POSING TECHNIQUES FOR MEN

Different ideas of how to pose men:

 

portrait of young man in autumn
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

I don’t know if it is men taking pictures of men or what, but, when I take portraits of men, I always seem more uncomfortable taking photos of men than women.  And maybe it’s because women seem easy to pose for men?  Maybe it’s easy for women to take photos of men?  I don’t know about which is easier for people, but, whatever the case, we all need to know how to take photos properly of either sex.  And there are good guidelines in today’s world of how to pose people correctly.

Let’s start with these posing techniques:

Men are usually less comfortable in process of being photographed, so it’s important to get him to be at ease with the process poses he makes in order to get good results.

It is always a good idea to prepare before the photo shoot. Just one more peace of advice – involve your subject in the process!

He will feel more confident knowing the plan, what he has to “do” and what kind of outcome is expected. Showing this kind of posing cheat sheet to your model is indeed a very good way to prepare your subject for a photo shoot and make him feel more relaxed and confident at the same time.

 

1. Very simple pose for a man’s portrait: An upper body shot with crossed arms. Two things to take care of: Shoulders should be pulled back a little, stomach muscles kept in check.

Posing Guide for taking Great Photos of Men

 

2. Crossed arms works very well in full height shots as well. In addition, ask him to cross one leg in front of the other. But make sure the body weight is not supported equal on both legs, otherwise that would look just awkward!

Posing Guide for taking Great Photos of Men

3. A recurring question from your subject might be “Where shall I put my hands?” The solutions is actually quite simple. There are four places to keep in mind (mixed in any combination utilizing both hands). #1. Loosely by the side. #2. On the hips. #3. In the pockets. #4. Both hands crossed on the chest. And in addition – hands should always be relaxed, which means no muscle pressure, except you are photographing a bodybuilder

Posing Guide for taking Great Photos of Men

 

4. A casual pose for an uprightly standing man. Men indeed have a problem with placing their hands, by keeping them fully or partly in the side pockets, you have a sure way to achieve natural and relaxed pose.

 

Posing Guide for taking Great Photos of Men

 

5. Just a slight variation to the previous pose. Some piece of clothing over the shoulder, merely a thumb in the pocket, and legs crossed work very well.

Posing Guide for taking Great Photos of Men

 

6. For a sitting pose, putting the ankle of one leg onto the knee of the other looks relaxed and natural. Shoot slightly from above.

Posing Guide for taking Great Photos of Men

 

7. Leaning against a wall is just another variant for upright posing.

Posing Guide for taking Great Photos of Men

 

8. The sideways way of leaning against the same wall. Works very well for both casual and formal shots.

Posing Guide for taking Great Photos of Men

 

 

9. Very simple pose for a formal portrait. Items held in the hand (e.g. a laptop, books, or even tools) can work as insignia that point at the subject’s occupation.

Posing Guide for taking Great Photos of Men

 

10. Against common belief, it is absolutely fine to make shots of a man sitting partly on a desk. For formal portraits such a pose might counteract rigidness.

posing-men-subjects10.png

 

11. Very simple pose for a portrait with a man sitting at a desk. To reveal the subject’s profession place work related items on the desk that can function as insignia.

Posing Guide for taking Great Photos of Men

 

12. A slight variation of the previous pose. Very appropriate for formal portraits.

Posing Guide for taking Great Photos of Men

 

13. To show the work environment while removing the distance created by a foreground object like a desk, take your shot from the back side. The result will be formal but inviting at the same time.

Posing Guide for taking Great Photos of Men

 

14. A man supporting himself on a desk with arms crossed. Again you could place work related items on the desk to point to the subject’s profession.

Posing Guide for taking Great Photos of Men

 

15. Using a chair as a prop can make a portrait more engaging and interesting. Very suitable when introducing creative people in their work environment.

Posing Guide for taking Great Photos of Men

 

16. Sitting comfortably in a chair usually works for a corporate and formal portraits.

Posing Guide for taking Great Photos of Men

 

17. Easy and natural pose with a man sitting on the ground. Try different shooting directions and angles.

Posing Guide for taking Great Photos of Men

 

18. Another variant of a man’s pose while sitting on the ground. Suitable for outdoor locations.

Posing Guide for taking Great Photos of Men

 

19. An easy and relaxed looking pose for a sitting man.

Posing Guide for taking Great Photos of Men

 

20. Informal pose. The man is sitting on the ground resting his back against the wall or some object.

Posing Guide for taking Great Photos of Men

 

21. Finally, let your subject be the protagonist of your picture. Never be afraid to crop tightly around the model’s face.

Posing Guide for taking Great Photos of Men

 

That should be at least something to use as a starting point. Again, remember that there are no absolutes, each sample pose might and should be adjusted depending on your shooting environment and scenario. There is no need to overdo anything. Actually, all you need for good people portraits is simplicity. Simple backgrounds, simple clothing, simple poses and natural expressions.

 

Now, let’s take a look at some real portraits of men, not just drawings:

 

men s wearing black suit jacket and pants
Photo by mentatdgt on Pexels.com

 

close up face fashion fine looking
Photo by Royal Anwar on Pexels.com

 

 

adult business businessman chair
Photo by Royal Anwar on Pexels.com

 

 

grayscale photo of man wearing button up shirt
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

 

 

man wearing blue and white shirt
Photo by Jeffrey Reed on Pexels.com

 

 

 

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Hopefully, this gives you enough good ideas of how to take good photos of men.  Using these techniques should help you in a lot of different posing whether you are a professional or amateur.

 

****  This article of posing techniques is found on Pinterest as well as “The Digital Photography School” .  This has also been produced on Facebook and other social media websites.

 

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