Planning a male photo session? Prepare a list of sexy male poses beforehand. You can also show this poses cheat sheet to your male model and explain why this or that pose is beneficial and how to take it correctly. Here’s our guide to some of the best poses that highlight confidence and masculinity:
1. Facing You
Ask a man to take a “closed” pose with the hands crossed on the chest to show confidence and masculinity. Experimenting with sexy guy poses, don’t forget about the body posture ‒ shoulders should be squared with a tummy in. The pose is also suitable for portraits and full-length shots. The best lenses for this purpose are Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM or Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1.8G.
2. Put Hands in Pockets
It is a natural standing pose for a man. In general, men have problems with placing their hands. If you ask your model to fully or partially put his hands in front pants pockets, you will get a natural and relaxed pose. As additional props, you may use sunglasses; a guy model may wear a shirt (one-color preferable) or show a naked torso.
3. Throw One Hand Back
This pose doesn’t differ a lot from the previous one. One needs only to throw any piece of clothing on the shoulder and put a thumb in the pocket; crossed legs will also look great. Instead of clothes, a man model may use some other accessories that demonstrate his hobbies ‒ sports equipment, a skate or baseball bat, etc. However, if you don’t have any additional accessories, you may play with sexy guy poses simply putting the hand to the head.
4. Leaning Against the Wall
Ask a guy model to lean against the wall with his back or side. Hands may be put on the chest or in the pockets. It is not necessary to look at the lens; one may turn the head to the side. It is recommended to capture such sexy man poses lowering the camera below the men’s height.
If you shoot outside, try to use low ISO values (ideally 100) to prevent noise. We should also mention that one of the best portrait cameras is Canon 5D Mark IV, which boasts a full-frame sensor, allowing you to take shots with high resolution and provides great color reproduction.
5. Use an Asymmetrical Pose
Either facing a camera or being half-turn to it, a guy model should shift his weight to one leg. The second leg should be either put to the side or in front of the first one. A man may put his hands in the pockets or cross them on a chest.
This pose is suitable both for studio and outdoor photo sessions. A night city landscape in the background is ideal for such a photoshoot. If you want to take a beautiful portrait, mind the aperture ‒ it should be wide.
To capture a shallow field, set it in a range from f/1.2 to f/5.6. In such a way, a male model, not a background (since it will be blurred) will attract attention. Remember that f-number and the degree of blurriness are interdependent.
6. Ask a Man to Put Both Hands Up Behind the Head
This is one of the sexy poses for men that help fully shows his athletic body. Taking this pose, a male model can look into the camera or aside. Ask him to put on an unbuttoned shirt or a bathrobe.
Such pose also refers to sexy plus size boudoir photography poses, but you need to use reflectors to quickly and effectively brighten the shot. For today, there are many affordable variants on the net. No matter whether you work in the studio or outdoors, a reflector is a great way to fill in the shadows.
7. Use Water
A bathroom is a perfect place to experiment with different sexy male poses. Ask a man to lie in the bath and relax. He may be almost naked or have a white unbuttoned shirt on.
You should photograph from different angles. You can also use a shower for such photos. It will be more effective if water flows through the body of the model.
8. Create an Expressive Portrait
Trying to shot a male portrait, you should fully concentrate on the face and a naked torso. Try to photograph your model in bed. Lying on the back, a man should look at the camera. You may take several shots from above. He may put hands on the chest or keep them outside the frame, for example, lowering them or putting them under the cushion.
9. Place a Male Model in the Arm-Chair
It is an ideal opportunity to play with a man’s glance, show dominance in the frame and additionally use shadows to your advantage. A man should cross his legs and put arms on the arm pads or a knee.
To get interesting results, change the shooting angles. A front or side angle is the best option. You may also photograph from above. In fact, there are many sexy couple poses that are meant to be taken in an arm-chair. Don’t forget to prepare external fleshes.
Even if you don’t typically use artificial lighting, there are situations when you can’t do without it. Built-in flashes aren’t enough for a photo session. In this case, an off-camera flash saves the situation. We recommend considering Canon Speedlite 430EX II or Nikon Speedlight SB-700.
10. Use a Wall as a Support
A model should lean against a wall with his back. The leg, which is closer to the camera, should be extended, and the second one ‒ bent in the knee. Ask him to put one hand on the knee and the second one will serve as an additional support.
A guy model may also cross his hands in front of him. Use all imaginable shooting angles. You may use books, clothing items, musical instruments or sports equipment as props. The wall itself should be a one-color or brick to produce a more natural effect.
11. Make a Male Model Get Down to His Knees
It is one of the most popular sexy man poses since it may be recreated in several variants. A male model may stand on the knees and look directly at the camera. The second variant is to use a hand that is closer to the camera as support; ask a man to shift the weight to this hand. Another option is to pull the knees closer to the body.
The man should face the camera, while you are photographing him from the side. Use a one-color background or try shooting in the water. In the second case, we recommend taking photos during the Golden Hour to get better lighting. If you don’t want to miss this moment, use a smartphone app called “Golden Hour”.
12. Sit on Something High
You may use a bar stool, table or stairs. A male model should relax legs, stretching them down. The glance is directed to the side. It is a great advantage when there is an interesting background, like piles of tools or desolate buildings.
Also, you can use motorcycles or a car body. In this case, take care of a more “hooligan” style of clothing.
13. Use a Side-Lying Pose
Don’t forget to include this pose on the list of sexy male poses since it is very easy to repeat even if your model knows little about posing. Your model may lie on the sofa, dark background or floor. It’s better to bent one leg in the knee and use a hand as support bending it in the elbow. The glance should be directed at the camera.
As for props, you may use hats, checkered unbuttoned shirts, etc. You may try a silhouette shooting technique when the main light source is placed behind the male model, so a final shot will feature solely a black silhouette. This method is frequently used with many sexy boudoir poses.
14. Ask a Model to Lie Down on His Back
You need to choose various shooting angles and photograph a man both full-height and waist-high. It’s better to use a home environment and one-color bed sheets (black or white). A man can also lie on the floor. Speaking about lighting, we recommend directing it only at the man’s body while everything else should be dark. You may also use sunlight from the window.
Also, you can conduct such a shooting somewhere on the beach or while in the mountains.
15. Lie Down on Belly
It is one of those sexy guy poses when you should focus on the face and blur everything else. As a support, he may use hands bent in the elbow or put the head on the surface. Moreover, a man shouldn’t necessarily look directly at the camera. He can read or do anything else. Sunglasses are a great accessory here.
This article is crafted to provide valuable, user-focused content for enhancing male photography sessions. Rights of all photos used in the article were provided for by fixthephoto.com