Recorded On: 1/30/2011
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what’s the deal with posing?

Natural posing. Big hairy deal, right? Well, you might be surprised (or not-so-surprised) to learn this is one of the top struggles photographers write to me about — how do I pose kids?

What’s the top beef among photographers? (yeah, I just said “beef” in reference to complaint –> that’s my late 80′s upringing bleeding through)

“… Will someone please tell me ….what do I do with their hands?”

Thought I’d share a quick posing tip for all of you who struggle with posing those hands. Of course, more posing tips can be found in my ultra-convenient Posing Guide – Pocket Full of Poses. Those of you who already have this down (or already own my Posing Guide), hopefully you’ll be nodding your head in agreement.

I feel your pain. In the past I too have struggled with the dreaded awkward stiff-as-a-board arms or hands that can easily double as claws (think Wolverine). And the hands/arms factor is important —> it is a dead giveaway to how relaxed your subject is in a portrait.

Yes, their smile can be fun, their eyes can be warm and inviting, but if there is unnatural tension in the arms or hands, you know they were not relaxed. Why does that matter? Because who wants to buy a portrait of themselves (or their child) when they look scared, stiff, uncomfortable, etc? I sure don’t.

Natural poses can help or hinder your sales.

Sometimes there’s a simple solution. If I notice a subject’s too stiff what I do is ask the child to relax and say something like “Okay, you’re feeling tense, that’s cool, but right now those hands need to relax. So on the count of three I want you to shake them out and then just relaxxxxxxx them.” —> they might do a nervous laugh, but it always works. I might even do a demo with my own hands with what I want them to do. Kids love visuals! Kids also like validation that they are feeling tense or unsure and that it is okay – you’re there to help them chill.

I did the above tip for the image below.

Let’s do a comparison. Image on the left (shown in a closer crop for emphasis) notice the right arm/hand (technically her left, but viewer’s right) —> this was one of my first shots of her, she was very stiff and unsure of what to do with that particular arm. It shows.

Image on the right was after we chatted a bit, she was more at ease, and I just swung her arm over to remove any issues of stiffness with that arm. I continued to work with her a bit further to get her fingers more relaxed —> yes, you can “grip” something in a relaxed way!

Granted, take into consideration your subject’s age. If a two year old is standing still for a nano-second, to heck with worries over stiff arms, I’m thrilled! Also, consider the moment captured. If you captured a sweet moment where brother kissed sister on the cheek (without you having asked, begged, bribed, etc.), you can let some of the awkwardness slide (now technical issues like out of focus shots, don’t let those slide folks).

Moving on.

Can’t think of what to do with the hands? Look around you — sometimes the environment around you provides a (hopefully) artistically appealing place for the hands. See images below.

Lastly, if you’re completely and utterly stumped on what to do with those hands … give those hands a thing (or two) to hold. {wink}

Now you are on your way to becoming a posing-machine. I hope you’ve found this post helpful – if so, why not share the link with your photography-minded friends?

—-> Leave a comment as to which topics you would like me to discuss here on the blog.

And if you haven’t already, don’t forget to purchase a copy of my Posing Guide - Pocket Full of Poses.

BTW, the vintage frame above was purchased from Florabella Collection. Click here to visit Florabella Collection.

– Skye, xoxo

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26 Comments Logged

Prescilla penned:

Thanks for sharing these very helpful tips!
Judy K. penned:

Great blog! Thanks for sharing all the helpful info. I’ll definitely be checking back here quite a bit.
Shaula penned:

Thanks so much!! This has been a tremendous help!! :)
Leslie Houx penned:

LOVE it! Thanks for the helpful tips too…I love your posing guide!
Leanna penned:

Great article and very helpful. Never thought about putting something in there hands.
Rhi George penned:

ahhh! wonderful blog and i love the tips!

relaxed sitting poses…i have several clients with children between 8-13 who can’t walk and i cant ever seem to find anything that works!

thats my issue as of late!
Jill penned:

Love your new look! As always great tips girl!
Stacy Cavanaugh penned:

thank you for the post…. definitely gives me some ideas for relaxing Everyone…
Kimberly Lyons penned:

I want that outfit for my child! The greenish ruffled shirt!!! Where in the world does it come from?…so cute!
Marcie Lynn Photography penned:

Just came across your website and so happy I did! I can’t wait to read more. This article was very helpful. I would love to hear what you have to say about working with those busy 2 year olds! Even the ones who just start walking an won’t sit still for a second (literally)! I follow them around and get cute shots but I love to hear how others work with them. I love getting new ideas! Thanks again!

Marcie :)
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Kristin Guynn penned:

Oh gosh! Thank you! Such a big help!

I do have a question though. People talk about working with difficult kids, what about difficult parents? For instance, I had a shoot last week where the kids were WIRED! The mom had pumped them full of candy before the shoot trying to ‘bribe’ them into behaving on the way to the shoot, then, when they got there she was yelling at them saying,”You are driving me crazy! Stop it!” Well, that seemed to egg the kids on, leaving ME with the job of trying to have them stand still. Eventually I asked the mom to go change one of the kids and I quietly took the candy from the child.
How do you deal with situations like that? It wasn’t the kids fault, they were just hyper on all the candy she had given them. Do you say something to the mom before the shoot? I am completely lost and I REALLY don’t want a repeat of this situation.
Sunny Wright penned:

VERY sweet tips. Sometimes its the simple little things that make a good portrait great. It can be SO frustrating to be editing and notice those problems in post process! Thanks for sharing!
aspergers syndromes symptoms penned:

This is such a great resource that you are providing and you give it away for free. I enjoy seeing websites that understand the value of providing a prime resource for free. I truly loved reading your post. Thanks!
Tamekia Mcnellie penned:

I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the good work Look forward to reading more from you in the future.
Tanya Rudman penned:

So Awesome! Thank you so much for sharing this valuable knowledge! I’m going to beg my hubby for your posing book for our anniversary/birthday/next christmas hehehe Love it! ♥ Tanya
Sonya Schultz penned:

Love this site! Thanks so much for being here to help us newbies out!
Rina Pretorius penned:

Just love your work. Learned a lot and still learning. Big fan of the hats. Great ideas what to do with the hands. JUST LOVE YOUR WORK!
Annie penned:

Thank you SO much! I just linked this on my photography forum here in Boise, Idaho! You are so helpful!
Toni Combs penned:

Thank you for the insight. Very often it’s the little things that make the biggest differences…so helpful!
Anna penned:

Interesting article!
Thank you for sharing!
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Laura penned:

thank YOU! i have talant- easy posing younger children- 0-5 years, but older girls!!! yey, i had a shoot yesterday with 8years ald girl- it was so hard, because she was like a statue! she move like a doll, and I was thinking- comon! whats happening with me? I can not understand her. At the end everything was fine, but regret that these tips without having read yesterday morning: D
Hope Johnson penned:

This was very awesome to read and see! I definitely know what you mean about a relaxed grip.I like to do shots where the kids hold long-stemmed flowers. 9 times out of 10 if they are under four, they will grip it like a baseball bat! Or the pucker mouth. Ohhh that is a problem. Lots of kids don’t know how to relax the mouth. It’s either a jut-jaw for a smile or a tight-lip pucker for “serious.” Lots of times I tell them to blow a raspberry or blow out fast to relax their mouths. And many times that helps. But so many times kids are told to “say cheese” for pictures and it results in fakey, stiff shots. Just listen to the photographer, and everything will be okay! :)
rosslyn baynes penned:

I really love your style ~ very inspiring ***
Cheryl Navalinsky penned:

Thanks for sharing this. I’m shooting a family for the first time in a LOOOONNNG time this weekend and this has helped to ease my mind.

what’s the deal with posing?

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