Every model will expect you to be a posing expert

Posing is a powerful psychological tool for a photographer. Along with expression, it plays a big part in conveying the photographer’s message, since the position and relationship to the camera of a subject’s body can reveal much about the subject’s character. The pose should not only complement the subject, but should also suit the type of portrait and its intended use. A judge in a formal portrait, for example, is often posed regally (think of a statue of a monarch) clearly demonstrating his or her authority and the dignity of the office. Frivolity is not the message. The same judge, photographed at home in a family setting, would be posed to look less severe and more inclined to warmth among family members, but no less dignified. As in the case of a judge’s formal portrait, convention often seems to dictate how certain subjects should be posed. This is because we interpret a subject’s body language as a means of identifying his or her state of mind and character. Stiffness in a judge’s pose, for instance, can indicate an unbending resoluteness - the kind of firmness and determination we associate with a judge. The same stiffness seen in a portrait of a pretty girl at the beach or a bride at her wedding would indicate unapproachability, stress or discomfort, and would be unsuitable for her portrait.