Posing Guide

Whether it be for a friend, lover or total stranger, it takes considerable courage to put on your sexiest lingerie and model. You need to exude confidence when you feel most vulnerable (or vaguely ridiculous!)

However, once you get into the swing of things, the time passes incredibly quickly. The trick is to get over the awkward phase at the beginning as soon as possible. A glass of wine has been known to help steady the nerves (but only one!) but I don't think there is any substitute for preparation.

I would strongly recommend you study a posing guide beforehand and practice in front of a mirror; when you know what you should be doing it gives your confidence an enormous boost and you will get into the swing of the session more quickly. You will soon find that photo shoots have a certain rhythm:

... direction - pose - click - feedback - click - direction - pose ...

Something along these lines:

"lean forward and look directly at the camera"
pose
click
"thats great, try tilting your head a little more to the left"
pose
click
"wonderful, now lean in towards me a bit more"
pose
click

Keep this in mind, particularly if you are working with an inexperienced photographer, because if the shoot is feeling a bit laboured you can revive it yourself; if you aren't getting the direction or feedback you need then just ask!

A step by step guide to posing is beyond the scope of this site, but there are fabulous books on the subject:

And if you are stuck for ideas, don't forget to check out Top 5 Poses, and Copy the Classics.