Fashion Model Poses: Capturing the Best 26 Looks for Photoshoots

Do you ever wonder how to photograph models?

What about getting the perfect fashion pose for your shot?

Whether you’re a beginner photographer aiming to get some great tips for your first model photoshoots or an experienced one willing to get inspired with new unique, creative poses for models… this article is for you! Keep on reading to explore our 26 tips to capture the best fashion poses in a model’s photoshoot!

Fashion Model Poses For Beginners

If you’re just starting with your photography gigs, don’t worry, we’ve got your back! We’ve all been there, but you don’t have to struggle or feel nervous about it as we will share some classic and beginner-friendly poses for both male and female models so that you can be well-prepared and inspired during your photoshoot.

1. First, let’s chill

Let’s start with one of the easiest poses for both you and your model: sitting. Sitting down removes some of the stress and could be a great way to begin your shooting. Advise your model to sit on the floor and just relax!

2. Keep on chilling, but add some creativity

Another variation to the same pose is to add a chair to the pic; this will allow the model to get a bit more comfortable and warm up with the photoshoot. Adding a nice wooden chair or a stool will build on the picture’s vibe and creativity too.

3. The over-the-shoulder peek

This is one of the beautifully dramatic poses that will make every picture look extra mysterious and magnetic! Get your model to either stand or keep on sitting with their body facing backwards, while their face turns straight at the camera! See how attractive this shot will be!

4. Check the pockets!

The hands-in-pockets pose is a great one to take away the “what to do with my hands?” stress! If your models get a bit awkward with their arms during the shooting, or you don’t know what to advise them, I promise this will save your photoshoot! It’s a great way to get your fashion photography to look cool and classy.

5. The lazy pose

The lazy pose will feel lazy but definitely won’t look so! This is the perfect way to make your models photoshoot look alluring, trendy, and cool, without making too much effort. Advise your model to lean on anything convenient: a wall, a column, a piece of antique furniture… and see how your fashion photography takes more personality!

6. Aim for the sky

If you want your models' photoshoots to be high-level and original, this is a tip you’ll want to hear! Get your models to simply stand and showcase their outfits, while you get on your knees or sit on the floor, and shoot them from the bottom to the top, aiming for the sky! Advise them to either look at you or look sideways and see how magic unfolds!

Male Model Poses

Regardless you’re a beginner photographer or an expert, it’s always good to get more specific tips, so that your fashion photography can be extremely successful and satisfying. 

So let’s dig deeper into male models’ pictures to get great advice on how to shoot the best fashion poses.

7. The confident stance

Especially when talking about fashion photography and fashion trends, men's photos look always best when the male energy is embodied and showcased through the final shots. One good old classic is the crossed-arm position, which will naturally make your model look protective and confident.

8. The “Grease” pose

Think Danny Zuko in Grease, a classic, vintage-looking John Travolta-style photoshoot that will give your fashion photography an old-school, ageless, classic look. Advise your model to casually touch his hair, as if he’s putting some gel on. Make him feel cool, cheer him up, and let the class take over.

9. Light it up!

For another vintage-looking, original, and personality-filled pose idea, you can recommend your model to light up a cigarette. This is a shot that has so many different options for it to turn into art. You could take a close-up of him with the lit cigarette, a full-body shot of the model lighting it up, and/or you could artistically play with the smoke’s silhouette. These pictures will look amazing in a final black-and-white edit!

10. The hat game

Accessories are a game-changer for professional photoshoots, especially for fashion photography! Hats are a great addition to your model’s outfit and playing with their shape and shadows can add so much character to your photoshoots.

11. Let’s get philosophical

For this pose advise your model to put his hand(s) in a thinking position, so that his looks will turn deep, philosophical, and mysterious and your shots will automatically look more interesting and appealing.

12. The itchy neck

Somehow, a man grabbing his neck can be very sensual. This is a really good photo idea you could use for a simple, yet manly look, especially to exhibit a man’s shirt or jacket.

13. The knee grab

Another “takes the stress away” but at the same time gives a classy vibe fashion pose is the knee grab. Get your model to sit on a chair and while in a crossed-leg position grab his knee. This will give a classy feeling and it’s especially great for photoshoots that need to include and highlight watches, bracelets, rings, or shoes.

Female Model Poses

Now that you’ve got some inspiration for your male models, let’s get some tips, especially for a female model photoshoot.

14. The Lioness

Let’s be honest, so many women have beautiful long hair that can be played with for a great photoshoot outcome! So get your model to play with her hair, shake it up, move it all around, and let her feel it! While she is into it, keep your finger on the shutter button and see how enchanting the pictures turn into.

15. Hips don’t lie

Hips are the most sensual and girly part of a woman’s figure, so highlighting them during your photoshoot will enhance your model’s body while giving your pictures an extra pinch of class and sensuality.

16. The mover

A great way to give movement and personality to your fashion photography is by getting your model to dance, swirl, pirouette, or whatever she feels more comfortable doing in movement. Make sure you freeze her in time during her fashionable performance.

17. The dramatic pose

For this pose, suggest your model to feel her most creative and dramatic self! Think about a drama play where actors exaggerate their performance with their body language. Advise your model to put her hands on her face, on the head, on the neck, to look up or look at the side with closed eyes. Allow her to embody some dramatic playfulness so your shot can come to life with more character and theatrical beauty.

18. The sensual back

This is one of the best fashion poses you can use as inspiration if, through your fashion photography, you’re willing to shoot a dress that has a beautiful back neckline or a particular back detail that needs to be enhanced. Get your model to stand facing backward and poetically raise her arms. Take a full-body pic and allow her back to be the star of this shot.

19. The cool model

For a girly, but not overrated pose you can get your model to sit on her knees without fully touching the ground, just putting the weight on her feet. Her arms can be loose on the knees, holding accessories, or touching her hair. This pose will give a feminine, cool look to your picture.

20. The resting pose

This is a great pose idea if you’re willing to shoot a whole outfit, and accessories too, while giving a bit more personality and originality than a simple stand-up position! For this shot get your model to lie down on one hip, with one arm stretched up and another on the side. Get her to look straight at the camera for a more confident look, or to stare at the top for an extra deep gaze. Once shot, during the edits, you could turn it vertical too, so that it gives a bit of a confusing, yet alluring feeling to it.

High Fashion Poses

Okay, now we’ve given you some great tips for beginners, and guided you with a few in-depth insights into fashion photography for males and females, now let’s get even more extensive into high fashion.

High-fashion photography doesn’t only require great photography skills, it demands true art! It’s not conventional, nor plane. It is glamorous, colorful, and thinks outside of the box!

So let’s get captivating and glowing because we’re about to share some of the best high-fashion pose tips for you!

21. The ponytail

We cannot play small with high-fashion pictures. Your model needs to showcase all of her body, with a lot of attitude too. So advise her to make a ponytail and play with it during the shooting, especially her pulling it towards the top will give space for her body to enhance, the personality to overflow, and the outfit to shine.

22. The classy

This is one of the best fashion poses if you want to shoot some classy, elegant but cool outfit or dress. Get your model to stand with her weight on one leg, one arm on the hip, and the other one on the shoulder. This is especially great if the outfit includes gloves or has long sleeves that need to be highlighted.

23. The catwalk

This one’s a high-fashion pose must-do, a great one to showcase beautiful high heels or any other special shoes wished to be exhibited. Get your model to pose as if she’s walking towards one side, but suggest she looks towards the camera either gazing at it or on the side, for an extra vibey look. This shot will look especially great with a long skirt or dress.

24. The cross

If your high-fashion photos require you to expose more of the legs or shoes, this one’s your pose! Get your model to sit on the floor and cross her legs in an exaggerated position, while she either looks straight at the camera or sideways. Get her to put her hands in the back, so the focus stays just on the legs.

25. The Flamingo

Another variant to enhance the outfit’s shoes and/or pants is to encourage your model to lie down, while her legs are lifted. You can let her play with the legs, maybe hold both up, or one up and one down… be creative with it!

26. The weirdo

Last, but not least: the weirdo pose. Simply advise your model to be as quirky as possible, get her to jump, bend her knees, stretch her fingers, show her flexibility, and be expressive as much as she feels like doing. Shoot her while she exhibits her eccentricness and trust me, the outcome will be outstanding! The best recommendation for high-fashion photography is to think outside the box and create something that can’t go unnoticed!

We hope these tips and expressive photo ideas gave you some inspiration for your fashion photography so that your model's shoots can rise to the next level.

Remember that the best fashion photoshoot advice is to be your most artistic self and think unconventionally! That’s what fashion aims for and that’s what a photographer should do to represent it best.