“I’m photogenic”…said no one ever. Trust me I get it! Posing can be hard! Many of us dream about our wedding day our whole lives, its the one day where all eyes are on you, when you marry your best friend, when all these expectations have been built ,. and lets face it…. YOU WANT TO LOOK GOOD! It’s only natural! But where do you start? I’m an expert in posing in a natural way and below I have just a few tips on how to look your best. And if you happen to be one of the few lucky ones that are photogenic hang tight because there’s still something in here that can help you and make you feel even more confident!

But here’s the thing: I don’t want you to have to focus on all these little things during your day. I want you to enjoy it so if you don’t remember all of them don’t worry! I will gently point out a few things throughout the day to enhance your beauty! So don’t worry, I got your back!

So let’s break it down. Posing is an art and understandably it is an art that a lot of couples are nervous about. Sadly a lot of “professional” photographers don’t know how to direct correctly.

This is where I come in. Here are some few pointers:

45 Degree Angle
Place your feet and body 45 degrees from the camera. Then turn your torso directly towards me or the camera. This will naturally extenuate your waist and make it appear smaller.

Imaginary String
It is important to have your spine straight, but not stiff and unnatural. Think of a string on the top of your head that is pulling up. This will give you a natural curve in your lower back and keep your spine straight so you don’t feel like you are the hunchback of Notre Dame 🙂

Shoulders:
Push your shoulders 1 inch back. This will further bring confidence and beauty in your pose.

Weight Distribution
It is important to have your weight distribution be uneven or else it will look unnatural. One way to do this is to cross one leg over the other or to put more weight on your back leg. This will make the photograph feel more relaxed.

But what do I do with my hands?

If I had a dollar every time someone asked! Depending on the pose or prompt we are doing will determine what you should do with your hands. But here are a few pointers so you will know what to do on your wedding day.

Holding Something
When you hold something it naturally gives your hands something to do, but also brings attention to that object. Holding your dress is a beautiful way to lead attention to it and show it off. Even holding the bouquet will give your arms a natural curve.

Cigarette Pose
The hands and arms can be used to lead attention to the right places. With a cigarette pose (looks like she’s holding a cigarette almost), it leads the viewers attention towards the bride’s face, but is also very natural and beautiful. With the other arm if you put it across your waist it looks very natural.

 

This ones for the Groom
Don’t worry groom… I didn’t forget about you. When in doubt put your hand in your pocket. If you are ever unsure what to do, put your hand in your pocket. It looks classy and you can even give off a James Bond feel.

Avoiding the “Floating Head”
Photographers who don’t know how to pose the hands and arms often give brides and grooms what is called the floating head (what you don’t want). It’s when you have a close up shot of the face, but no hands and arms in the photo.

You can use hands and fingers to lead attention to where you want with a close up. This can enhance a close up portrait in a really beautiful way.

And the eyes?

Did you know there’s actually posing of the eyes? Who would have thought!

Where you look can dramatically change the feel of the portrait. If you look down it gives a almost candid feel to the portrait. Where as if you look directly into the camera it shows you were intentional.

No matter where you look, you want to avoid only seeing the “white” part of your eye.

One trick is in a portrait I will have you pay very close attention to the movement in my camera. May seem weird but when you focus on something very hard, it triggers the Parietal Lobe in the brain. This brings out a VERY captivating look in the eyes.

I hope you enjoyed these posing tips :). Look out for the next two emails because I’m going to be going all in and sending you two more gifts!

Kelly

P.S. Be sure to check out more blog posts by clicking here!