Five Standing Pose Tricks For Photographing Women

When photographing a woman standing, there are five key things you can do that will instantly flatter her figure. She will be your client forever if you make her look amazing. It does not matter if you can see her legs because she is wearing a bikini or shorts, or if they are covered by a dress. The position of her legs helps to set up her attitude, and that will give her confidence and help you make a remarkable photograph.

Here are the five key things you can do that will help you with that:

1) Have her put all her weight on the back leg. The leg that takes the weight goes thick and heavy. It's not as attractive as it sounds, so you don't want that effect to be front and center. With all the weight on the back leg, she becomes stable and can easily position the front leg in a variety of ways. With no weight on the front leg, it will look slender and shapely.

2) Raise the heel on the front leg. This is especially effective if she is barefoot. It gives the illusion of having a longer leg. It will also give a better shape to her calf. If she pushes down a bit on the toes, this isometric effort will activate her calf muscle, add a little sidelight and the muscle shape pops right out.

3) Turn her hips away from the camera and her shoulders back to the camera. This creates a shapelier waist illusion. The hips present the thinnest width to the camera while the shoulders present the widest view. This gives the waist a V-shape, creating a fit and curvier female shape. If you place the hands on the waist it projects a very confident image. If she has a bit of a tummy, bring the far hand across the tummy to the pant line - she can hold a purse or something, or if it's casual have her hold the belt. This hides the tummy while strengthening the V-shape body build form.

4) Have her place her hands on her waist, not on her hips. This better defines the waist, gives a strong hourglass impression, and can also hid soft rolls or waist issues. If she has a soft tummy be sure she does not push in too far or firmly, as this will often push more of the tummy forward, creating a bulge.

5) Tilt the camera upwards slightly. This will give the impression that she is taller. Be careful not to go overboard since it will also make her head look smaller if gone too far. When you do this, be mindful of the background. Quite often you will find the head goes above the background top creating a lot of clutter you will have to fix in post production.

The more of these techniques you can incorporate into your pose, the happier your client will be. Remember that the legs are the foundation of the pose. Always start there. Their position will become clues to the viewer as to the mood and attitude the subject has, even if the legs are not in the image.

Master the tricks of leg position and the rest comes relatively easy.