The first thing to keep in mind: throw out the images of the models you see in the magazines, on the runway, whatever. Do not try to imitate these poses because they may not work for you. Posing is a huge part, if not the whole part, of a model's job and it needs to come naturally.
You need to be comfortable with your body and develop your own style. Of course, there's nothing wrong with copying poses in the beginning to experiment and see what you look good doing. But once you get to the stage where you're doing more photo shoots, either for your own portfolio or for a gig, you're going to need to start owning your poses.
For me, posing outdoors outside of a studio is very helpful. I love to use other objects or backgrounds to play off of. Being outdoors takes out a lot of the intimidation that shooting in a studio tends to bring. I feel more free and that free-spirited nature definitely comes out in my photos.
Example of having fun while posing outdoors and using your surroundings:
When you're outdoors posing, don't think so hard! Observe your surroundings and make sure to pick certain places or objects you know you can have fun posing with. I guarantee that once you start playing off of the objects around you, you'll be a posing pro without even realizing it!
Comments
I am so glad I found your site. I will refer all my friends here before setting up a shot with them.
There is so much to learn! Thank for sharing!