Portrait Photography How To

One of the most essential parts of portrait photography, particularly when working with models, is the art of posing. But which poses work, and which do not? In the below video, photographer Justin Laurens shows you what he says are "the top 14 portrait poses."

In the clip, Laurens recruits model Cynthia Menard to demonstrate these key poses, while he explains why they are effective.

"In this video I'm going to be teaching you the definitive guide to portrait posing where you'll learn the 14 essential types of female model poses that you absolutely need to start incorporating into your work right away if you want to start creating more flattering and impactful portrait images," Laurens says. "It just so happens that the type of posing that you use can make a world of difference when it comes to the overall aesthetic, impact, and mood of your portrait photography. Posing also happens to be one of the more tricky and confusing aspects of the portrait game so in this video I'm going to be simplifying things by taking you on a journey through one of my typical photo shoot sessions."

Here are the top 14 poses shown in the tutorial:

#14 Stand & Lean Pose

#13 Forward Frontal Pose

#12 Head Tilt Pose

#11 Side Profile Pose

#10 45-Degree Turn Pose

#9 Close Up Headshot

#8 Close Up with Hands

#7 Face Tug Pose

#6 Lay on Stomach Pose

#5 Lay Down to Side

#4 Lay Down Face Up Pose

#3 Lean on Surface Pose

#2 Walking Away Pose

#1 Over-the-Shoulder Pose

Watch them all below and then go try them out with a friend or model this weekend. Check out Laurens' channel for more photography tips. If you want to learn more about posing, here are five simple poses for better portraits on the street.