There’s so much to love about modelling, it’s fun, interactive, and helps you build skills and earn an income around your other commitments. It’s a dream profession because, with an honest, authentic agency like Models Direct, you’re in control of which assignments you’d like to take on when you’re ready and you can trust MD to put you forward for assignments that best match you. (We don’t let our models slip through the net, and work hard to give everyone a fair chance).
As a model, one of the skills you’ll need to have is to strike a pose. It’s a powerful tool to master in the modelling world as it conveys emotion, mood and a message. The only thing is, how comfortable do you feel when creating one on the spot?
Tough question! Most of us would be inclined to reply “yes” even if we feel slightly apprehensive.
It’s okay to admit that you may feel uneasy because let’s face it having cameras and videos pointing at you can very easily do that!
They do say that practice makes perfect and what better way to do that than to go through this blog and pick up some great poses that you might want to use on your next modelling assignment? But before we begin, may we insert a few precursors that will help get the ball rolling? Here are some suggestions to help:
Stand in front of a mirror
Get accustomed to seeing yourself in front of the mirror for some mirror work. Stand, sit down, observe, try out different expressions, movements and see what feels most comfortable. You can also take selfies or ask someone else to take a pic of you to see how you look on camera.
Learn breathing techniques
Standing up in front of new faces, new crowds and places with cameras focusing on you might give you a serious case of jitters or butterflies in your stomach. A great way to calm those nerves is to….breathe! How many of us hold our breath or are shallow breathers? Our guess is, plenty! Try and reconnect with your breath and pull out anxiety. This will take time so practise this daily.
Say positive things to yourself
Instil inner confidence by saying positive phrases that will lift you. Most of us don’t take the time to quieten the noise down and say pleasant things to ourselves.
Let’s have a look at which poses our modelling coordinators have selected to give you some inspo:
The “Power Pose”
This one’s where you’ll be standing tall, legs slightly apart, shoulder back, hands on hips (or if you prefer, let them hang by your sides). Simple yet effective.
The “Walking Pose”
Walk it out with confident strides. Shoulder back and relaxed, head held up (not too high in the sky), swing those arms and kept your facial expression relaxed. You can add some edginess by creating mood and emotion in your look like you’re on the catwalk – that’ll convert to a “Dynamic Walk Pose.”
The “Leaning Pose”
Leaning against any supporting object, you can have one leg bent and resting against it, you can relax yourself into it.
The “Hand-on-Hip”
Legs slightly apart, shoulders relaxed and back, you can place one hand on your hip – striking and simplistic.
The “T-stance”
A slightly different take to the hand-on-hip, this time have your feet together, shoulders relaxed, one hand on your hip – that’s it!
The “Profile Pose”
Standing at a slight angle, have one foot slightly in front of the other. Turning your face at a three-quarter angle, you can either have your hands on your hip, one hand resting there or both on your thighs.
The “Sitting Pose”
Sitting on the floor or furniture, you can cross your legs, keeping your shoulders relaxed and arms in front or resting on the surface.
The “Headshot”
Get close to the camera so your face and shoulders are in the frame. Keep everything relaxed and experiment with expressions, moods and angles.
Our advice would be to try these poses out if you already haven’t but you can certainly add your twist, personality and style to each. After practising you’ll find which ones suit you – very much like muscle memory – you’ll be able to easily create your poses on the spot giving you confidence in your skills.
