It’s 100% natural, normal and oh so real to feel uncomfortable and out of your comfort zone in front of the camera. Trust me, I still do too! If you don’t, you own it and love it, then hey, props to you! Either way, I’m here to help you forget (for the most part) that there’s a camera involved, all while making sure you look and feel great. I’m not about recreating fashion magazine covers or holding prom pose and saying “cheese” for hours on end. No no. We’re not doing that. We’re here to capture this amazing time in your life, whether it’s your wedding or engagement or just because, document those memories all while having fun and creating a new memory in and of itself. 

Sound good? I hope so! And while there are lots of posing tips out there, you won’t hear me say them to you very much, if at all. Instead, I’ll guide you through prompts, movements and actions that will elicit a reaction and all the emotions so you can just feel and have fun rather than hold a pose and start to question how you look. 

With all that being said, here are 5 “posing tips” to know before any couple session (or any session at all, really). The rest, you can leave to me 🙂 

1. IT’S OKAY TO MOVE!

Movement, reactions, feeling – it’s all welcome here. Movement is great! It makes your hair move, helps you relax. so have at it! Don’t ever feel like you need to stay still. Moving slightly all the time or at least just a bit every time you hear the shutter (if you notice it) will help you be more relaxed and bring life to the photos!

2. KEEP YOUR FINGERS TOGETHER

This might feel silly, but I promise, it will look way better – think about having princess hands like you’re doing the princess wave, as in keep your fingers together most of the time, especially when holding onto one another. We humans naturally like to spread our fingers to hold or grip things, but that can look like the claws are out, so, bring on the princess hands (or prince, whatever you want to call it).

3. LADIES, WALK LIKE A MODEL

Ladies, it’s your time to shine. Whenever I have you walk, walk like a model. You will feel silly and it may take a few steps to get the swing of it, but as you walk, think about placing one foot in front of the other, your heel in line with your toes as you step down. Yes, you’ll feel somewhat goofy and simultaneously like a fabulous runway model. But it will also cause your hips to swing out from side to side resulting in super flattering steps and elongated legs for the camera. (Yep. There’s a reason models walk that way).

4. LADIES, POP A HIP. GENTLEMAN, KEEP IT WIDE.

Ladies, When you’re standing, 9/10 out of 10, you’ll want to pop a hip and put most of your weight in one foot. This will accentuate curves but it’s also more like how us women typically stand after a while, which will make you look more comfortable and relaxed in the photos. Gentleman, stand tall, but make sure there’s always a little space between your legs. A wider stance is masculine in nature and will you help you also look more at ease, rather than if you were standing tall with your feet together, which can read as timid or like you’re doing mountain pose in yoga. So pop a hip and keep it wide 🙂

5. HAVE FUN!

Feel the prompt, embrace the awkwardness, messiness, hair in your face, wrinkle on your shirt.

And last but not least (and probably most important) is to have fun! Give yourself permission to have fun, let loose, be silly (!), play and feel the prompts. As a adults, we’re not very good at being silly or playing because more often than not, it’s frowned upon. But not here. Not to toot my own horn, but I make a great third wheel (or 5th, 6th, 7th) so if you do one thing, it’s give yourself permission to have fun. This is definitely not your yearbook photos or mom’s matching family photos from 1987 where you had to sit still and behave. Nahhh we’re here to have fun. Easier said than done, I know (at least for the first 15 minutes or so of a session), but when you embrace any awkwardness, messiness like hair in your face or wind and you let go of the wrinkle in your shirt or the splatter of mud on the bottom of your dress, you’ll have so much more fun, can live in the moment and will actually feel more comfortable which means you’ll look more comfortable in the photos. 

So there you have it, my 5 “posing tips” to know before your session. For more behind the scenes of posing and session, be sure to check out instagram and my reels so you can see what I mean! And if you ever have any questions, you know where I am 🙂 

 

 

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