If you've ever felt stuck with giving direction to your subjects during a portrait photoshoot, then this tutorial is for you! In this "How to pose people who are not models" video, I share with you some simple posing tips and tricks that you can use at your next photoshoot.
I asked my sister Georgina to help me create this video. While yes, she is an absolutely beautiful person, she has stated herself that she feels uncomfortable in front of a camera and doesn't know what to do. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to film this tutorial for you. I show you techniques you can use to help your subject feel more comfortable in front of the camera and some posing ideas. These are all simple poses that anyone can do, but I find that it helps to get your client feeling more confident. This is in turns allows you to capture more genuine and beautiful portraits.
One of the aspects I love about portrait photography is being able to photograph WHO someone is. I want my subject's individual personality to shine through in the portraits I take. The posing tips I share in this video make this technique super easy. By asking your subject to do a movement rather than a very specific pose - your subject is able to make those instructions their own. If you ask someone to walk, everyone will have a different way they will express that. Then it's up to you to capture it using different compositions.
I am using the Canon 35mm f1.4 II for this portrait photoshoot on the Canon 5D4 DSLR. I love using a 35mm for portrait photography even though it's an unconventional lens. One of my favourite aspects of using a 35mm is being able to incorporate more of the environment in my portraits.
If that's not enough posing tips for you, I also have another video with more tips on posing people for portraits here! I also have a portrait posing tutorial for males who are not models. Thank you so much for 1 million views on both these posing videos!! We filmed the male posing tips while Dan and I were visiting Warsaw, Poland with his cousin Karol. I never imagined so many people would love that video so much.
These are the final photos my sister and I captured on our afternoon photoshoot. Watch the video below to hear all my posing tips! Please subscribe to my YouTube channel, I upload new photography videos every week.
All photos edited with my New York Lightroom Preset Pack.
All photos edited with my New York Lightroom Preset!
If you enjoyed this tutorial you might want to check out my how to pose males who are NOT models guide here!