Dynamic Fashion Photography Poses for Men: Lindsay Adler Shows You How to Do It Like a Pro!

Don’t just stand there… get moving!

One of the best ways to create more dynamic poses for your male fashion subjects is to introduce action into the scene. Rather than selecting a static pose and varying expression, give your male model an activity that will create a more authentic moment or less rigid body language.

You can start with small poses like fixing the jacket or cuffs, and then move on to more exaggerated poses like ‘leaping’. You’ll see that these movements are simple and they help create a bit more energy for your shots.

#1 Adjust the Jacket
Have the subject adjust their jacket in a number of ways. As they do so, try a variety of expressions and positions of the head. Have the subject look over their shoulder, directly at the camera, or gaze down toward the ground to create a variety of expressions.

Tip: If the subject doesn’t have a jacket on, a great alternative is to ‘fix the hair’. One shot can look as though they are wiping their brow and another like they are thinking while rubbing the back of their neck. This helps to create action regardless of the clothing they are wearing.

#2 Adjust the Cuff
This helps keep the subject’s hands busy and the positions can make different pleasing compositional shapes. If the elbows are out to the side of the body, this will help the subject look broader. Arms extended while fixing cuffs can be exaggerated and visually interesting.

#3 Step and Repeat
Get the subject to repeatedly taking 2 or 3 steps, each time ‘landing’ in the best light. With each repeated step, try varying some elements. During the step, they can fix the jacket, cuffs, etc. Try some steps that are exaggerated with dramatically swaying arms. The more dramatic movement may translate to more ‘lively’ results on camera.

Tip: You may want to switch your focus mode to servo to keep a sharp focus on the subject, even at wider apertures.

#4 Dramatic Step/Leap
Look at your environment for the space or element where your subject can take a much more dramatic step or leap. The subject could be stepping off a curb, up/down stairs, across the street, etc.

For this directed action, adjust the angle of the torso to be most flattering to the subjects. For very slender subjects you may want to turn their shoulders back toward the camera (even if stepping perpendicular) to help give them broader shoulders.

If they are leaping toward you, vary the angle of the body slightly to the left/right of the frame to improve compositional results.

Tip: If you are shooting at a wider aperture, make sure to check your focus or use the appropriate focus mode in your mirrorless camera. Try face and eye tracking, servo mode, etc.

#5 Leaning (Playing with Hands)
Lean your subject against a wall, car, or other surfaces. Some subjects just appear a bit more awkward when you just have them ‘stand in place, so giving them motion OR leaning them against something helps to anchor them and give them purpose.

Once learning your subject, try some of the tips above of adjusting the jacket, and cuffs, or even rubbing the hands together to give them action. Have them look away, over the shoulder, or at the camera to create visual variation.

Try a leg up against the wall to keep the subject comfortable and have them lean out on the leg if you want to create more triangles and strong shapes in your pose.

Fashion vs. Portrait
Although these are fashion poses, these concepts can certainly apply to portrait subjects, athletes, high school, seniors, and more. While I recommend that for uncomfortable subjects you start small and carefully direct all elements of the pose, with more comfortable subjects try to get them moving!

Lighting Tip:
I selected this location because the subject was in shade, but there were two beautiful light sources to illuminate him. (a) The open sky with bounced sunlight (off the cobblestone) created a soft and flattering quality of light to his face (b) The sunlight reflecting off of the windows behind created a defined rim light for separation.

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Best Fashion Photography Poses for Men
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Photographer: Lindsay Adler
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Videographer: Samuel Bouret
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Makeup: Lijha Stewart
Hair: Linh Nguyen
Styling: Raytell Bridges
Model: Jesaja Mannl

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