Answering a Reader Question #442

Erik T Wrote:

 Hey! First I just wanted to say that your such an amazing person for having this blog! Thank you!
Second, I'm an aspiring male model. I know your supposed to practice poses, but I'm not really sure what poses I need to have mastered. Also, is the photographer going to let me know what he is kind of looking for?

Thanks so much!
-Erik T

Hi, Erik T!

Awww, you're so sweet, thank you! :-D

So on the subject of posing...the types of poses you want to practice will be determined by what category of modeling you plan on pursuing. I know I've received questions from you before but I can't remember if I know your height or whether you wanted to seek an agent or do freelance so I'll try to cover as much as I can to answer your question accurately.

If you're trying to do fashion/editorial modeling, I would recommend looking at high fashion magazines/publications and studying the male models in the ads/photo spreads. W Magazine, Vogue, Elle, Glamour and GQ are excellent sources for finding these types of photos that you can use for reference/inspiration.

If you're leaning more towards commercial/print/lifestyle, then doing an online search for stock photos of models is the best way to get reference images for that category of modeling. iStockphoto.com, ShutterStock.com and GettyImages.com are great choices. You can search for images using keywords like "business man," "man posing," etc. and seeing what results show up. It's fairly easy to navigate stock photography sites once you get used to them.

When you work with a photographer, the details are sorted out before you appear in front of the camera and fall under one of two circumstances:

1) The photographer will contact you with interest in shooting, which is generally when you'll be informed of what types of modeling themes/looks/poses he/she wants to do.

2) You're the one contacting the photographer in order to set up a shoot. If you are the one making first contact, you should have an idea of what kinds of looks/themes you want to shoot, instead of expecting a photographer to come up with that for you.

It's always a collaborative arrangement between model and photographer. That's why it is important to have a discussion or meeting beforehand with the photographer to iron out the details and if you're still gaining modeling experience, the photographer will work with you to perfect your posing techniques and provide feedback during the course of the shoot itself.

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