Posing can be such a tough thing to master, especially at the very beginning. I mean, how can you remember all of the one-hundred thousand cute, romantic, yet fun poses that your clients see on Pinterest everyday?

The real answer…

You can’t!

There comes a time you have to log off Pinterest and make up your own rules.

The number one thing you can do to make your clients posing look natural, romantic, and like “it just happened” is to help them feel comfortable around you.

Here are a few posing faux pas you may be making…

1. You don’t tell them what to do with their hands… Isn’t that the worst feeling in the world? It automatically makes them feel (and look) awkward. You always want to make sure you give them a clear direction on where to place their hands and then make sure you’re changing it up every few clicks of the shutter. Which leads us to our second faux pas…
2. You are keeping them in the same pose for too long… Trust us, we know what it’s like to need just a few more shots while our clients are in a pose to make sure we have one in tack sharp focus, BUT if you stay in one place too long, it starts to look and feel stagnant. Here’s a secret: put their feet in one place that you like and then change up their arms and heads pretty often. If the clients are constantly getting good direction from you, they won’t feel like they haven’t moved in a few minutes, and you are still getting lots of variety and sharply focused images.
3. You don’t talk enough… That sounds strange, right? But think about it, your clients already feel awkward behind the camera. Who doesn’t? What could make it worse? Awkward silence. You want to make sure you give them a clear direction and then flood them with lots of compliments. Pair that with changing up the poses every few minutes, and they will be too busy to feel awkward!

Posing can be hard, but I think our own insecurities as photographers can make it worse! Stop comparing yourselves to other photographers! Be YOU. Choose poses that feel natural to you and your clients. Love on them the whole session, and you’ll come out with images you love!

-Chelsea