“I don’t know how to pose.” I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard this sentence at the start of a photo session. It doesn’t matter what type of session it is, the thought of “posing” stops most people cold—unless they’re a pro model. What do they do with their hands? How do they sit?

I’ve been there. I’ve had to be on the other side of the camera for my own headshots, our engagement photos, and our wedding. Thankfully, when you book a professional photo session, your photographer should know how to talk you through prompts and poses that look natural.

As a photographer, it’s my job to get you to a place where you feel comfortable in front of the camera—and even have some fun with the session. Here are my top five favourite posing tips for photographers, but these will be helpful to read if you’re about to have a photo session too.

The photos above are a good demonstration of how turning a subject’s hands away from the camera keeps the attention on their face. The third image also demonstrates how to position your subject’s hand in their pocket so it doesn’t look cut off.

Don’t forget about the hands

Hands can make or break a photo, and they’re often neglected. If you ask your client to rest their chin on their hand, for example, the back of their hand should never face the camera. This creates a bright space that draws the eye away from the face and can cut off their fingers. Instead, ask them to turn their hand so the side of it is facing the camera.

It will look a lot more relaxed and keep the attention on their face.

Another hand pet peeve of mine is when someone puts their whole hand in their pocket. This cuts off their limb and makes their hand disappear. Asking a client to put their hand in their pocket is just fine, but have them keep their thumb out or even loop their thumb in their pocket instead of shoving the entire thing in there. (I had this one drilled into me by a photography instructor who used to dock marks if he saw this in our work.)

The images above are all examples of creating shapes within a pose, particularly in the way their arms and legs are positioned.

Create shapes

Watch for ways to create curves in your poses, which offers more visual interest and helps your subject look less stiff. So remember—if it bends, try to bend it. Add shape to your subject’s body by bending their elbows so they’re away from their torso (this also slims the arms), for example. You don’t have to bend absolutely everything, but creating curves (even if you have one arm down and the other on their hip) will create more interest in the image than having both hands by the subject’s sides. Watch for this in photos the next time you’re scrolling Instagram and you’ll start to see what a difference it makes.

Don’t keep the pose going for too long

The fastest way to make someone look stiff is to keep them in a pose for too long. You’ll see it happen right in front of you. They start to second-guess what they’re doing and look uncomfortable. This is especially true for couples. Offer plenty of positive feedback—never say, “This isn’t working” as you’ll kill the vibe of the session—and prompts to keep your subject moving. This could be something as simple as, “Tilt your head to the left”, “Shift your weight back and forth”, “Lean in and give her a kiss on the cheek”, whatever works for the moment.

Don’t overshoot the pose either. Once you’ve got it, move on. Your client should be in a pose for ideally less than one minute.

I didn’t change anything about the pose in the two images above. Instead, I just moved in closer for the second crop, which adds a different feel to this image.

Shoot different crops of the same pose

But don’t shoot the pose at one focal length and move on. The entire mood of the image can shift depending how far you are from your client and what you choose to centre in your frame. Try to get a wide shot, a half length and a close-up (even cropping in on specific details like their faces or hands if it makes sense). This also offers you a chance to get plenty of variety if you’re strapped for time. Don’t forget to keep the feedback going and prompts to avoid the pose stiffening.

These images are just a few examples of connection and movement, whether it’s a couple of adding movement to an individual portrait.

Create movement and connection

This tip is primarily for couples, but it’s important. These sessions are all about showing connection between the two partners. Make sure their bodies are facing the same direction (right down to their feet), there’s connection in the way they touch one another, and the direction of their gaze makes sense. However this looks, it should feel natural to them. One thing I like to do is ask couples to give each other a big hug (from behind and from the front) to see how they would naturally hold each other before I start to pose them in a certain way. This also creates an opportunity for some great candid moments.

Movement is another ideal way to add connection and interest to your images. It will also help prevent stiff or awkward poses. I like to start by having couples walk toward me and away from me. It’s a way for them to warm up in front of the camera before moving on to more close-up posing.

Bonus tip: Details matter

Keep an eye out for flipped collars, untucked shirts, unruly hair, and so on. There’s nothing worse than getting home to edit, finding a shot you love, and realizing you didn’t see the client’s hair was tucked awkwardly into their shirt. I’ve been there, and it’s always easier to fix in-camera than during retouching.