Christmas kitchen30 Must-Try Male Poses to Inspire Your Next Men’s Photoshoot
Men can be incredible models if they’re properly directed and told what to do and how to pose.
Whether you come across a male photoshoot gig for men who need pictures of them taken for personal, professional, or creative reasons, this article will expand your vision and give several tips for a man’s photoshoot covering all types of poses - standing, sitting, laying, crouching, laying, in-action and close-up.
So let’s get into it!
Male Standing Poses
First things first - let’s begin with a few standing pose ideas for males, the most common ones that can still be done with a little creativity and a lot of personality.
1. Standing from the back
If you aim to have a casual pose, but not the most common one facing the camera, an idea is to have your model standing facing the opposite side of the camera while his face is slightly turned towards it, to see his facial features while still adding up some mystery to the shot. This photo would be greatly captured in front of a unicolored or abstract backdrop to better enhance his figure.
2. The explorer
For a more character-filled outcome consider finding a creative and unique location such as the beach, the forest, or a cute city spot that will add to the picture’s personality, where your model can simply stand without much effort in striking the perfect pose.
Image from Pexels
3. The cool one
A simple standing position can drastically enhance its identity with the simple addition of a prop or element. Whether you choose to shoot this at home, in town, or a studio, advising your model to light up a cigarette, have a glass of wine, or hold onto a flower can immediately add to the picture’s personality while making it look more natural and characteristic.
4. The unplanned
Another way to smoothly enhance a man’s standing position is to capture him in a way that seems natural and unplanned, almost as if you were shooting him without him realizing. An idea is to have him dress in a cool outfit, lean on something whilst he pretends to be on the phone, unbothered, and you proceed to shoot him from a slight distance.
Image from Pexels
5. The boss
Suggesting your model walks toward the camera while you create depth of field by blurring the scenery and focusing on his figure is another great way to catch the eye with a standing pose.
Male Sitting Poses
What if you prefer having a more chilled-out version by having your model sit instead? Or maybe he’s the one who would rather sit to take away the stress of standing…
Whichever the case, we have some good pieces of advice for you!
6. The guru
A creative sitting pose idea includes a mystical one where you advise your model to sit in a crossed-leg position, with his eyes closed as if he’s meditating. This picture can be effortlessly enhanced with the addition of elements such as candles, pillows, and props that add to the vibe.
7. Sit and stare
A man sitting on a stool naturally adds a bit of class and style to the photo. So suggesting your model sits on one for his photoshoot is ideal. The whole vibe will change according to his outfit choice - a suit will make it look elegant and a casual tee and some jeans will make it more relaxed - choose the setting accordingly.
8. The unbothered
Without planning too much, another sitting pose can be created while sitting on the side of a street, on a nice staircase in town, or on a park bench while your model gets to relax and you proceed to capture his unbothered, easy-going nature.
9. A deep thinker, but cool
Another idea is to have him sit and lean on a table, with his arms placed in a thinking position, while he stares elsewhere in a philosopher kind of way.
10. The dramatic artist
If you would like a more dramatic and personality-filled result, then you can consider having your model sit by an artistic scene while he strikes an impassioned pose.
Male Crouching Poses
Crouching poses are the in-between standing and sitting, they’re underrated when wanting to strike a pose, but they effortlessly add style and uniqueness to the shot. So let’s check them out.
11. The classic crouch
Suggesting your model strikes a crouching position will naturally have the picture look a little more gangster cool while removing some of the pressure from your model on the “what should I do with my arms and legs”. The perfect setting will be key to choosing the vibe and setting the tone.
12. The nature lover
A crouching position can be smoothly highlighted with the addition of props and elements such as plants or flowers - whether you decide to shoot this in nature or bring some nature to your studio it’s up to you!
Image from Pexels
13. It’s all in the perspective
A good photographer’s perspective can make all the difference when shooting a crouching pose - try capturing your model from a low angle to have a more catchy result.
14. The sporty but classy
Crouching poses are naturally sporty and casual, however, you can advise your model to crouch and deeply stare at the camera in a way that adds up class and character to the photo while still feeling casual and natural - you can consider adding depth of field for a more professional and figure focused result.
15. Crouching on railing
If your model is more of the adventurous kind, then you can consider having him crouch on more extreme places, like on stair railings, which will immediately add to your picture a unique, adventurous, and character-filled vibe.
Image from Pexels
Male Laying Poses
Laying is another must-do and cute pose you can consider taking your men’s pictures in. Here are some ideas.
16. Grass is comfy
When choosing to take a laying pose shot you need to carefully select the ground your model will be lying on as it will turn into the picture’s background. An idea is to have him lay on high grass as it will be comfy for him while naturally adding depth and pattern to the frame.
17. Laying in the light
A way you can efficiently enhance your laying poses is by having your model lay in a crack of light that will facilitate a beautiful shadow game in his facial features.
18. The mermaid man
If your model doesn’t mind showing off, you can suggest taking some shots next to a body of water - a beach, river, or lake - while he poses lying on the shore like a mermaid man.
19. The provoking
Laying poses are perfect for men who aim for a provoking result through their photoshoots. For this target have your model lie in a bed shirtless while either staring deeply at the lens or having a more mysterious look by gazing elsewhere.
Image from Istock
20. The poser
For an extra creative and unconventional result you can consider capturing a photo of your model lying in a distinctive location - in the middle of a road, on a paddle, in the desert - and shoot him from afar to capture his full body and uncommon scenery. You can always effortlessly recreate your dream location with the help of themed backdrops.
Male Action Poses
What if your target is to truly highlight your model’s unique personality and soul through this photoshoot? Not every model wants to show off physical features or cool outfits, some prefer to have their most distinctive selves to show up in the pictures.
So let’s check some ideas on how you can capture your model in action while doing something that represents his personality and uniqueness.
21. This one’s for the strong men
Is your model into getting his body fit? Then it will be such a great idea to capture him while he is in the gym and he gets to move and show off his fit body and flex muscles!
22. The walker
A creative, elegant, and classy idea includes one where your model gets to simply walk in a city-like location, maybe crossing the street or grabbing some coffee. Proceed to capture him unbothered as if he spontaneously got caught in daily life activity.
23. The athlete
If your model is less artistic but more athletic contemplate the idea of having him strike a sporty pose like a backflip, a handstand, a muscle flex, and so on.
Image from Pexels
24. The urban skater boy
Some men are more of the urban, city-boys kind, so if this is the case you can capture him while skating in town or even in front of a graffiti wall or backdrop with a skateboard as a prop if he’s not a skater but likes the urban-looking vibe.
Image from Pexels
25. The dancer
Whether your model is a dancer or not, having a creative shot taken of him striking some moves can result in a really cool-looking, personality-filled photo. Have him put on some of his favorite songs and feel himself while you proceed to shoot him in his zone, while he moves to his selected beat.
Image from Pexels
26. The sporty
So many men love or appreciate playing sports - it can be fun, engaging, and creative to capture your model playing his favorite game and photograph him while in dynamic motion, having fun and truly living the moment!
Image from Pexels
Male Close-up poses
Last, but not least, let’s get some tips and ideas on close-up poses for your men’s photoshoot as these are the must-do shots you need to consider taking when your model aims to have one, or more, facial features mostly enhanced.
27. Classic close-up
First things first when shooting close-ups: the classic one, the one where your whole photo frame includes his main facial features - eyes, nose, and mouth. Have him stare into the lens for a deeper outcome or stare elsewhere for a more secretive result.
28. Eyes don’t lie
If what you, or your model, aim for is to showcase a particular facial feature - usually eyes or mouth - then have your lens focus only on that particular body part. If you are capturing the eyes remember to consider the perfect lighting that will naturally enhance his eye color.
29. The shadow game stare
Playing with the shadow and lighting can drastically enhance your close-up picture’s quality and vibe.
Image from Pexels
30. The personality-filled close-up
Close-ups can also include a little more space in the frame that incorporates more style and personality to the shot. It’s the perfect photo for those who want to showcase their facial features with a touch of uniqueness.
Image from Pexels
Top 5 Studio Backdrops That Perfectly Enhance Male Portraits
You can smoothly have your male pictures and portraits’ quality enhanced with the use of intentionally selected backdrops that will add to the photo’s professionalism and style.
Here are our top 5 studio backdrop recommendations for a great photo outcome.
1）Seamless Paper Backdrops
Seamless paper backdrops are perfect for minimalist male photos that target to particularly showcase physical features without any further distractions or visual noise.
2）Abstract Backdrops
Abstract backdrops are perfect for men’s photoshoots that aim to have more texture and personality, while still enhancing facial features or a particular outfit.
3）Collapsible Backdrops
Collapsible backdrops are great for creating more depth to the photo. They’re perfect for men’s close-ups as they’re smaller than regular backdrops and can easily fold and be transported even outdoors - this is perfect for men who aim to have professional close-ups of their facial features together with adventurous or action photos taken elsewhere.
4）Retro Wall Backdrops
Retro wall backdrops are for the classy, vintage men who want to express their manly elegance and a bit more personality to the shot - targeting to enhance less facial features and more uniqueness and style.
5）Sports Backdrops
Similarly, sports backdrops are the perfect photo setting for those men who don’t care about highlighting their features, but rather aim to express a feeling, a personality. This is for the sporty kind who don’t have the chance to shoot in an actual field, but decide to bring their favorite sports game to the photo studio!
Whether your male model is classy, elegant, sporty, artistic, fashionable, or casual… we hope these tips and pose ideas helped you find great motivation for your next photoshoot.
