If you’re a new model, you might be thinking: “how do I learn to pose?” While there’s not just one foolproof way to learn how to pose, I’m going to share with you some of the secrets I learned in my early days of fashion modelling to improve my model poses.
Learn from the Best
Even the most successful models learned their skills from the people who came before them, and you can too. If you don’t have access to modelling schools or trustworthy professionals to help you learn how to pose, you can still learn from the greats.
Learn Editorial Model Poses
If you’re looking for editorial modelling poses for high fashion and creative modelling, there’s an easy way to find inspiration and guidance. Where do you find it? Fashion magazines.
Drop into your local news agent or supermarket to pick up the latest copy of a legacy fashion magazine. This means getting your hands on a copy of Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar or similar. Next, open the magazine and go to look at the ads!
You might think that advice seems strange - because who buys a magazine for the ads? - but fashion magazines are a literal goldmine of examples of the fashion industry standard for editorial models.
The images for these ads are selected by professional photographers and industry people who have the final say on what images go into the magazine. This means that these images are approved by people who’ve been working professionally in fashion, so they definitely know what they’re looking for. Cut out some of these images and stick them to your mirror or make a physical mood board of your favourite editorial poses. Then, practise each pose and try to copy them as closely as you can.
Learn Commercial Model Poses
If you’re a commercial model - your poses will have to look more natural than what you’ll find in glossy fashion magazine ads. For commercial model poses, you need to visit brands’ websites and view their images (and yes, their ads!). Think about your dream brand to model for and go to their website. Screenshot some images of their models’ poses, print them off, and (you guessed it) stick them to your mirror or make a moodboard.
This will help you to see the poses every day and encourage you to try to copy what these professional models are doing in each photo. Practise and memorise the poses so that you can use them in your own photoshoots.
Scroll Social Media
Sometimes, scrolling through social media can be a good thing! Especially if you’re looking in the right places. Instagram is a great place to start, because there are a variety of photos and videos posted by professional models from across the world - another goldmine of information!
Screenshot some of the poses that these professional models do in their images, especially ones from campaigns or jobs they’ve worked on - avoid the holiday snaps and mirror selfies - and try to copy and memorise them. After a while, you’ll start collecting a bank of poses in your mind that you can draw from on your next photoshoot.
Practise Your Poses
The major way to improve your modelling poses is to practise. Use the tips I’ve mentioned to collect images to inspire your poses and practise them at home in front of the mirror. Then, it’s time to put your posing skills to the test by organising a test shoot with a photographer and experiment with all the different poses you’ve collected and practised.
After a while, you’ll find that you’ll be able to experiment more with the poses you’ve practised and come up with some of your own!
Looking for more modelling tips? Make sure to follow me on Instagram for more.
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