TOP TIPS TO LEVELLING UP YOUR POSING GAME (COMMERCIAL VS HIGH FASHION)

It's time to level up your posing game and become quicker and sharper by each job you do. It goes without saying posing is a must have skill for a model as it's what makes you one. On busy sets, photographers may not have enough time to direct you throughout due to the environment being fast paced. Speed and efficiency are vital so it's up to you to make their job easier.

#1 OBSERVE AND APPLY

Nowadays you can access a plethora of new or archived editorial and campaign shoots, to see how the posing is done. You can learn from legendary Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell all the way to the new generation of supermodels. Magazines will give you the best of both worlds, with editorial and commercial inspiration page by page. Don’t just watch how they pose. Try to physically apply the poses as this helps your body with flexibility and getting familiar with movement. Get familiar with different poses to build variety to your skills.

#2 LEARN TO DIFFERENTIATE 

High fashion power poses don’t work on Bvlgari campaigns whose brand aesthetic is softer and more glam. Nothing screams “ I don’t know what I’m doing” other than doing poses that do not match the job you’re at. Learn to differentiate between editorial posing and commercial posing.

Editorial - You have the ability to be creative here as editorial shoots are visual stories with clothing and the model working both in harmony. While they might not be the best financially, they are the stepping stone into getting recognized in the industry. These types of shoots are fun for everyone as briefs aren’t as restrictive and the team gets to be a little less stressed.  Edgy, high energy, hands up and now kneel now ! Give me a power pose ! Okay now jump. You can really go from wild poses to soft instantly during editorial shoots.

Commercial - This is where your years of working on set comes in. Helping to bring out the client's product in images and really making it stand out with you. It’s less creative in terms of poses but can be very rewarding and assuming you’d like to be a commercial model it helps with having a pleasant smile and amicable character. No photographer or director wants to work with a difficult model. Casting directors are constantly on the lookout for the new brand faces and they aren’t as strict for editorials as they cast from young models to “timeless” (over 25) for campaigns.

ECOM - Depending on the brand, e-com shoots are usually less creative with poses as it only needs to showcase the clothing to the consumer on a buying page. Still it requires speed and variety for basic stills as e-com shoots can shoot over 50+ looks a day  

#3 VARIETY (SPICE IT UP DON’T BE BORING !)

A boring portfolio will never book you the job you want. If a model's entire book is the same facial and body expressions from different shoots, it shows clients and casting directors that you have no variety in your posing and can’t bring something of value to their set. This is a red flag and you need to have variety. Circle back to tip number 1 to learn how.

#4 PHOTOSHOOTS

Just because you aren’t booked doesn’t mean the work on posing stops. Photographers are constantly doing test shoots collaborations with models where you’ll be able to have images for your book in exchange for your time. Test shoots are a regular thing with new faces who need to build their book and work on their posing. Keep a lookout for your local photographers for test shoots. Email and ask if they would be open to working together. It never hurts to take your own images as well so grab a friend and get shooting.

#5 PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE

Yes, practice ! The most obvious and redundant answer given to models. Every job in every industry requires practice for success. Without practicing the knowledge becomes bleak and disappears. Hours, days, weeks or months of practice are a good time investment to further and advance your skills so don’t neglect the basics.