How to Pose for Photos When You Feel Awkward

“I don’t know how to pose.”

I hear this at the start of almost every photoshoot. Many people feel lost the moment a camera points at them. Their hands suddenly feel strange, they don’t know where to look, and they ask me to tell them exactly what to do.

My answer is always the same: you already look great. Don’t worry about posing. Just do whatever you feel like doing.

I’m not saying it to be nice. I really believe it.

Why natural photos look better than posed ones

What’s real is beautiful. When someone copies a pose they’ve never done in daily life, the camera sees it right away. The shoulders tense up, the smile gets stiff, and the whole photo feels awkward. It doesn’t matter how “correct” the pose is. If it isn’t you, it won’t look good.

Natural movement is different. The way you fix your hat when the wind picks up, the way you jump back when a wave reaches your feet, the way you turn around to laugh at a friend: nobody has to teach you these. They’re already yours, and that’s exactly why they look good.

I’ve always believed that a good photographer’s job is to find the beauty in ordinary people that even they haven’t noticed. Not to force them into someone else’s shape. Once you find that, good photos come naturally.

A relaxed beach photoshoot in Sanya

These photos were taken on a beach in Sanya, Hainan, China. Before we started, the girls asked me the same question everyone asks: “How should we pose?”

My answer: do whatever you want. Just be yourselves.

So they did. They played in the waves, lifted their dresses so the water wouldn’t catch them, held on to their hats in the wind, and walked barefoot along the wet sand. I mostly followed them and kept shooting. Here’s how it turned out.

None of these are “poses” in the usual sense. They’re just moments: a skirt caught by the wind, a hand on a hat, a step back from a wave.

Easy things to do instead of posing

If you still feel unsure in front of the camera, here are a few simple things that always work better than a fixed pose:

• Walk. Walk slowly toward or away from the camera. Movement relaxes your whole body.
• Play with what you’re wearing. Hold your hat, lift the edge of your dress, fix your hair. Your hands suddenly have something to do.
• Interact with the place. Step into the waves, touch the leaves, lean on a railing, sit on a step.
• Look at something real. The sea, the sky, your friend, a building you like. Not at an invisible point in the air.
• Talk and laugh. Chat with your friend or with me. The best smiles happen in between shots.
• Bring a small prop. A cake, a book, flowers, a drink. Something that means something to you.

And if you really want direction, that’s fine too. I’ll suggest simple things, and adjust from there. But you don’t need to arrive with a list of poses.

What this means for your photoshoot

You don’t need to be a model, and you don’t need to practise in front of a mirror. You just need to show up, relax and enjoy the place. My job is to notice the moments; your job is simply to be yourself.

I work the same way in Singapore. See how it went at Fort Canning Park, or at an 8am birthday shoot at CHIJMES and Raffles Hotel.

Book a relaxed photoshoot in Singapore

• S$200 for 2 hours, with as many spots as we can fit in
• No posing experience needed
• 50% deposit to book, balance paid after the shoot, and photos sent to you on the spot

See how a Singapore photoshoot works, or send me a message and let’s plan something that feels like you.