Free guide

How to look good in every photo

The 10-pose cheat sheet for people who “aren’t photogenic”. Read it once, run the 60-second drill before your next event, and stop dreading the camera.

The 3 rules under every good pose

  1. Chin down, forward an inch. It feels odd; it reads as a jawline. The instinct — chin up, lean back — is what makes “hostage photos”.
  2. Shoulders back and down. Fear pulls them up to your ears. Exhale before the shutter.
  3. Weight on the back foot. Never stand square to the camera like a passport photo — shift, angle, bend one knee.
POSE 01 Solo, standing

The Lean

Find a wall. Shoulder against it, ankles crossed, hands occupied (pocket, cuff, phone). Forces asymmetry.

“Let the wall hold you up.”

POSE 02 Solo, standing

The Walk

Don’t stand — walk slowly toward or past the camera and let them shoot burst. Movement kills stiffness.

“Look at something, not the lens, until the last step.”

POSE 03 Solo, standing

The Over-Shoulder

Face away 45°, turn your head back to the lens. Slims everything, hides nervous hands entirely.

“Lead with the chin, then the eyes.”

POSE 04 Solo, standing

The Hands-Busy Fix

Give your hands a job: adjust a sleeve, hold a drink at waist height (never chest), touch a collarbone, one thumb in a pocket. Awkward hands ruin more photos than faces do.

“Hands have a task or a pocket — never floating.”

POSE 05 Seated & close-up

The Forward Lean

Seated: elbows to knees, lean toward the lens. Closeness reads as confidence.

“Bring your face closer than feels polite.”

POSE 06 Seated & close-up

The Jaw Line

For close-ups: push your face slightly forward and down (the “turtle”). Feels ridiculous, photographs sharp. Defines the jaw in every light.

“Forehead toward the camera.”

POSE 07 Seated & close-up

The Laugh Trigger

Fake smiles die after 2 seconds. Exhale, drop your shoulders, and actually say something out loud (“this is so stupid” works). The shutter catches the real one landing.

“Talk, don’t hold.”

POSE 08 Groups & couples

The Angle-Out

In a line-up, never face flat forward. Angle your body toward the centre of the group, weight on the back foot, arm around or hand to a shoulder. Flat-on reads passport; angled reads editorial.

“Point your toes at the middle person.”

POSE 09 Groups & couples

The Anchor

Couples: one person anchors (still), the other leans in. Two people both leaning = topple; both stiff = mugshot. Contrast makes both of you look intentional.

“One oak, one ivy.”

POSE 10 Groups & couples

The In-Between Frame

Ask for burst mode and move between poses slowly — the frames BETWEEN poses are the ones that look candid. Candid beats posed, every time.

“Slow-motion fidget.”

The occasion map

  • Dating profile — 1 (lean), 2 (walk), 7 (laugh). First photo: 3 (over-shoulder). No group shots first.
  • Wedding guest — 8 (angle-out) for the line-ups, 4 (hands-busy: glass at waist) for candids, 10 for the dance floor.
  • LinkedIn headshot — 6 (jaw line) + shoulders down, shot from slightly above, plain background, portrait mode.
  • Holiday — 2 (walk) and 3 (over-shoulder) — movement + place beats posed-in-front-of-landmark.

The 60-second pre-event drill

In the car park, the lift or the loo: chin down an inch → shoulders down on an exhale → weight to the back foot → give your hands a job → say the laugh line. Run it twice. That’s the whole warm-up.