How to Pose for Pictures with Confidence

If you’re looking for the magic bullet to help you pose for pictures with confidence, let me tell you something. You can’t will away your fear of the camera. I’ve been there, done that and it doesn’t work. Sure, you can work on your mindset, and your attitude to your own body. But haven’t all women grown up in an environment where we’re never pretty enough, slim enough, tall enough? You know that list goes on and on. So trying to stand up to that AND feel good in front of a lens can feel like a contradiction. Heck, living a feminist life is living a contradiction on a daily basis.

Feeling ready to take up space but nervous about the camera?

So, yes, in an ideal world, you’ve avoided the male gaze and you’re ready to take action to show your clients the real you, the expert in her field, the one who’s passionate about what she does because she knows what she’s doing.

What if you know you want to, but you don’t feel ready to take up space in front of a camera? Well, I know what I’m doing too and I’ve got two options for you, both right here. You can embrace the comfort, stop reading and stay hidden, riding the rollercoaster of luck without really showing who you are in real life. Or you can take up space – in a way that works for you – and pose for your pictures with confidence, using my tips as a guide.

Why Does a Confidently Posed Picture Matter Anyway?

Remember you’ve got less than a millisecond to make a good impression. A good brand photo conveys personality, confidence and trust. (Trust and likeability are what you should always aim for in your photos to get the upper hand). Unless you’re a highly experienced sitter, it takes more than a few minutes to get that across, and where better to start than from a position of confidence. I know, I know, I keep banging on about confidence in posing. Put another way, if you don’t know what you’re doing, you feel a bit awkward. Feeling awkward makes you look awkward and then you’ve lost your audience. So start from a position of knowledge, power and then add in splashes of what makes you, you.

Dear reader, here are six tips for learning how to relax and pose for a flattering photo with confidence and without feeling too awkward:

Top Tips on How to Pose for Your Pictures with Confidence

1. Feeling Grounded Helps You Pose More Easily: get in the zone before your photoshoot starts

I like to feel grounded during a shoot and there’s a good reason for that. I know that I need to feel confident taking your picture and I need you to feel that too. So in that spirit, whatever you need – removing your shoes, physically relaxing in the studio space, doing some warm ups – all or any of these should help you feel more in tune with where you are. Of course, these are all small steps and no, they’re not a silver bullet – but in my humble opinion they go some way to getting you to relax. In my sessions you can expect to have some or all of that, plus music playing, breathwork and a few warm ups to get you in the zone. 

2. Power Posing for Confidence

There are good theses out there on how well power posing works for pictures, interviews and public speaking. I’ve met my share of performers of all walks of life who go through the motions, so if you’re a doubter, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it! The principal idea is that standing tall and taking up space makes you feel more in control. Taking it a step further (remember back to when I said if you’re feeling awkward = looking awkward), if you feel more in control of your space, others will perceive you that way too. So a few power poses (think Lynda Carter in Wonder Woman) before you start will do you, well, wonders!

3. How to Pose Naturally in Photos – your body is not a statue

Now that you’re in a better position mentally and physically, here are your tips for posing naturally at a photoshoot. Go through these motions as you read it and try it out. Go on, it’s good practice, and you might surprise yourself! 

• Drop your shoulders a little. 

• Soften those joints. A good rule of thumb is that if it bends, bend it. That doesn’t mean flop like a rag doll though. Gently soften the knees, and the elbows. 

• Now that you’ve soften your shoulders, straighten your back and engage your core.

• Lightly separate your upper arms from your body too – a little tip to unstick those arms!

4. Where Do I Put My Hands?

You probably haven’t noticed, but your hands are likely clenched into balled fists! Soften your hands, and try out a few different things to do with them so they don’t hang limply by your body (put them in your pockets is an easy one, but the rest is really up to your photographer). I will direct you as to where to put your hands and how to stand or sit. Direction is a great way to feel more in control and it doesn’t have to mean you’re posing unnaturally. In fact, it’s more likely that without good direction you will feel awkward, freeze up, and look quite stiff and unnatural. The rest of what you’ve just read is more about learning to ‘un-pose’ yourself.

5. Go with the Flow for a Picture-Perfect Photoshoot

That being said, every photographer has their shooting style. You should feel comfortable working with them and be led by their methods. If you’re sitting with me, learn to go with the flow. Pose for your picture with confidence, then listen and let yourself react, so your body moves around naturally within poses. 

6. The Biggest Concern for a Confidently Posed Picture – what about my chin? 

Does holding the tongue to the roof of the mouth really help define your chin? Why, yes it does. But it doesn’t always feel natural! If it matters to you, I’ll give you a few more tips in your session too. For some people, the angle is the issue (never from below), for others it’s lowering your chin just the right amount. But your key take away should be that everybody’s body is different, and what one woman cares about, another might not. Most of us are acutely aware of what we think of as our bad side. The reality is that nobody else (unless you’re a gossip columnist) has really noticed.

Simply posing to un-pose

So bookmark this page to come back to if you want to practice, or just remember it’s as simple as getting into the zone and channelling Lynda Carter. Let your photographer help you to limber up and direct you.Not many of the people on this page would have said they loved their picture being taken before they started!

If you’re looking for professional headshots or brand photography for business, I can help you! Just download my brand photography brochure for pricing and all the details you need to set up your shoot.

But if you’re celebrating yourself or after a collection of personal portraits, take a look at my women’s empowerment portrait sessions.

Plan your personal branding photoshoot painlessly

Make planning your next brand shoot easy! Your free download includes everything you need to prepare for a brand photoshoot:

Over 20 photo ideas

How to pick locations

Day-by-day checklist

Name

Email*

Email

GET YOUR COPY