When I first began my business, posing was easily the SCARIEST aspect of it all. Like, seriously…NOTHING terrified me more than having to be in charge of a session + knowing how to instruct my clients to make them look their absolute BEST! Having to be “the boss” and visualize a pose, communicate it to your client successfully + capture it in a flattering way…that’s A LOT of pressure!! But, with practice + confidence, there are so many amazing things that can happen!! When you finally become confident in your posing, your sessions will be SO much better!! Not only will your clients look + FEEL better, but YOU won’t have to stress!! Your sessions will begin to have a natural “flow”, and you will be able to enjoy your time with your clients instead of constantly worrying about the next pose to put them in. Hopefully these tips will help shed some light on posing + help you become more confident behind the camera!

1. Always use COMMANDS + be SPECIFIC:

When posing, one of the most important tips is to ALWAYS use commands! Instead of saying ” I think I’m going to have you maybe look at your right shoulder, and could you kind of bring that hand up to your cheek right there?” Say “Okay, I am going to have you drop your eyes to your right shoulder and then bring your left hand gently to your left cheek .” This way, instead of ASKING your clients what to do, you are TELLING them. This establishes a tone for the entire session, and then your clients will automatically feel at ease. When you present yourself confidently, your clients will have confidence in you!!

2. Incorporate the client’s WARDROBE:

During senior sessions, it is very easy to get overwhelmed and forget your posing ideas! One of the best ways to keep things new + fresh is to incorporate your client’s clothing into their posing! For example, if your client is wearing a jean jacket, having them hold the sides of the jacket can mix up posing! With pants, have them put their hands in their pockets. Or, if your client is wearing a dress, have them sway it back and forth!

3. MIX it up:

When I begin to run out of ideas at a session, I always remind myself to do a combination of standing, sitting, laying, kneeling and leaning poses! I usually begin to feel like my poses are redundant when I am having my clients stand, so I will switch it up and have them sit in a field or on a step, lay on their stomach, lean into a wall, etc.! If you continue to do different combinations of these poses, you will never run out of ideas!!

4. Keep GALLERIES on your phone:

Even now, there are still times when I have a “brain fart” during a senior session, or I’m just having an off day and need some inspiration! So, I keep the PASS app on my iPhone! All of my past galleries are there, so when my clients go to change or we are walking between locations, I will quickly pull up some of my old senior galleries to get re-inspired on the fly!