
Higher shoulder towards the camera, one arm with the hand on the hip, the other arm wrapped down along the body. Nose turned slightly away from the camera to level its appearance. This pose gets followed by many fashion models that are in tops rank and even celebrities also like posing this way.
The classy sofa pose
In this pose, the model has to be forward in a chair, keep legs both in one direction, higher shoulder towards the camera with the arm resting and supporting the subject leaning back. This lengthens the appearance of the body. This pose also shows the fashion dress properly.
The laying down pose
This is according to Michelle one of the most sensual poses. This attracts lots of viewers easily. In this pose, all the model has to do lie down and look at the camera. Lay on the chest area, not the back. Hold the arms and place the head behind the arms and turn over towards the camera. This pose is quite intimidating and classy.
Pull the dress
Another great way to pose is to look down at the dress and pull one side of it. Hold one side of the hair behind the ear with one hand and pull the dress with the other one. This type of image attracts all the fashion-loved people.
Crossed legs pose
This is the most used fashion photography pose. Any model whether amateur or a pro can do it. Stand by leaning the back on the wall and cross the legs. This cross-leg pose is classy and highly loved by fashion-crazy followers.
The Movement poses
Images that get taken while the model is in motion always look more energetic and imaginative. A model may run, walk or jump in the air. Shooting a movement with a camera is a complex method that requires hard work from both a model as well as a photographer. But the final product will be definitely worth your time and effort.
The thinking pose
This is the pose that always makes us confused and curious. Whenever we see someone thinking in a photograph we want to know what she’s thinking. Therefore use the thinking pose. The model should touch her head with one finger and act like she’s thinking something. This pose looks great and attractive.
Conclusion
One thing Michelle highly suggested to me was to always stay prepared for candid shots. Try to capture the model during candid moments. Another thing she said was to search some pins and portfolios of other model photographers to get more ideas about posing. This helps a lot. The final thing was to keep practicing and getting experience. Work with focus and learn new poses through new projects. Well you can always outsource photo retouching service from us for making your fashion photos stand out.
