How to Pose People for Natural-Looking Portraits

The question I hear most from people who hate being photographed is some version of "I don't know what to do with my hands." If you've wondered how to pose for portraits, or how to pose people when you're the one behind the camera, the answer is almost never a fancy pose. It's a handful of small cues, good light, and a relaxed conversation. After years of shooting families, couples, and grads around Santa Cruz, these are the things that reliably work.

Start with light, then pose

Posing can't rescue bad light. Before you give a single direction, find soft light. Open shade, a bright overcast sky, or the hour before sunset all flatter faces. At the beach, turn your subject so the sun is behind them and the sky fills in their face, or put them in the shade of a cliff or tree. Squinting is the number one reason people look stiff, and it vanishes the moment they're out of direct sun.

Fix the body in four small moves

Most flattering poses come from the same few adjustments:

1. Angle the body. Have your subject turn about 45 degrees away from the camera, then look back toward you. Facing the lens square-on makes shoulders look wide and tense.
2. Shift the weight. Ask them to put most of their weight on the back foot. The hips tilt, the shoulders drop, and the whole body softens.
3. Lengthen the neck. Have them push their forehead slightly toward you and tip the chin down a touch. This defines the jawline and avoids a double chin.
4. Create space. Arms pressed against the torso look heavier. A little air between the arm and body slims the shape and looks natural.

Solve the hands problem

Hands look awkward when they have nothing to do. Give them a job. A hand in a pocket with the thumb out, fingers lightly touching a jacket collar, holding a coffee, or tucking hair behind an ear all work. Avoid fists and flat, stiff fingers. If you're stuck, ask them to gently hold their own wrist or run a hand along a railing as they walk. Tell them to keep the fingers slightly separated and relaxed.

Direct with motion, not stillness

Static poses go flat after a few frames. I'd rather give people something to do and shoot the in-between moments:

• Walk slowly toward me, then past me.
• Look at the water, then turn your head to me on the count of three.
• Laugh about something that happened this week. Seriously, ask them.
• For couples, have them walk hand in hand and whisper something to each other.

The best expressions often come the second after the "pose" ends, so keep the camera up and keep shooting.

Camera settings that support natural portraits

You don't need much. A good starting point on any camera:

• Aperture around f/2.8 to f/4 for a single person, f/5.6 for groups so everyone stays sharp.
• Shutter speed at 1/250 or faster if they're moving, 1/125 if they're still.
• A focal length of 50mm to 85mm. Wide angles distort faces, especially close up.
• Focus on the eye closest to the camera.

On a phone, use the 2x or 3x lens for portraits rather than the wide one, and tap on the face to lock exposure.

Make the person comfortable first

Technique matters less than trust. Talk before you shoot, show them a few frames on the back of the camera, and praise specifically: "That chin position is perfect, hold it." People relax when they know it's working. Keep your directions short and positive, and avoid saying "don't." Tell them what to do, not what to avoid. Give the first five minutes to warm-up shots you'll probably throw away, because nobody looks natural in the first few frames, and that's normal.

A quick pre-shoot checklist

• Check for lint, flyaway hair, and wrinkles in clothing.
• Look at the background behind the head so no pole grows out of it.
• Shoot a little wider than you think, so you can crop later.
• Take far more frames than you need. Keep the honest ones.

Good portraits feel like a moment, not a performance. Practice the angles, find soft light, and keep people moving and laughing. Then compare your results with the portraits and coastal frames in my photo gallery to see how light and relaxed subjects work together.