Standing photo poses that look natural in full-length shots

How do I stand naturally for a photo?

Shift your weight onto one leg, relax the other knee and turn your body about 30 degrees from the lens. Look at the camera or just past it. Let your hands hang loose, tuck a thumb in a pocket or hold something. The change from standing square to this stance is the biggest single upgrade in a standing photo.

The Posepass pose Classic stance uses this idea. It asks the photographer to kneel on one knee, put the feet on the bottom line and keep the head just under the top line. The cue for the person standing is weight on the back leg, chin forward and a little down.

How should the photographer hold the phone for full length?

Low and level. Kneel on one knee, hold the phone at about knee height and keep it straight. Tilting up lengthens legs and shrinks the head, and tilting down does the opposite. Use the 1x lens and step back until there is room above the head and below the feet.

Do not crop feet unless you mean to. The most common standing-photo error is cut-off shoes.

1. Ask the person to turn about 30 degrees from the phone.
2. Kneel and hold the phone at knee height, straight.
3. Step back until head and feet both fit with space.
4. Turn on the level and wait for it to go straight.
5. Take a burst of five frames.

Which standing poses are easiest?

These all come from small actions.

• Classic stance: weight back, one hand at the hip, one relaxed.
• Hands in pockets: wide stance, chin forward.
• Easy wall lean: shoulder on a wall, one foot crossed.
• Side profile: stand side-on to the lens and look into the distance.
• Look at the shoes: head down, ankles crossed.
• One foot up: one foot on a step, weight on the other leg.
• Crossed ankles: hands behind the back, feet crossed.

How do I add movement to a standing pose?

Walk. Take small, slow steps toward the phone and stop, or walk across the frame. The photographer shoots when the back foot lifts. Posepass has Outfit walk, Crosswalk stride and Walk into the view, and the cue is to walk slowly with small steps. A moving body is less stiff than a posed one.

Another option is to turn. Start facing away, then turn toward the lens while the photographer shoots a burst.

What do I do with my arms?

Give them a shape. Bend an elbow, put a hand on the hip, hold a bag strap or tuck a thumb in a pocket. Arms pressed flat to the sides look stiff. A small gap between arm and body makes the silhouette look more relaxed. See what to do with your hands in photos for more.

How do I avoid looking stiff?

Move between frames. Shift your weight, turn, look away, laugh. A burst taken during these small changes always contains something better than a pose held for ten seconds. See how to look natural in photos for more on expression and breathing.

What lens should I use for standing photos?

Use 1x for full length. The 2x lens gives a tighter, flatter look for waist-up frames and needs more distance. The 0.5x lens fits more scenery but stretches the edges, as the Wikipedia page on wide-angle lenses describes. Posepass shows a lens chip of 0.5x, 1x or 2x on the camera as a hint, and you tap the lens yourself. See iPhone lenses 0.5x, 1x and 2x.

How do I check a standing photo before moving on?

Look at feet, head space, horizon and light on the face. The shot check in Posepass has these five items, and it is quick. If three or more are unchecked, retake: most fixes are one step back or one knee down.

What are good standing poses against a wall?

Lean a shoulder or the back against the wall, cross one foot over the other and let one hand rest in a pocket. Look past the lens. The wall gives you support, so you relax. Posepass has Easy wall lean, Lamp post lean and Wall and outfit, with the phone at chest height or low and the feet on the bottom line. The cue is to lean, not slump.

How do I stand in a group or a couple photo?

Stand at the same distance from the lens as the others, shoulder to shoulder, with one foot slightly forward. Turn toward the middle and lean your head in a little. Do not step ahead of your partner, since the closer person looks larger. See group photo poses and photo poses for couples for layouts.

What can I do to feel less self-conscious?

Give yourself a breath cue and a task. Breathe out right before the shutter, and hold a bag or a cup so your hands have a job. Ask the photographer for a burst of five frames, so you can move between them. If it still feels odd, take a silly frame to break the pattern.

Keep the session short. Most people look best in the first ten minutes.

How do I look taller in a standing photo?

Ask the photographer for a slightly low phone, straight, with the whole figure in the frame. Stand tall with your weight on the back leg and your chin a little forward. Avoid shooting from above, which flattens height. A wide stance or a bag held at the hip can shorten the figure, so keep legs close and stand on the balls of your feet for a moment before the shot.

In Posepass, full-length poses start with a low phone for this reason. Classic stance and Side profile both begin with the photographer kneeling.

What is a good first set of standing poses?

Try these three in a row, five frames each.

• Classic stance for a clean reference frame.
• Hands in pockets for a relaxed frame.
• Outfit walk to finish with movement.