The most important factor in any model’s pose is that they look comfortable. Try to avoid awkward stance or position that is difficult because they can be very distracting and ruin the feel of your image. Professional models can strike a well practised pose to a tee, but regular people like family and friends may need help to strike a correct pose. Many people are nervous in front of a camera so don’t expect them to be relaxed for the first few shots. As a rule you should consider the first few shots as giving the person time to relax and prepare for the real shots. It takes skill to get your model to relax, feel comfortable and basically forget that the camera is there, so talk to your model and take lots of shots.

The best portrait shows the character of the model.

Start with a basic pose and after each shot change the pose slightly allowing them to still feel comfortable. Props and settings are very important because your portrait needs a background.

Shooting outdoors is cheaper, as you need less equipment but you have to pay more attention to avoid shadows and distracting backgrounds.

Eye contact draws attention to the image and helps reflect the mood or feeling of the person far more than any pose can. Eye contact delivers a message to the image viewer. A subject looking away from the camera can work for fine-art and documentary style images. Having subjects’ eyes on the camera means an immediate interaction with anyone who sees the picture, as if the model were looking at you through the image.