When photographing people, one of the challenges is posing them – especially if they’re not professional models. Now, there are plenty of tips for posing people, how to direct them, and what to do to make them loosen up… But you can also just show them what you want, like one Chinese photographer did. His video recently went viral for his hilarious, exaggerated posing, but hey – it worked! Check it out and have a giggle.
There are two videos I found – one is on Reddit, and the other is on TikTok. But in both of them, the scenes are the same. The casually dressed male photographer and his model, dressed in a traditional Uyghur dress, walk around the town. They explore locations and take photos, all the while the photographer shows his model what poses she wants her to take.
The photographer’s exaggerated posing and facial expressions are priceless and funny. He kind of reminded me of this guy who struck a pose for a trail cam. But funny or not, this clever photographer actually killed two birds with one stone. One, he shows his model what he wants, which is a pretty efficient way to get the poses you want in the photos. And two, this makes people loosen up during the shoot. It’s actually one of the techniques you can use when your subjects are nervous or uptight.
So, the next time you have a hard time posing your model, or if they feel a little tense – remember this video and get goofy with your poses.
