Boudoir Photography How To

Ask any portrait artist to name their most important skills, and thoughtful posing will be near the top of their list. And that’s true for portraits of men and women, indoors or outside.

In the tutorial below from California-based portrait pro Mike Lloyd you’ll learn what he considers the “top 10 tips for posing women.” Lloyd launched his career as a commercial fashion photographer before deciding to specialize in boudoir, although he continues to shoot conventional portraits as well.

In the video below he calls on his experience with all forms of portraiture to demonstrate the poses he uses most frequently. He says his goal with this episode is to  “make your images POP, and be flattering to your subjects.”

After reading a book from beauty photographer Lindsay Adler, that he says “changed my life,” Lloyd realized he could photograph “real people” like he did during his fashion shoots. And that unique approach, along with the 10 poses he illustrates here, contributes to his signature look.

When first getting started, Lloyd bought every woman’s magazine he could find, and scattered them throughout his apartment to study the work of others and give him a basis for moving forward. And that’s good advice for photographers of all genres.

Lloyd’s strategy for sharing his posing tips in this video is simple and effective: He pulls up 10 of his compelling images, marks them up in Photoshop, and gives you a “play-by-play” of his strategy for posing his subject in each of the shots.

So take a close look, enjoy Lloyd’s fine images, and do what he did in the early days: study and emulate what you see. After doing that you’ll soon begin to develop a style you can call your own.

After watching this tutorial head over to Lloyd’s popular YouTube channel where you’ll find more great tips for photographing women.

Amd don't miss the tutoriaol we posted from another accomplishewd boudoir photographer, explaining the importance of facial expressions.