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When it comes to posing, men have never been good posers in front of a camera. Rigid poses, forced smiles, squinted eyes, and that not-so-normal expression is ruining your every good photo. While you might think it is not that big of a deal, then again, scrolling through feeds on social media and those picture-perfect captures of others, make you think otherwise at times. Moreover, how long are you planning to keep on going in this digital world with those two candid pictures of yours? A picture is not only a style statement but a part of your vivid memory. Down the time when you will look back on it, it will bring back thousands of memories. So, you must learn how to pose to make that photo a part of you. Posing is not a daunting job if you know the basics of it. We will walk you through the basic steps that you need to keep in mind while posing for a picture, and also suggest some simple yet effective poses to put more life into your photos. So, let’s get started.
1. Tips for Posing Body
It is more important to know how to pose your body before trying out any pose. If your body position is not correct, no pose will ever work for you. Follow these tips to improve your body position.
Tip 1: Always remember to keep your shoulders square to the camera. You would like to look broad and large as a male. If your shoulders are not facing the camera, your profile will look considerably slimmer. Again, it can be a good trick for those who are fat but want to keep a slimmer profile in photos. Keep your shoulders relaxed and lean an inch or two forward bringing the shoulders closer to the camera to enhance the look.
Tip 2: Always tighten your core muscles by pulling in your stomach a bit while taking photos. Don’t suck your belly all in but make it barely flat. What it does is, slim your waist and puts out your chest a bit, and helps in maintaining a good and steady posture.
Tip 3: Incorrect posture is one of the major reasons why your photos come boring. Work on your posture and 90% of your problem is solved. For example, strolling is a very common pose for men. But majority fail to pull it out correctly and effectively just because of their bad posture while walking. This can be corrected by practising proper posture while walking, just keep your body straight and head high.
2. Tips for Hands
Often, we find it very confusing where to put our hands while taking photos. Irrespective of the pose you want to go for, you can use these permutations and combinations to bring the most out of your photos.
Tip 1: Put your hands in your pocket. The amount of confidence and calmness this pose reflects is insane. A pro tip would be to put half of your palm inside keeping the thumbs out instead of putting the whole palm inside. You can go for the later one as well according to your preference. You can try other options as well like putting one hand in your pocket and running the other hand through your hair. Keep experimenting as long as you don’t feel it is weird.
Tip 2: Touch your face with your forefinger and thumb around the chin or curl your fingers and place them against your chin, or the palms on your cheek to convey thought or relaxation through your photos. Try out and find the best pose that suits you in this section.
Tip 3: If you are wearing a suit, put out one hand to adjust your tie. This is a classic and classy way to bring the maximum out-of-hand positions. This goes extremely well if you are wearing a suit. Also, if you are missing out both on your tie as well as a suit, you can still similarly position your hand on the collar button of your shirt. You can place your hand on your watch dial as well as on your shirt sleeve adjusting it for an aesthetic look.
Tip 4: Cross both your arms for a serious and commanding pose. For a better pose, make sure that both your arms are visible and place both your hands on the opposite arm, instead of tucking one of the hands under the other. This is a good pose for traditional wear like Kurta or Punjabi.
Tip 5: You can add an object to bring more definition to your hand position. For example, holding a coffee mug, bringing the cup of tea close to your lips for a sip, putting a bag pack on one of your shoulders, holding the strap, or simply carrying a gym bag with one hand.
3. Tips for Facial Expression
Facial expressions are the heart of portrait photos. With a bland expression, even the best photos lose their edge. You must keep your facial expression at the point for a good photo.
Tip 1: Squint or narrow your eyes a bit, as wide eyes do not suit male faces. Raise your bottom eyelids slightly in a squint. This gives you a look of deep thought or careful consideration. You might not get this in one try, so keep on trying till you get those sexy squinted eyes right. The bottom line is to let your eyes do the talking.
Tip 2: Extend your chin forward and then place it down. If your chin is resting normally, then chances are your double chin will be protruding out. Extend your chin forward, angle it a bit lower than normal, and hide that double chin. Don’t raise your chin revealing your nostrils.
Tip 3: Show some of those white teeth with your smile. Don’t overdo it by revealing all of them as if you have won a lottery, nor purse your lips for a forced smile as if you have lost all your teeth. Instead, go for a natural and candid smile. Keep on revealing your teeth slowly till you find a suitable smile, and go on with it.
Tip 4: Don’t look at the camera unless you are holding a direct eye contact pose. Always look past the camera, either upwards or downwards or left or right of the camera. It also gives you a more natural photo rather than revealing that you have taken quite an effort to take the photo.
4. Bonus Tips
- Don’t be afraid to experiment. Always remember the photos you see on your feed are the result of innumerable photos taken before coming to the chosen one. You will never get the desired look with a single click. Let shutter work its way to that perfect picture.
- Apply the rule of thirds, which divides a photo into nine equal parts with the intersections between these boxes hot spots to which our eyes are naturally drawn. If you put yourself in one of these hotspots eyes will automatically be drawn toward you. If you want to be the centre of attention in your photo don’t position yourself in the centre.
- Lighting in your photos is a crucial part of it. Morning light and the light before sundown is called ‘magic hour’ as the natural light you get at this time gives the skin an impeccable beautiful glow.
- Find your perfect angle. Some have good side faces, while some have a good front face, while some prefer a combination of both. Go for what suits you.
5. Simple Poses to Try
Here is a list of a few simple poses that you can implement in your next photo sessions:
Hands in Pocket
A simple yet effective pose that you should try out. Instead of dangling your arms on the side, put them in your pocket and you will see yourself the impact this single move will have on your pictures. You can put them in your back pocket too for a variation.
Leaning
Another effective and classic pose for the novice as they have something to lean on. Leaning on relaxes your body tension and makes you feel much more comfortable. It is better than just standing out there straight in all photos.
Seated
Getting a seated pose at times can be even more comfortable than the leaning pose. Sitting is a natural pose that helps the body to relax. While sitting, place your elbows on your thighs and put your weight on them. This will automatically encourage you to lean forward towards the lens. You can even spread your legs, lean backward, and fold one leg to get a more relaxed pose.
Walking
A great pose for outdoor shooting. Just walk naturally as you do in the right posture with slight arm movement. Keep your strolling as natural as you can, the more you try to consciously think of it, the more your walk will look like a parade.
Cross-armed
Lots of guys go for the crossed arms pose. This hand position appears serious and commanding. Shooting side on and leaning works much better in this instance. You can add more impact to this pose in traditional attire.
Next time try these basic tips and poses to add more life to your photos and create a difference. However, all these poses, simple or complex work on a key factor and that is confidence. If your confidence is on point, even the simple photos get a different glaze. To know more about such effective tips and tricks, subscribe to our Youtube channel and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Join our WhatsApp community for regular updates and content.
