Questions you should ask:
1. What is the purpose of the photographs?
2. How do you like to look?
3. What is your experience with the photographs and poses?
4. Any recommendations or suggestions?
5. What is your favorite side?
6. If you have already had photos taken, can you show me your favorite photos?

In short, the more we ask and know what the client wants, the easier it will be to satisfy him.

Directing a model [state the advantages and disadvantages of each]
It’s not enough to say, “Give me something Vougey,” or “I want something soft and feminine.” Those kinds of statements communicate a feeling or vibe, but don’t give the model any information they need to deliver what your vision might be.

To direct a model into a pose, you need to consider the mechanics of their body and communicate where they are going to place the various parts of their body. Their feet, knees, hips, shoulders, arms, hands, and head.

It’s important before you begin shooting to find out how the model likes to be directed and the level of direction they prefer. It’s also important to communicate how you like to direct. For example, “I’m like to demonstrate a base pose and then we’ll make adjustments from there. I’ll use my hands to communicate the movement I want. For example, I’ll position my hand like this to indicate I want your head upright and bend it to the side or rotate it to indicate I want you to tilt or rotate your head. If we are having troubles nailing the pose, I may come up to you and make some adjustments, by moving your head, hands or feet into position.”

Verbal instructions: This is the hardest to follow for any model. To do this effectively, you have to be very concise with the language you use. You can’t say something like, “Move your head over that direction.” It’s not clear and can mean lots of different things. Do you want a tilt, a rotation, a translation? Instead, direct like this, “Turn your head about 45 degrees to the right so that you are looking towards that corner of the room. Now tilt your head very slightly to the right, so that your right ear comes towards your right shoulder. Now bend your neck forward ever so slightly so that you’re looking down at the floor about six feet away from you.”

Show and tell: Assume the pose for them and as you take the pose describe what you’re doing in a systematic way as you do it. Sit on the edge of the chair here with your body facing in this direction. Now roll onto this hip and extend the back leg. Etc.

Mirror: Demonstrate what you want them to do and have them pretend you’re a mirror and they copy you exactly.

Use your hands: It’s as though you are moving or manipulating them, but you do it with your hands in the air. For example:

• Pretend you are taking their face in your hand and turning the head or tilting the head.
• Put one hand straight up in front of your face and bend it side to side to indicate a head tilt or rotate back and forth for a turn. It helps if you turn or tilt your head as you do this.
• If you have your camera on a tripod and have two hands free, pretend to grab their shoulders or hips and rotate, tilt, or push them to one side.

Physically manipulate them: Sometimes a simple tactile cue is all that’s needed to get the position perfect. Of course, you need to make sure you get consent. But asking in the moment can be creepy: “Can I touch you?” Instead, establish parameters at the beginning. For example, “Will you be okay if I adjust your pose if I need to? It’s important that you’re comfortable, so if anything I do makes you in the least bit uncomfortable, just say, “Eric, I’m not comfortable with that.” or “Eric, just tell me how my leg needs to be positioned.”

Let them act: If you are working with a model that is naturally expressive, sometimes you can just set up a scenario and let them act. “You’ve just had an interview for your dream job and they offered it to you on the spot and offered you way more money than you were expecting. You have just left their office and you are walking down the street and you feel on top of the world. You feel confident and powerful and are almost giddy with delight. You are not just walking down the street; you’ve got swagger!” We all express how we’re feeling with our body language and our face and sometimes if you’re model is uninhibited enough just to enter into that feeling, you can get some poses that communicate the look you’re going for in an authentic way.