When it comes to posing clients, it’s amazing how the slightest adjustments can make your subject look and feel more confident. Your clients are relying on you to accurately communicate and instruct them on how they should position themselves in front of the camera, and my hope is that this blog will make you feel much more comfortable doing so.

Today, I’m sharing three ways to pose clients when they are sitting for portraits— whether it’s on a hard, ridged chair, a softer chair, or the ground. There are countless ways to pose subjects than these three suggestions, but I hope these give you a starting point for your next shoot.

Ready? Let’s get into it!

1) How to pose a client sitting on a hard chair.

When you tell your client to take a seat, they're going to revert to what’s most comfortable over what’s most flattering for a photograph. In the first photo, you may be instructing your client to cross their legs, sit up straight, and smile, yet it isn’t quite providing what we’re looking for from this photo.

In the case of the first photo, the legs aren’t elongated, so we’re going to tell our client to sit on the edge of the chair instead of the back and then lift their crossed leg up a bit and point their toes. If you find that the toes still aren’t elongated enough, ask them to move their toes a bit more centered and further away from the chair.

2) How to pose a client sitting on a couch.

According to the first photo, you’re most likely telling your client to lie on the couch, relax, and smile.

Instead, you’re going to want to make sure that your subject sits halfway off the couch, and in addition to telling them to put their shoulder back, you’re also going to tell them to engage their core. Ask them to pull themselves up and take the weight off of the couch by engaging their core instead of having their waist touching the armrest. That engaged core is what’s going to help them balance on the edge of the couch.

To elongate their legs, have them stack their ankles directly on top of one another.

Next, have them take the hand that’s holding them up on the armrest and turn it in ever so slightly so you see more of the thumb than the hand. The other hand is going to drape just past their knee and lift up so you get that nice triangle shape.

See more: How to Pose in a Skirt or Dress

3) How to pose a client sitting on the ground.

While photos of clients sitting on the ground can be cute and casual, you’ll want to be very careful of how the legs and crotch are positioned. Photo 1 is a very normal position to be sitting in, but it’s not super flattering for a photograph.

Instead, ask your client to lift onto one hip all while keeping their shoulders back and chest open. Next, make sure that the crotch is covered by the knees— whether you glue them together or cross the ankles as we did on the chair.

Again, make sure the feet are pointed to elongate the legs. To emphasize the waist, have them place their non-supportive hand on their hip and flip the hand backward.

Another option is to have your client pop their knees up but scoot their toes down. Keep one hand draped over the knee and the other on the ground for support.

I hope these poses helped you build your toolbox for your upcoming shoot and make you and your client feel more confident with posing as a whole.

To see me direct these poses in video form, head over to my YouTube Channel, and don’t forget to check out my other posing tutorials, like The 3 Best Ways to Pose in a Skirt or Dress.

If you're looking to join a kind, encouraging and inclusive photography community, I invite you to join my Build + Bloom Facebook group. This is where you can ask questions about client situations, share your work, and receive feedback, and it’s 100% free.

Resources:

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