Top 20 Stylish Model Poses for a Successful Photoshoot in 2024

For someone who has recently entered the world of modeling, the ability to portray different poses can be a challenge. The main factor in most cases is due to a lack of know-how and experience in portraying model poses.

See, posing as a model in front of a camera is an art unto itself. The objective may seem simple, but in reality, it's more complicated than you may realize.

In this article, we want to discuss some of the most important model poses top models use to help you make a statement on your first photoshoot and to create eye-catching images for your modeling portfolio.

List of 20 Expert Model Poses

The following list will provide you with top modeling photography poses so that you're well-prepared for your next photoshoot: 

1. Standing Poses 
2. Facing the Camera
3. Profiles 
4. The Action Pose
5. The Squat 
6. Three-Quarters Pose
7. Against a Wall 
8. Sitting Poses
9. Leaning Forward 
10. S-Curve Pose
11. Rest Your Head in Your Hands 
12. Angled Sitting
13. Leaning Back 
14. On the Floor
15. Laying Down 
16. Face Poses
17. Use Your Hands 
18. Head Tilt
19. Over the Shoulder 
20. Contrapposto

1. Standing Poses

Poses done while standing come in a few basic varieties. These model photography poses are easily the most versatile and can be done indoors, outdoors, or in the studio.

2. Facing the Camera

The most basic model poses are probably the hardest to master. With both shoulders framed squarely in the lens of the camera, images tend to come out flat and boring. It's up to the model to add depth and life. 

Tip your head to one side, run a hand through your hair, or move one shoulder closer to the camera. Move one leg behind the other to frame your hips differently, and remember to bend your knees and elbows. All of these things change the look and mood of the final product dramatically.

3. Profiles

The key to a successful profile is to remember that it's all about body shape, posture, and curves. Tighten your stomach, square your shoulders, and shift your weight as necessary to create interesting shapes and lines with your body. 

Profiles require the model to be aware of their entire body. And don't forget your hands and legs. The angle of a profile shot means that if done incorrectly, your limbs could appear like short stumps!

4. The Action Pose

For a fitness model, this type of modeling pose is your bread and butter. Action poses involve adding a range of motion, enabling photographers to capture natural body movements.

Props are a great way to engage motion, allowing you to highlight your athleticism and imaginativeness as a model. Keep in mind that during action shots, you should always maintain a fierce expression throughout. 

5. The Squat

Do you want to create a statement through your pose? The squat pose allows you to do that.

For the perfect squat, stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. Now, slowly bend down while keeping your chest lifted and back straight. Your thighs need to be positioned parallel to the ground.

Now, you can try many variations by extending your arms forward or gripping them behind your head. Never forget to maintain good eye contact for a striking shot and to engage your core for stability.

6. Three-Quarters Pose

The three-quarters pose, a standard in modeling, so you'll want to be able to pull it off and know what is being asked. It's somewhere between facing the camera and a full profile. 

In the three-quarters pose, you will be angled away from the camera so that only three-quarters of your body is visible. This creates great depth and interest in any photo. To get it just right, place one foot behind the other with your hips pointed away from the camera, as in a profile. Then turn at the waist towards the camera so that your face and shoulders are looking towards the lens.

7. Against a Wall

Walls are just another prop to play with. In standing poses, you can lean against the wall. Having a wall adds some drama and interest to the composition and gives the model another focal point to work with. Change whether you look at the wall, look away, or look at the photographer. The leg and arm positions with a wall to lean on are endless, and generally, all lead to amazing photos. 

As with profile poses, the straight lines of the wall emphasize posture and curves, so keep a tight core and make amazing lines with your body.

8. Sitting Poses

Just sitting straight-backed in a chair doesn't usually lead to a dynamic or captivating photo. The best model poses while sitting can be divided into two families: leaning forward and leaning back. 

Here, we'll look at both and give some examples of each one. Perhaps more so than with standing poses, sitting conveys more meaning and emotion to the viewer. What you do with your shoulders, torso, and legs drastically changes the vibe of each image.

9. Leaning Forward

Leaning forward with your elbows near your knees conveys a sense of intensity. With your knees apart, you convey assertiveness, and with your knees together, the image results in a feeling of innocence and excitement. Putting your knees together and ankles apart can look playful in photographs. Your torso can be folded over your thighs or held high.

10. S-Curve Pose

This dynamic pose can be utilized in photoshoots ranging from commercial to high fashion. The S-curve pose involves standing with one leg forward and the other foot slightly behind, with shoulders and hips leaning in opposite directions.

A common pose perfected by social media influencers helps highlight the model's curves and waistline, making it a perfect modeling pose to showcase form-fitting clothes.

11. Rest Your Head in Your Hands

As always, hand movements and arm placement are crucial. Place your chin on your hand, with an arm on one knee. This can be combined with the knees apart or together for different impressions.

12. Angled Sitting

You can combine sitting poses with the three-quarters pose by angling away from the camera slightly. This can have a formal look like the classic male model poses for power and thoughtfulness. Alternatively, this can be more playful, depending on the model's positioning and expression.

13. Leaning Back

These model poses tend to be more sexy and playful. With your head leaned back and your limbs draped over a chair or sofa, different moods can be captured.

14. On the Floor

Remember that the chair is just another prop, so use it appropriately. Sit on the floor and lean against the chair. Like posing a wall, a chair provides straight-line contrast to your body. Be very conscious of your core and posture when doing floor work.

15. Laying Down

Laying down is almost always used to convey a little more sensual and sexual image. This is most common in glamor photography but can be used in nearly anything. Side poses elongate your torso and legs. As with all modeling, posture is imperative. You must be conscious of your muscles and control the lines being made with your body. Changing your jawline position and eyes will alter the mood of these photos dramatically. This is one of the female poses which can be seen in many of the famous advertisements.

16. Face Poses

Headshots are all about facial expression and "saying it" with your eyes. From dripping sorrow to intense power, your eyes can carry more meaning than any other element in the final photograph. It's essential that throughout the modeling process with your headshot photographer, you have thoughts behind your eyes. If you "space out" the camera will pick it up instantly. Remember, modeling is acting, and you have to stay in character. Here are our top headshot photography tips to help you perfect face poses. 

17. Use Your Hands

Using your hands in face poses adds another element of interest and can make or break the photo. Playing with your hair or touching a cheek can frame your face and improve the composition.

18. Head Tilt

The mood of close up face poses often benefits from the model tilting their head slightly left or slightly right. This can lend an interesting quizzical look. When combined with a chin down posture, a head tilt says serious thought or intensity. When added together with the chin high, the pose shouts curiosity and excitement.

19. Over the Shoulder

Another significant modification is to look over your shoulder towards the camera. Be careful with your eyes when looking over the shoulder since if you extend your gaze too far, you will reveal too much white in your eyes. Instead, allow your gaze to follow your nose. Also, when looking over the shoulder, be conscious of shadows falling on your face, and position yourself accordingly.

20. Contrapposto

A timeless modeling pose that has still not lost its essence. To perfect contrapposto, stand with your weight on one leg (engaged leg) and bend the knee slightly. Now, slightly outstretch the other leg behind you (free leg).

Keep one arm on your thigh or hip and allow the other arm to fall by your side naturally. Relax your shoulders and tilt them in the opposite direction of your engaged leg. This creates an S-curve shape.

How to Prepare for Your First Model Photoshoot?

1. Take Time to Study Your Call Sheet

The call sheet basically outlines every key detail regarding the photo shoot, such as:

• Location

• Timeframe

• Photographers

• Hair and makeup artists

• Art directors and much more.

Research the client and their previous work, check out the photographer's portfolios, and get an overall idea of what is expected of you.

See, the point is being aware of the information will make you feel more comfortable and informed, thereby, making that transition much simpler.

2. Maintain a Well-Balanced Diet

A huge disclaimer: Please do not starve yourself or go in for a crash diet. A well-balanced diet that is nutritious and protein-rich will be more than enough to get you through those long shoot days.

3. Drink Plenty of Water

Hydration is key, especially when getting ready for a model photoshoot. Drinking enough water will not only provide you with the energy to get you up and running in front of the camera but also help boost your skin appearance and reduce bloating.

Now, on the day of the photoshoot, restrict your water intake to when required so that you don’t hinder the flow by taking a ton of bathroom breaks. 

4. Practice and Engage in Good Skincare

Maintaining a good skincare routine is definitely non-negotiable if modeling is the career you aspire to. During the weeks leading up to your first model photoshoot, it is vital that you maintain your regular skincare routine. Try not to include new products during this period and also avoid too much wind and sun exposure.

5. Good Sleep Is a No-Brainer

Following a good sleep regimen will help improve your overall look by reducing the chances of puffiness and dark under-eye circles. Supermodels like Bella Hadid resort to meditation music to help reach deep sleep.

6. Create a Fashion Mood Board

Fashion mood boards provide a visual reference to help models better understand the vision of the photographers, stylists, makeup artists, and other team members. 

Fashion mood boards can help aspiring fashion models explore different styles, providing practical and inspirational guidance to grow in their fashion modeling careers. 

Model Posing Tips

So, what makes one pose better than another? Here are a few basic model posing tips to keep in mind. These are just tips, so remember always to follow the direction of the photographer. They are the only ones who can see what is working and what is not, especially if you are a plus-size model.

1. Angle your legs and arms, even if only slightly. Nothing says rigid and flat more than standing straight and staring at the camera. Keep your fingers loose and avoid making fists. This type of shoot is done to show full body poses.

2. Master the three-quarters pose. In this pose, you turn your body slightly away from the camera so that only three-fourths of your body is visible. This adds depth and makes the images more visually appealing.

3. Follow your photographer's directions on where to look. Looking directly into the camera has limited appeal and doesn't work in a lot of cases. Look behind the camera, or into the eyes of the photographer. When asked to look a specific direction, have your eyes follow the direction your nose is pointing. Doing this produces a more honest and candid shot. It's also perfect for picking up eye color and catching light in the image.

4. Keep your poses moving and alive, but move slowly. You want to change things about every three seconds. Move a hand, change your posture slightly, and change your facial expression. A good model, with years of practice, would do these variations in poses correctly.

Modeling Portfolios Built with Pixpa 

Zak Dawson 

Zac Dawson’s modeling portfolio instills a minimalistic approach. The overall design is clean and focuses more on Zac’s portfolio. The website design is inspired by Pixpa's stunning template, Titan. 

User experience is key here, as the navigation options - “Home,” “Portfolio,” and “Contact” are easy to locate for any potential visitors so that they can interact easily. 

The high res images on Zac’s portfolio page are in grid format, showcasing model poses for men that can help be an inspiration for future male models.

Ruxandra Chitescu

Ruxandra Chitescu’s model portfolio website is simple in design. The website layout is well-organized, with links to the “Portfolio,” “About,” and “Contact” sections, creating a cohesive browsing experience. Ruxandra has incorporated the Sepia template by Pixpa to highlight her photos. 

The design theme and the images Ruxandra has included on the home page flow seamlessly, further accentuating her presence and style. The portfolio sections include images of her best work in a grid layout.

Ruxandra’s use of props, color temperature, and photography lighting to create stunning poses is truly remarkable - something an aspiring should possess under their arsenal.

Victoria Togoe

Victoria Togoe’s website starts with an image of her portrait highlighting her stunning eyes. She has categorized her work into: “Portrait + Beauty”, “Fashion + Editorial”, “Publications,” and “Group Photos”.

Through a clever use of parallax scrolling, Victoria adds depth and dimension to her modeling portfolio website. As visitors scroll down, they are treated to different categories, each with unique images suitable for that category and a CTA to entice potential clients or agencies to explore her brilliant work further.

Breanna Gulleford

Breanna Gulleford is an editorial and commercial model based in Australia. To capture viewers' attention, Breanna implements Pixpa’s modern and elegant design template. The strategic use of whitespace allows her pictures to take center stage.

Breanna has included her vital stats on the first page so potential clients or agencies can assess suitability for future projects. Her model portfolio emphasizes versatility, which is clearly seen in the slider images that portray various poses in different settings.

No matter the type of model, engagement is crucial, Breanna provides direct CTA’s for contact and links to her social media channels. 

Looking for inspiration? Check out the top 24 portfolio websites of 2024 built on Pixpa. 

Mastering Modeling Poses 

Perfecting modeling poses is of utmost importance if you're someone who wants to lead a successful career in fashion modeling. By following this expert guide, you can get a really good idea of how model poses help elevate your presence in front of the camera.  

When it comes to modeling, details matter, so it is important to always have a clear understanding of the photographer's style. Having a clear line of communication with your photographer will surely bring the best of any model. 

Lastly, be open to experimenting, using props, and trying out classic poses. Remember, with practice and dedication, your journey to becoming a successful model will be within touching distance.  

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best modeling poses?

Profiles and three-quarter poses are some of the most common and versatile poses for modeling. In most cases, choosing the best pose depends on the type of photoshoot. It is always wise to follow the photographer’s directions and brief, as they usually have a particular artistic direction in mind for each photoshoot.

How do beginner models pose?

For a beginner model, it is good to always remember to relax your body and keep your poses moving and alive to give them depth and vibrancy. Keep your limbs at a slight angle instead of standing straight to avoid looking rigid. Always follow your photographer’s instructions since they are the ones who can see what is happening behind the camera and what looks good and what doesn’t

How can I be a natural model?

While certain people do have an appearance or facial features that are considered more suitable or in demand for modeling, there is no such thing as a natural model. Modeling, like any other profession, requires a specific set of skills, and those skills can be learned and honed over time with the right mentorship. 

How do you make a good model face?

It is helpful to remember that modeling is like acting. This is especially true of facial close ups. ‘Speak with your eyes’ just like in acting. Your exact expressions will depend on the requirements of the photoshoot, but keeping yourself relaxed but focused is a good idea. Your eyes can communicate a plethora of emotions but it is important not to space out.