Most people have two questions before being photographed. One, ‘What shall I wear?’ and two, ‘How do I pose?’. I wrote about what to wear for your brand photos in this article. Today I am going to talk about how to pose for branding photos.
Pose
/pəʊz/ verb
assume a particular position in order to be photographed, painted, or drawn.
“the prime minister posed for professional photographers”
Although, the word ‘pose’ implies formality & personal branding photography is generally not formal. Brand photography is creating images that bring your brand to life & communicate who you are & what you do. They are carefully crafted to show the people behind the brand as well as the service or product that you offer. Essentially everything that makes your business unique.
Whilst the word pose may imply formality & brand photography is anything but formal, your facial expressions & how you position your body are key elements to the success of your photos.
Whilst this may be the first time you have been photographed in this way, I have been photographing people for many years. I use my experience to guide & direct you throughout your shoot. I will guide you in a way that compliments your features, advising you on how to position your body, what to do with your hands & where to look.
During our pre-shoot conversations, you will have told me all about your brand, your values, personality & visual identity.
My intention is to create images that complement these elements through the use of colour, tone, style, pose & more. This will help create a consistent visual identity across all of your business & marketing collateral. Visual consistency builds familiarity & a recognisable brand.
As an entrepreneur, you are your brand & your brand is you; you’re intrinsically linked. Brand photography is all about marketing the authentic YOU to market your business.
So, enough of the chat, here’s the juicy bit, my top tips on how to pose for branding photos.
Posture is key
Good posture is key to looking confident in photos. Keep your shoulders relaxed & your back straight.
When feeling apprehensive, many people’s natural reaction is to tense their shoulders. Tense shoulders make you look stiff & rigid. The tension shows in your face & throughout your whole body.
Stay as relaxed as possible, regardless of how unnatural you may feel. Good posture will help you shine in your photographs.
Chin Chin
Lift your chin too high & you look down at the camera. The length of your neck is emphasised & your face will look small in comparison. And we don’t want to see up your nose!
Drop your chin too low & you gain an extra one! Not a flattering look either. Keep a space between your chin and your neck. During a shoot, I will guide & direct you, suggesting you lift or drop your chin slightly as necessary.
Angles are your friend
Standing facing the camera emphasises the width of your body & gives a slightly mug-shot feel to a photo. Think angles. Angles are flattering to all body shapes.
Try standing 45 degrees to the camera & shift your weight onto your rear foot. Many people are conscious about looking large in photos. By shifting your weight onto the foot furthest from the lens you are slimming the part of your body closest to the camera. Leaning very slightly forward from the waist takes that weight even further back.
This shifting should be very slight & subtle. A slight angle, as well as being flattering, creates an open, friendly & approachable impression. As always I will guide you into angles that compliment your body shape & enhance your features.
Lean in
Sometimes the awkwardness people feel in posing for photos is simply because they are standing in the middle of a room doing ‘nothing’.
The brilliant thing with branding photos is that we are usually doing ‘something’. We’re telling a story so you may work, talk with colleagues, make your signature cake, or train a client. With branding photography, we rarely have to worry about doing nothing.
Leaning against something; a wall, a door frame, or even a tabletop, helps relax your body & makes you feel more comfortable. The main tip is to only slightly lean. Don’t lean with too much weight as this will encourage your shoulders to hunch up close to your head & your body will start to tense & close up.
Sit Down!
People often feel more comfortable sitting down to be photographed. When sitting it is important to still be conscious of your posture. As with standing, turning the body to one side whilst keeping your shoulders open creates a flattering angle for your photo.
Relax your hands
As we’re storytelling in your images, your hands will feature in your branding photos as we capture you at work. We can talk about a manicure another time, today we’re talking about what we do with them whilst being photographed.
Keep them relaxed. If one part of your body is tense, it can affect the whole of your body. When you are not using them, let your hands drop naturally to your side or rest them carefully in front of you.
Brush your hands against your face, your chin, or your hair. Hold a coffee cup, a tablet, or a notebook. Having something to do with our hands helps loosen the tension & makes us feel more comfortable.
If we feel comfortable, we look comfortable.
Communicate with your eyes
We use our eyes as a way of communicating all the time, whether we realise it or not.
People are often uncomfortable giving eye contact due to shyness or anxiety. Sometimes actions like avoiding eye contact can show a person has something to hide. In Western countries, like the UK, eye contact is a sign of respect for the person you are talking to. Our eyes reflect honesty, warmth & integrity whilst strong eye contact projects confidence & authority.
Use your eyes to communicate in your photos. They offer a glimpse of your personality & should be engaging in every photo.
To smile or not to smile?
People are attracted to smiles. A smile makes you look friendly & approachable & is more likely to result in a positive response from the viewer.
It can be difficult to smile naturally. A forced smile lacks authenticity. You can tell when someone is truly happy because they have a twinkle in their eye!
Branding photo shoots are fun, lively & informal. To give your best smile, you need to feel some kind of emotion – it’s a lot easier to smile when you are relaxed & enjoying yourself!
Successful posing for branding photos is mostly about feeling comfortable. One of the reasons I like to have a coffee & chat with my clients before a shoot is so that we can get to know each other a little. Familiarity breeds comfort. The more comfortable you are around me, the more comfortable you will be in front of my camera.
Try & stay natural as you pose. If you do nothing else, be conscious of your posture, relax your shoulders, look at the camera & smile!
How to pose for branding photos: Top Tips
1. Posture is key
2. Be careful how you position your chin
3. Angles are your friend
4. Lean in
5. Sit down
6. Be aware of your hands
7. Communicate with your eyes.
8. Smile 🙂