Men poses for photoshoot. Tips from pro photographer

Unlike women, men are not very enthusiastic about photo shoots. Often, the time spent in front of the camera is more of a test than a pleasure for them. A man may feel nervous and "closed off" during a photo session.

The photographer's job is to calm and help the client relax. My main principle: "a relaxed man is a good man."

a relaxed man is a good man

I encourage guys to act naturally during the shoot, and I observe and point out anything that seems a bit "too much" – too slouchy, too straight of a back, leaning too heavily, etc.

Of course, there are also pose suggestions. Sharing them, save them to your bookmarks!

Standing Poses. The Basics

These are the 5 basic poses for men that you can use very easily. Moreover, they form the foundation for all other poses:

• relaxed arms hanging freely
• both hands behind the back
• arms crossed on the chest
• both hands in pockets
• one hand in a pocket, the other hanging.

Important: the hand in the pocket shouldn't be too deep. Because then it presses too tightly against the body, looks unnatural, and draws too much attention. Therefore, I advise simply inserting only 4 fingers into the pocket, keeping the thumb outside. This is very easy to explain and achieves the desired effect.

Of course, this is not an exhaustive list. Many more options can be added. For example, holding a jacket with one hand, throwing a jacket or bag over the shoulder, adjusting a sleeve or watch. Such small scenarios and tasks help the man do familiar things, thereby relaxing him.

Standing Poses. General Tips

We should also talk about the pose as a whole. It all depends on the man and his self-confidence, and the amount of stress in his head with questions like "am I standing correctly?", "what do I do with my hands?", "what should I do?", "how do I look?" Then, simply standing will make the man feel awkward. In this case, it's better to lean on something with a shoulder or back. This makes the pose more relaxed, the shoulders drop, and the person in the frame achieves the necessary pose.

Personally, I like to take 3/4 shots – cropping the legs above the knee. This way, most of the shots tell about the person, not about the clothes and shoes. But it all depends on the purpose of the shot. And overall, I still take both close-up and full shots during the photo session. My goal as a professional is to solve the client's problem, so if it's not a shoot for a catalog, I focus my attention on the personality more than on the clothes.

By the way, I have now moved to Lisbon and there are an incredible number of different locations for different directions and themes. So I invite you to take a look at my portfolio of a male photographer in Lisbon where I specialize in male portraits. Of course, I have a special section for female portraits in Lisbon, and there is even a section for boudoir and beach photography in Lisbon. Yes, yes! Portugal is very diverse, and Lisbon is the center of everything, and here you can take photos in the forest, in the desert, on the beach, and in the city.

Standing Poses. Tips on Leg Position

If you are still taking standing photos, and the legs are fully in the frame, then I highly recommend putting them at different levels, or crossing them. And even if the photo is not full-length, legs at different levels give the pose a more aesthetic look. The leg can be placed on a step, on a wall, on some kind of pedestal. At the same time, sometimes if this stand is high, you can lean towards that leg, transforming the pose into another option.

Male Poses. Advanced Level, or How to Start Looking Relaxed

The main task of the photographer during the shoot is to instill confidence and relax the model so that the person is comfortable. This task is not only for male shoots, but also for female shoots. I would even say that everything is much more complicated in female photo shoots. Women are much more picky about themselves and the photographer. Therefore, the feeling of well-being during the shoot becomes even more important there.

What am I getting at? I want to say that when a person feels awkward, one of the tricks is to give them simple tasks to distract them and thereby capture moments of naturalness. The simplest thing is to ask them to walk. Even if a person walks 10 times in the same place, the photographer, changing the angle, lens, frame size, shooting height – can make a lot of really different photos. And here it will be very difficult to be "unnatural". Because we have been walking since childhood and this is something that very easily relaxes and leads to the desired result.

Also, a simple solution is to ask the man to adjust his shirt, button up his buttons, carry a bag or jacket. This occupies the hands and, most importantly, the mind, which is often too tense and interferes with lightness and naturalness:)

Sitting Poses

About sitting positions, I only want to say that it is important to find a free position. If you don't specifically focus on it, the man will make himself comfortable, and everything will go smoothly. You can cross your legs in the classic position, or ankle to knee – whichever is more comfortable.

If there is a chair of normal height, then one of the classic poses is to put your elbow on your knee, leaning on it. A high chair (bar stool) can also be used to sit comfortably, which gives slightly different poses. At the same time, if you can sit astride the chair, then the man has a support for his hands, which can be crossed or raised, touched to his head, chin, etc.

Life Hacks

• If you shoot from below at a slight angle, the man will appear more masculine, taller, and more massive. And isn't that what every gentleman wants to look like?
• You can emphasize the figure by turning the torso to the photographer, and the hips, on the contrary, slightly away from the camera. The hands can be along the body.
• Pockets! This is a real lifesaver. You can put your hands in your pants pockets, leaving only your thumbs out. Or, conversely, put your thumbs in them, leaving your hands outside, clenched into fists.
• And if you leave one hand in your pants and put a jacket or sweater over your shoulder with the other, while crossing your legs, the man will look natural and relaxed.

Visual Guide for Saving

Did my tips help you? Share your observations as well. Here I want to give you a single picture that will help you as a "cheat sheet" so that you can save it and use it when necessary.

And after that, examples of my work for male photo shoots, which show real moments with ordinary men. By the way, 90% of the time I work with ordinary people, and when I use the word "model", it is only as a designation that it is "a person in front of the camera", and not "a person who is professionally engaged in modeling".