Photography cheat sheet: Full-length male model portrait poses

Full-length male model poses

Posing male models for natural-looking full-length shots can be challenging. We already have a cheat sheet for posing female models, but photographing male subjects will usually need a different approach.

Here are nine posing ideas, courtesy of our sister magazine, PhotoPlus, that'll give you some instant inspiration when posing your model for photoshoots. The suggested poses will give you some ideas for photographing classic male portraits, but also ways to inject a little humor or action into your shots to bring out your subject's personality - and for giving a less formal portrait.

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James Paterson

The lead technique writer on Digital Camera MagazinePhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine and N-Photo: The Nikon Magazine, James is a fantastic general practice photographer with an enviable array of skills across every genre of photography. 


Whether it's flash photography techniques like stroboscopic portraits, astrophotography projects like photographing the Northern Lights, or turning sound into art by making paint dance on a set of speakers, James' tutorials and projects are as creative as they are enjoyable. 


He's also a wizard at the dark arts of Photoshop, Lightroom and Affinity Photo, and is capable of some genuine black magic in the digital darkroom, making him one of the leading authorities on photo editing software and techniques.