The second biggest question after “what should I wear” happens when the person I’m photographing arrives and says “how should I pose?”. Well. Something like that.

Posing is something that doesn’t come naturally. I want everyone to STOP worrying about it. Do you think models have it easy? No. They need the same support and direction and help that everyone does.

Making you look good in photographs is something that takes practice. You and your photographer have to work together to find the style of posing that fits YOU. What works for Tyra Banks is not necessarily going to look good when you do the same pose.

When I’m photographing seniors I say the same thing to everyone: the first 30 minutes are awkward and you are going to feel uncomfortable. That is NORMAL. I play with the light and we move around and try different things until I find a great spot for YOU.

Then we work together on posing. No pressure. If one thing doesn’t work — we’ll try something else.

And then…guess what happens? It sounds weird — but you get a little tired…and bored…and you relax.

THAT’S the moment I’m waiting for. Once that happens — you start looking AMAZING in photographs. Because you stop worrying about you and start BEING you. Does that make sense?

And I’ll start playing with different ideas — some you’ll like and some you won’t. Some will surprise you later. Some of the most awkward poses look the coolest in images. It doesn’t make a lot of sense and I can’t really explain it better than that…but mostly — if you trust me and listen and TRY — you will end up LOVING the result.

That’s the magic of posing.