Posing Everyday People and Different Body Types

Ksenia Pro works with Sasha Barea to show how poses read on camera: hips back, leaning forward for slimmer thighs and waist, lower back arched for an S-curve, near knee bent, triangles with arms and a pointed toe without aiming elbows at the lens, no over-twisting, and soft hands.

Dave Krugman offers five tips for working with models: build rapport over coffee before lifting the camera, shoot fewer, more deliberate frames, use a non-verbal system like having eyes follow his hand, watch background lines so they frame rather than cut through the subject, and pose for other photographers.

Lizzie Peirce photographs YouTuber Alanna with ten non-model poses: shifting weight, holding fingers loosely, walking through frame and looking back, pushing hair behind the ear, lifting hair at the root, the thinker with chin on hand, the shy hand over mouth, a look-back with a shrug, and an asymmetrical sit-and-slouch.

Two models from The Agency Arizona compare approaches. Editorial model Kailee Cannady looks for fluid movement in clothing, product or story, asks the photographer what works and commits to each pose, while commercial model Jordan Wessel, booked by beauty and lifestyle brands, plays the relatable, smiling girl next door.

Brett Seeley shoots a midday fitness session in Maui with Maria, a near-beginner model, using a single Westcott FJ400. He builds confidence with honest, specific praise rather than empty compliments, then directs her muscle by muscle, quad, core, shoulder and bicep, keeping up constant instruction so nerves cannot surface.