When you get someone in front of your camera who isn’t a model, targeted suggestions on how to sit for a seating pose are helpful. This prompt will give you a quick way to answer the question, “What do you want me to do?” with specific seated pose ideas.

Seated pose ideas: strategies for posing people sitting down

Adding seated poses to your photoshoot is a quick and easy way to add variety to an individual photoshoot. Try these for a senior shoot, or for posing a bride for her bridal portraits. For more classic posing ideas, see Posing Individuals, Use Hands, and Check the Details.

How to use this photo pose prompt

Rather than barking a series of commands at your subjects (remember, we’re here to prompt, not command!), let them sit first and then make adjustments to help them look their best. You are unlikely to need every one of these dot points for every person, so use discerningly.

For specific poses, practice yourself in advance and demonstrate to your client.

Idea 1: General tips for sitting photos

• Look for stairs, a long bench, a log, to add sitting poses to your shoot.
• Always, always, tall posture (draw shoulder blades together and straighten as if pulled up at the crown by a thread). Don’t lean against the back of the chair. Err on the side of leaning forward!
• In general, have legs turned at an angle to the camera (not front-on; but see ideas for flattering front-on poses below). Turn torso back towards at ¾ to the camera.
• Stagger the knees: have them at different heights or distances from the camera, to visually separate legs. Extend the other leg if sitting on a chair; fold other leg under if sitting on ground (or cross-legged on a chair). Feminine/soft: raise the leg closest the camera. Masculine/strong: raise leg furthest from camera.
• Hands: fingers should be visible, e.g. side-on. Drape fingers gently. Imitate touching (use fingertips to touch jawline rather than planting a hand). Try: draping hands between legs to hold chair gently, drape one hand along back of couch, resting elbow or forearm on raised knee.
• Anything you want to minimize in size should be further from the camera.
• Create triangles in space to create dimension (lean forward, lift or drape arms; see Posing Individuals).
• Shift weight by leaning: offset balance to make the posture look more dynamic.

Idea 2: Specific seated pose ideas

• Raised knee on chair: start with legs side-on to camera, body turned back ¾ to camera. Raise one leg and rest heel on chair (let toes still point to ground). Rest both elbows on raised knee; let one hand (the one on same side of body as raised knee) drape horizontal, and the other vertical near face.
• Feminine toe point: start with legs side-on to camera, body turned back ¾ to camera. Extend one leg, point toe, and bring the other up as if about to sit cross-legged: press the sole of the foot into the inner thigh. Rest both hands on the ankle. Sit up tall.
• Feminine criss-cross: start front-on. Raise both legs to sit criss-cross-apple-sauce. Sit up tall, lean forward, drape both hands between crossed ankles. Alternative: from criss-cross-apple-sauce tilt one leg up so heel is on chair seat; rest an arm on each leg (raised arm could play with hair, imitate touching face)
• Feminine hourglass pose: start front-on. Face camera, cross legs one over the other, place both elbows on upper knee. Let hand near body drape gently horizontal, hand closest to camera vertical with fingers relaxed cupping at jawline.
• Masculine power sit: start almost front-on to camera, sit with legs spread, lean forward slightly, rest elbow on each knee and clasp hands between. Look at camera.

Creative extension

• When posing a small group sitting, use a combination of different poses for dynamism. Or try the opposite to draw attention to the pose: pose a whole bridal party with the exact same seated position.