I often get asked “How did I learn how to pose in pics”. To be totally honest, I practice a TON! Being a box shape (saddle bags DO NOT count as hips), I have learned to contort my body to create the illusion of an hourglass or heck any shape minus my linear one. I almost always jut a hip to create that nice roundness and I almost always have one foot slightly in front of the other.
Most bloggers have perfected the look away pose or the infamous “oops, I dropped something and need to look at it” pose but the last year or so I have actively tried to deviate from it. My favorite way to pose is looking dead at the camera and showcasing my confidence. Because of my want to create more editorial type looks, I rarely capture that candid, street style look.
I do however LOVE action and movement shots. One of my favorite captures is a big wide step showcasing all the fluidity of whatever clothes you are wearing. Typically I save these type of shots for wide leg pants or very flowy dresses.
For this particular shoot with Tosha, my one and only goal was to not look boxy. I could not do anything about my little belly pooch so I ignored it and instead went for featuring my hips, pointing my toe and leaning up against as many objects as possible. I wanted this shoot to be bad ass and uncomplicated. I think we nailed it!
If I am wearing something that is more feminine or lady like, I prefer sitting poses with my back perfectly straight (no slouching) as well as twirling, fanciful type pics. Like I have mentioned prior, my outfit determines not only my mood but also how I pose in pictures. Because of the size of my legs, I rarely stand with both feet forward. One is almost always parallel to the camera, behind the other foot, or somehow swinging in the air.
As far as my arms go- I stay with a bent arm since they have gotten rather large. I also cannot stress enough the importance of elongating your fingers as much as possible. I always pretend that I am a ballerina when it comes to my limbs. I go for long and lean and poetic. You always want your limbs to be relaxed and not stiff.
A full ‘how to pose’ post is coming in the near future with photos to showcase what to and not to do but in the meantime please enjoy my absolute FAVORITE shoot from my time in California. Arizona is next on my list of places to create some magical photos in. Hey Arizona Tourism board, are you reading? lol!
Now here is your turn to chat. Send me your questions about posing in the comments and I will respond to all of them. Thanks for reading and have a fantastic rest of your day ladies and gents!
p.s. Monroe also rocked the heck out of this dress and the minute she decides to give it away, I’m making a MAD dash for it!
Dress: Revolve (Monroe’s Closet) | Scarf as headwrap: Rose Bowl Flea Market | Glasses: Forever 21 | Shoes: Nine West | Lipstick: MRW | Earrings: eBay | Hair: Johanns Virgin Hair | Hair Install and Styling: Alisa of Cosmo Crush
Hey, I’m familiar with that “wide leg” direction and it definitely works! You get some great shots, I’ve gotta work on my poses for the camera! Thanks for sharing tips!
always girl! Thanks for being so easy to shoot
This whole shoot is epic! It’s probably my favorite one of you! Thanks for all the posing tips.
Thank you darling! How are you?
Love the model pose tips. I am always willing to learn from the ones who are successful. This shoot was a fabulous success!
thank you! I dont feel like a total success yet but I really feel like I am having fun!