Posing Techniques: How to Look and Feel Less Awkward in Photos

Everyone has gone through that awkward stage of taking unflattering pictures. And whether you’ve moved past it or are still in that phase, AirBrush has posing techniques that you can use right now. If you are still trying to master your posing, we’ve got seven tips that you can pull from to execute a great pose and photo. If you’ve already established your go-to poses, you can probably find one or two new tips to try out below.

Keeping your shoulders square on to the camera will make you look wider than you are and create an unflattering boxy shape. Instead, tilt one shoulder toward the lens to create a twist in the body that reduces width. This can also show off clothes better by highlighting the drape and texture of the material.

Another way to reduce the bulky look in a photo is to create space between your body and your arms. By bending your elbow and exposing the waistline you inject a lighter, more graceful look to your pose. It also adds subtle dynamics to the photo as opposed to standing at attention.

To carry on creating dynamic poses, you should also tilt your hips on a diagonal toward the camera. As with our first posing technique, the tilt towards the camera creates new lines of the body, allows you to appear slimmer and shows off details of clothes. 

What tends to happen with most awkward posers is they pull their heads back and away from the camera while also pulling their chin down and in. Try this posing technique of tilting your chin slightly forward to define your jaw and avoid creating a double chin.

If you just can’t feel natural standing still in front of the camera, you have the option to move. Try a twirl, a swing or a swish to add more of your personality to the photo and shed some of the awkwardness. This helps take you out of your head because you’re moving instead of staring down a camera lens.

If you find that your legs always look stumpy, this posing technique is for you. Getting on tiptoe or extending one leg in front of the other will help you appear taller and more graceful. If you like this posing option, you can morph it into a “walking” pose that helps capture movement.

The last of our last posing techniques helps minimize the awkwardness of taking pictures. If like most, you can’t decide what to do with your hands, find a prop and play around with it! Props give you something to focus on while taking the photo, while creating visual interest for the viewer.

Lastly, when you’ve nailed a pose that you love, finish the photo with an AirBrush edit. One of the most impactful ways to do this is with one of our Filters. It adds to the tone and feel of the photo which can enhance the vibe you’re going for in the photoshoot. Here, we’ve used the Glossy Filter under the Texture category to brighten the photograph.

As always, we bring the best photography tips to help you achieve the images that will elevate your feeds. Even if you feel like a veteran, the posing techniques above should be able to offer something new for exploration. AirBrush, the easy photo editor, will take your posed photos to the next level with these tips and our easy to use editing tools. Tag your posts with #AirBrushApp so we can find them. Then, follow us @AirBrushOfficial on Instagram for our latest tips, tricks and hacks!