Male Poses

17 Smart Posing Tips to Capture Perfect Male Portrait Photographs For 2024

Do you want to take stunning male portrait photographs? Whether you are a professional photographer or a hobbyist, you need to know how to pose your male subjects in a flattering and natural way.
It is no surprise that women and men are different from each other.

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When they come to be photographed, they come in with different expectations, goals, and images attached to them already. The trend of the day dictates that female portrait photoshoots usually revolve more around fashion and glamour.

Hence, photographing them involves focusing more on their beauty, makeup, clothes, and accessories.

This might not be the case with male portrait photography poses. Unless the photoshoot is for a fashion label, male portrait photoshoots rarely emphasize clothing, accessories, or enhanced beauty.

You might want to read about must-try men boudoir (Dudeoir) poses

portrait of a guy

Moreover, there are different stereotypes attached to both genders that your clients might prefer highlighting in their distinctive photoshoots. Women can get away with both feminine and slightly masculine looks.

However, generally, it is demanded that they be portrayed as curvy, stylish figures with flawless beauty.

On the other hand, the case with male photography is entirely the opposite! It is preferred that they be portrayed as rugged, confident, fit, and absolutely masculine beings. The focus in male portraits is more on edgy angles rather than body curves.

And almost all your clients, in this case, might actually opt for a raw and disheveled look rather than a pretty, neat, and put-together look.

Based on this, and interestingly, your commercial clients may want a different look from the male and female portraits they’ve assigned you, even if both are intended to advertise the same product or service.

In line with this stream of thought, many clients would come to you for male portrait photographs with certain objectives in mind. Being a good professional, it is your first and foremost duty to make them feel comfortable and understand their objectives fully before getting on with the assignment.

It is only then that you can work towards determining the posing for your male portrait assignment.

Furthermore, before you actually get on with the photo shoot, it is important to get to know the male model a bit. You should make him feel comfortable and welcomed on the set and should get to know his personality a bit.

This way when the time comes for him to pose, you could help him let loose and guide him towards appropriate poses.

Knowing all these essentials will actually help you lay some ground rules during the photo shoot. It will also aid you in getting an in-depth understanding of classic male models’ photo poses. While at the same time allowing you to get creative with the boys poses for photoshoot and introduce variations.

Before we move into the actual guide let’s look at some simple poses for boys.

Sitting Poses For Men

1. The Stair Pose

Male poses

Stairs are perfect for capturing portraits as they allow different perspectives. Have your model sit on one of the stairs and place his feet on two different steps. You can try several variations of this pose. For example, you can ask the model to rest one of his hands on the thigh as shown in this photo.

2. Sitting Relaxed Pose

man posing

This is one of the best sitting poses for boys & most comfortable photo poses for boys. Have your model sit down on the ground with one knee crossed while keeping the other one straight.

3. The Backward Chair

man sitting on backward chair pose

Once seated with the chair turned around, have your model rest their elbows, hands, or even their chin on the back of the chair. This is another popular pose that you can try for your next photo shoot.

4. Crossed Legs Pose

model sitting with crossed legs

The crossed legs pose is a relaxed and casual way to show off your style and attitude in a portrait. By crossing your legs, you create a sense of balance and symmetry that enhances your overall appearance.

You also show that you are not afraid to be yourself and express your individuality.

Standing Poses For Men

5. Hands In Pocket Pose

portrait of a guy

Hands in the pocket is a classic look for male photoshoots. It is a great way to relax the model. This pose can help display confidence and class. You can ask the model to try variations such as both the hands in the pockets, just one hand in a pocket, or partial hands in the pockets while keeping the thumb outside the pocket.

6. The Walking Pose

Male Poses

This is one of the most popular men poses as it’s natural and relaxing for those who have trouble facing the camera. Have your model walk casually towards the camera while looking in other directions. This type of pose is perfect for street photoshoots.

7. Adjusting the wardrobe

photo poses for boys

For this pose, you can ask your model to do subtle adjustments. You can have him fix his tie, pop his collar, touch his hat or watch or button his shirt as shown above. Play around with this pose to see what works best for you.

8. The Hand In Hair Pose

photo poses for boys

Have your model run his fingers through his hair for a relaxed, spontaneous pose. You can also try a different variation by asking him to move his arm down and place his hand on the back of his neck for a similar yet distinct pose.

Masculine Poses For Men

9. Jacket Over Shoulder Pose

male photo poses

This is a classic pose for a clean and confident look. Ask your model to relax a little with their jacket slung over the shoulder for a classic portrait. Roll up the shirt sleeves and add a cool pair of glares to make the photo even more attractive.

10. Tilted Head Pose

model posing with a tilted head

The tilted head pose is a simple but effective way to add some interest and variety to your portrait photos. By tilting your head slightly to one side, you can create a more dynamic and engaging expression, as well as accentuate your facial features.

11. Hand On Chest Pose

model with hands on chest pose

The hand on chest pose is a simple yet powerful way to convey confidence and charisma in a portrait. By placing one hand on your chest, you create a natural focal point that draws attention to your face and expression.

You also show that you are comfortable with yourself and your body language. This pose can work well for formal or casual settings, as it can be adjusted to suit different moods and outfits.

Casual Poses For Men

12. Leaning Pose

man posing

This is a great pose for the male photoshoot as it produces natural, relaxed-looking photos. You can have the model lean against a wall, a railing, or any other object. For a casual look, you can ask the model to lift one of the legs and have their foot against the object they are leaning on.

13. Hand On Face Pose

Male Poses

Using a hand as a prop can create some unique and interesting photos. For example, you can have the model place their hand on the chin to capture a strong portrait. There are several men poses for photoshoot that you can try by partially covering the face with your hand, so play around and try different versions.

14. Look Away Pose

boy photoshoot

This is a popular male model pose in the fashion industry. Don’t get your guy so he’s always looking into your camera lens. You can simply ask your model to look away at some object. If there’s nothing interesting around, create some scenarios for him to think about.

Professional Poses For Men

15. Crossed Arms Pose

Male Poses

Here’s another pose that’s very easy for inexperienced models. Just cross the arms, it’s that simple. This can be one of the best male model poses.

16. Counter Pose

man posing

This is a natural-looking, relaxed pose. It’s sometimes known as a “Contrapposto” pose. Just make your model relax spontaneously. This posing technique for male models will always look unique because every male poses differently.

17. Leaning On Wall Pose

leaning on the wall pose

The leaning on wall pose is a cool and confident way to show off your charm and charisma in a portrait. By leaning on a wall, you create a sense of stability and support that makes you look more relaxed and comfortable.

Most posing guides usually revolve around women. And those that do talk about male models’ photo poses do not explain the theory behind these best poses for boys. This guide is here to help you understand the rationale behind these poses so you can pick and choose the one that suits your goals best.

However, before we go into the actual guidelines for posing, there are some general tips that we would like to give you to help you better position and pose your subject so that you are able to capture those perfect male portraits.

 

General Tips On Male Models’ Photos Poses

Closeness to the camera: Any object that is closer to the camera automatically looks bigger. Remember this while you take photos. This will help you emphasize certain features that might be essential in achieving the perfect look for a male portrait.

For example, in male portraits, it is common to highlight the torso or chest as it makes the portrait look more masculine. This control over the proximity to the camera will allow some flexibility with regards to the male photo poses and will help you bring any alterations that you might deem fit.

Lens: A longer lens can actually make the object look smaller while a shorter lens enhances the depth of the picture. So experiment with different lenses to see which one would help achieve the desired results.

Once you have finalized a lens, plan the male model’s photo poses accordingly. Doing so in advance will help save time as well.

Guide: It is very important as a photographer to guide your subject regarding best photo poses for boys while simultaneously photographing him quickly. Just tell your model to change poses and how exactly they should change them if you don’t like a particular pose.

At the same time keep on snapping their pictures. Don’t stop! You never know which pose you might like and what might work. You don’t want to spend several minutes on each pose getting it right down to the minutest detail. That will only waste time and will make the pose look unnatural and almost fake.

Be aware: When working with male models you need to realize that they are humans too and they actively feel while going through the shoot. They are not just some passive objects that will just lay where you place them.

You need to empathize with and be aware of their insecurities. Yes! It’s not only females who are insecure. For instance, if a male model is bald, he might feel a little insecure about showing his head in the photographs.

As a photographer, it is your job to emphasize the good features and try to curb or hide any that are unflattering or the ones that the model is not comfortable exposing.

Don’t ask him to stand straight like a zombie: You should encourage the male model to not just stand straight with his hands on the side but to actually cross his arms or use them to hold his jacket or tie or whatever other accessories that can be of use.

For example, in a wedding photo shoot, for the portrait of a groom, you can ask the groom to hold his cufflinks or adjust his tie. This way the photograph will have more of an impact and will look candid.

photo poses for boys


These tips will generally allow you to give an overall good look at the photographs. They will give you more control and mastery over the poses for boys photoshoot. Also, they will help you manipulate a pose using just your camera gear, photography skills, and plain human psychology.

Now moving on, we get to the specifics. The tips given below focus solely on the different ways you can use certain facial and bodily features to capture flattering photographs. These tips will also hopefully aid you in acquiring an understanding of the mechanics behind different stylish photo poses for men so that you can alter each pose to your liking.

Tips to Enhance Different Features –

1) The Jawline:

photo poses for men

It should come as no surprise that the jawline is considered the ultimate representation of manliness. And since that is the representation most male models and clients typically want, it is your responsibility to make sure that the jawline appears angular and sharp in the pictures. You can request the subject to pull their chin down.

This will highlight the chin and will simultaneously hide the neck and any double chin that might exist. If the double chin is too much to be hidden by a slight chin-out pose then ask the person to use his hands in the pose in such a way that his hands hide the double chin instead. For example, you could ask the male model to rest his chin on his fist.

Moreover, you can even play around with shadows to make the chin look as sharp as possible. Just be careful not to blend the chin with the neck. And make sure that its boundary stands out from the neck.

2) The Eyes:

photo poses for men

Ask your subject to squint slightly. By squint we mean that they close their eyes partly, raising the lower lids to give even wide eyes a narrower, focused look. As a general rule, wide, doe eyes are not the way to go if you are trying to achieve that manly look since these might make the photograph look more adorable than manly. Narrow eyes add intensity and mysteriousness to the male model’s photo poses.

If your male model has one eye smaller than the other, which is a very common phenomenon, and you want to make both the eyes look the same size, you could position him in such a way that the smaller eye is closer to the camera. As mentioned before, anything closer to the camera will look bigger. And this will equalize the effect and size of both eyes.

In another case, if your male model has naturally drooping eyes and you want to make them look a little more awake, you can take the shot from a higher angle. This will force them to gaze up and their eyes will automatically open up a little more in the process, giving you that perfect shot you wanted.

3) The Head:

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Discourage your male model from tilting his head towards the camera because that gives an overall cute, feminine vibe to the picture. Instead, persuade him to either keep the head straight or tilt it a little away from the camera (but not too much).
Furthermore, if your model has an unusually big forehead or has bald spots then shooting from a lower angle should be your way to go. This will take the focus away from the forehead or any bald spots and will emphasize other favorable features.

Bodily Features:

4) The Shoulders:

So ask your model to square his shoulder as much as he can and lean in towards the camera. This will accentuate the shoulders because bringing the shoulders towards the camera will make them look instantly bigger.

The ideal male body type is one that has a V shape, meaning it’s broader at the shoulders and thinner at the waist. Since many clients desire such a look, as a photographer it is your job to make the shoulders appear as broad as possible.

5) The Waist:

Getting the waist a little further away from the camera, in this case, will make it look thinner because any object that is at a little distance from the camera automatically looks smaller.

As mentioned before, you want the waist to look thinner in portraits. To slim the waist down, do not fit it into the camera frame. Contrary to this, try to lean the shoulders in, and the waist away from the camera.

6) Posture:

No amount of words are enough to emphasize how important a good posture is in capturing perfect male photos. All those male models’ photo poses will go to waste if you don’t have the right posture to complement those male model photo poses. So stand up tall, keep your shoulders wide but relaxed, and suck that tummy in.

7) Legs:

photo poses for men

If your model is standing you could ask them to cross their legs at the shin level. But be sure to request them to put the entire weight of their body on the leg in the back. This will make your model look more relaxed.

Alternatively, you could ask them to keep their legs shoulder-width apart or to lean against the wall, bend the leg that is closest to the camera and place it higher on the wall. All are flattering male models’ photo poses.

However, if your male model is going to be sitting down then ask them to put the ankle of the leg over the knee of the other. You should be photographing them slightly from above. This will make the overall photograph seem more natural.

Hopefully, these tips will help you guide your male model to strike the perfect photo poses for men. Here are some more tips on model poses if you want to learn them. These tricks will most definitely add more versatility to the classic male portrait photography poses and will help you gain more control over the poses as well. So follow these simple tips and get ready to make your mark as a portrait photographer!

Here are 7 free Photoshop actions for portrait retouching, to take your photos to a whole new level.

Also, with these tips no you can create amazing male portraits but how can you market them? Here’s some insight on how to market your photography business better!

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6 Comments on “17 Smart Posing Tips to Capture Perfect Male Portrait Photographs For 2024

  1. The advice is simple to read and comprehend, and it is supported with practical examples that demonstrate how to apply the advice. I’m grateful.

  2. Thanks for informative post. This post has helped me save many hours of browsing other similar posts just to find what I was looking for. I’m going to bookmark this post.

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