POSING 101
If you’re nervous about how to pose for your upcoming session, don’t worry – I have some simple posing tips that anyone can pull off!
Posing is about highlighting connections — whether with yourself, your partner, or your family. For individual clients, we’ll explore a mix of traditional and creative poses that showcase your personality. Couples can embrace poses that capture your bond, from holding hands to sharing quiet moments. For families, we’ll focus on interactions that feel warm and natural, like hugging or laughing together.
No matter who’s in front of the camera, the goal is to find poses that feel comfortable and authentic. The best advice for how to pose for photos is to just act naturally and have fun with it. I will have a lot of poses to suggest during our session as the inspiration starts flowing, however I highly encourage you to find inspiration prior to the session and have some key poses you want to try as well.
Below I have listed some fun tips & ideas that will really help you shine during your session:
As we plan your session—choosing the location, finding the best photo spots, and setting the perfect start time—we’ll also chat about the posing style that works best for you.
Here are three options to consider:
- Fully Directed: If you’d like lots of guidance and help with posing, this option is for you. I’ll offer plenty of direction throughout the session to ensure you feel comfortable and confident.
- No Direction: For those who feel right at home in front of the camera and prefer a more natural, documentary-style approach, this is a great choice. I’ll capture candid moments without much posing guidance.
- Balanced Mix: This is the most popular choice! It’s a combination of both — some candid, unposed shots along with gentle direction to help with ideas and simple poses along the way.
Easy Tricks to Make Your Poses Look Natural
The key to looking natural is to relax and focus on the connections around you.
Individual clients can think of the session as a chance to express themselves—laugh, move, or think of something that makes you happy.
Couples can interact with each other by talking, holding hands, or even sharing an inside joke.
For families, a bit of playful interaction—like whispering a secret or giving a hug—creates authentic moments that feel genuine.
Don’t worry about being perfect—the most natural poses come when you’re having fun.
Arms and hands can feel awkward if you don’t know what to do with them. (Cue: Ricky Bobby!) When you’re unsure about what to do with your arms and hands, the best trick is to keep them engaged with the people or objects around you. Individual clients can try crossing arms gently, placing hands in pockets, or resting a hand on the hip for a natural look. For couples, holding hands or wrapping an arm around your partner helps create a connection. Families can focus on touching each other—hugging, holding a child’s hand, or resting a hand on a shoulder. Keeping your arms engaged in the pose makes everything feel more relaxed and less stiff.
Here are some tips to try:
- Placing a hand on your hip
- Crossing your arms
- Holding your hands in front of your body
- Holding the opposite elbow and letting the other hand hang
- Playing with your hair
- Men & boys: placing thumbs in pants pockets
- Putting your hands up in the air
- Leaning onto a table/surface and use one of your hands to hold your face
- Hold a prop like a hat, flowers, cup of coffee, purse, sunglasses, etc
If you are feeling nervous about hand placement, it always helps to practice in the mirror! Find some inspiration from my Instagram page or other sources and practice some hand placements before your shoot so that you feel extra comfortable in front of the camera. Lastly, make sure your hands are moisturized and your nails are clean so that they look great on camera.
What to Do with Your Legs
Your legs can make or break the natural flow of a pose. Individual clients can shift their weight onto one leg to create a more relaxed stance or cross one leg in front of the other for a softer look. For couples, standing close together with your legs slightly angled creates intimacy, while walking poses add movement. Families, like couples, can shift their weight to one leg or cross legs for seated poses. The goal is to avoid stiff, straight lines and create a natural flow.
Movement is key to capturing lively, authentic images. Individual clients can add movement by walking, twirling, or playing with their hair. Couples can walk hand-in-hand, spin around, or share a playful moment. For families, adding movement—like playing with your kids, walking together, or even twirling with your child—brings energy into the shot. Movement not only relaxes you but creates dynamic, memorable images that feel alive, so feel free to let loose!
Here are a few movement ideas:
- Walk towards the camera, smiling and looking to one side.
- Twirl in place and laugh. For a couple pose, dance, and twirl each other while smiling and looking at each other.
- Take a big step forward and swing your arms naturally to create a mid-motion pose.
- Walk away from the photographer and look back. This works great for individuals or couple poses.
- One of my favorite poses with kids is making them race towards the camera, and then race back towards parents for big hugs.
So in a nutshell: Step, skip, twirl, jump – have fun and move around! This will make the photos look fun and natural. It will also spark some genuine laughter which looks amazing on camera. Adding natural movement to your poses is a perfect way to loosen up in front of the camera and create unique moments for me to capture. These are often the moments that result in the most cherished images.
Ignore the Camera
It’s easy to feel camera-conscious, but the best photos happen when you forget all about the camera. Don't worry, I'll definitely get those photos of you or your family looking at the camera for a nice new Christmas card, headshot, or profile photo. However, if you want a more natural genuine feel to some of your photos, consider trying some poses looking into the distance or at your family.
Individual clients can think of the session as "me time," focusing on how you feel in the moment. Couples should focus on each other—talk, laugh, and interact as if no one’s watching. For families, paying attention to each other instead of the camera results in natural smiles and candid moments.
The less you think about the camera, the more authentic your photos will be.
Posing with Children
Children bring spontaneity and joy to photo sessions. Whether you're posing solo with your child, as a couple, or with the whole family, it’s important to keep things playful and light. Rather than forcing poses, allow your child to move around, play, or interact with you. I’ll guide you to hold, hug, or play games, creating a relaxed environment.
These candid moments often become the most cherished photos, capturing the real energy and connection within your family.
Bring Photoshoot Props
Props are a great way to make your photos unique, add variety to your photoshoot, and make posing more interactive. For family poses with kids you can get even more creative with bubbles, balloons, or anything that will get your kids excited and engaged!
For individual poses, I recommend bringing simple props like flowers, a hat, sunglasses, a fun bag or purse, a jacket to toss over your shoulder, umbrella, a blanket to sit on, etc.
For couple poses, props are less necessary because you have each other to pose with which will already bring some engagement to the photos. However, it’s also nice to have props you can both use like a picnic blanket, flowers, or sentimental trinkets. When it comes to props, the more options the better, so don’t hesitate to bring lots of props to your photoshoot.
I love when clients bring fun props– it makes each experience that much more unique and memorable.
I want you to have tons of fun during your session!
Here are a few quick things to check before we start snapping those beautiful photos:
- No Extras: Remove hair ties, sunglasses, and watches (unless you'd like those items in your photos), and double-check your teeth for any lipstick or food.
- Tidy Up: Before each pose, smooth out any flyaway hairs and make sure zippers are zipped, and buttons are properly fastened.
- Empty Pockets: Keep phones and bulky items out of your pockets for a cleaner look.
- Posing Tips: If it bends, go ahead and bend it! For men, hands can sometimes feel awkward, so try putting them in your pockets with thumbs out, or resting them on your child’s shoulder or your partner’s waist. Arms around shoulders or linked always look great, too.
- Stay Connected: Everyone should be touching or overlapping the person next to them. It shows a sense of connection and closeness.
- For Little Ones: Don’t worry about getting your kids to look at the camera—just keep your focus on me, and I’ll handle getting their attention. We’ll capture their moments first!
More Posing Inspiration
After our Session has been booked, I will send you a Questionnaire to get to know you & your family better.
I will then create a customized Client Guide based on your responses, tailored to making this the best experience for you and your family.
Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, & Pinterest for even more inspiration!
