Natasha Rathnayaka at the Beach

2. How to Hold Their Body

The beautiful thing about the human body is that it gives us so many different ways to show beauty via different positions, angles and poses. There are, however, some surefire ways to ensure that the shots you do get exemplify this, rather than disadvantage them.

Crossed legs is one of the oldest tricks in the book. There is no doubt that having spread can give a feeling of power, however most times it can just make the model look fat (especially if you're working with the more curvy body types!). Whilst a model is walking around a location or set, ask them to try to place one foot in front of the other whilst walking. Let them get the hang of it before you start taking some serious shots, so that you've got the slim look and they appear natural whilst doing so.


Another old but effective trick of modelling is to try to keep their hands occupied at all times, or at least giving the arms some shape! If you want to shoot without any props, ask your model to bend their arms instead of keeping them straight- these kind of shots come out static and plain.

Taking props to a shoot is one of the best ways to ensure both variety and aesthetics. If your model is playing with an object, it opens up a whole new range of candid shots- most of which will be quite satisfying! Take for example you're at a green, overgrown location with a stream. Imagine your model bending down looking into the water. Now imagine the model looking into the water, leaning over holding a nearby branch, or placing leaves in the water. Suddenly an action is involved, and the shot has more character!If the model is a lovely lady, ask them to twist or bend their abdomen- this disrupts the boring flow of a straight line down the body and can also give you some very sexy shots. If a male, get them in positions that flex muscles in natural but effective ways. as well as that, make sure they always place their weight to one side whilst posing!

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