How to direct and pose people

Im new, and have a senior shoot and some prom shoots coming up.

And i have no idea how to direct and pose the subjects...

Any tips for a new guy!?

Well, everyone has his own way of directing people...
I often ask people I shoot whether they have specific ideas and work from here.We start with a general mood, I let them take the pose that comes to them, and then I adjust it.

Directing...
I do a Jedi Hand Gestures.

Pretend you're holding their head; fingers holding up a ball. twist it to the left. twist to the right. twist it far enough their shoulders will follow. Lift your hand face up and they'll rise; lower a palm down same thing.


Posing...
You'll know it when you see it. A bad pose will just look odd. A good pose in an odd position will look good too.

Whip and a chair.

When posing less is more, the trick to shooting people is to take the time to get them to relax and feel comfortable with you. Have some fun...be silly if necessary to get them to relax and know it is ok to be themselves.
The more you try to pose them the longer this process takes.
Most girls know how to pose....you just need to get them to be comfortable enough to do it.

Guys....just make sure they are looking like a guy.

You could try gathering a bunch of similar images on an iphone/ipod touch if you want some ideas to jump off of. Show them what you think would look flattering for them and go from there. This is my current plan...

I took a posing seminar a few years ago and one of the instructors had an interesting, 1-2-3 approach to posing. The 1-2-3 are the shoulders, head and eyes. The basic theory was that no two should be pointed in exactly the same direction. For example, there would be a little turn of the shoulders, with maybe the head turned back toward the camera and then a higher angle with the camera so the eyes were looking up slightly. It seems to work well and there are an infinite number of different ways to achieve it.

XTshooter wrote in post #12248514
I took a posing seminar a few years ago and one of the instructors had an interesting, 1-2-3 approach to posing. The 1-2-3 are the shoulders, head and eyes. The basic theory was that no two should be pointed in exactly the same direction. For example, there would be a little turn of the shoulders, with maybe the head turned back toward the camera and then a higher angle with the camera so the eyes were looking up slightly. It seems to work well and there are an infinite number of different ways to achieve it.

Hey cool. Thanks for sharing that! Sounds easy enough to avoid that deer in the headlights/static pose deal. Unless, of course, that's what you're going for.

Shout at them until they do something you like. lol

Honestly, I think if you keep the mood laid-back most people may not know how to pose classically, but when relaxed will subconsciously do things that make them look good. I find that people new to posing often times get stiff and rigid. The best thing to do imo is to keep it light and upbeat.

http://nocojoe.com/env​ironmental-portraits/

Shockey wrote in post #12247572
When posing less is more, the trick to shooting people is to take the time to get them to relax and feel comfortable with you. Have some fun...be silly if necessary to get them to relax and know it is ok to be themselves.
The more you try to pose them the longer this process takes.
Most girls know how to pose....you just need to get them to be comfortable enough to do it.

Guys....just make sure they are looking like a guy.

This. As for guys try and keep them from doing any generic macho poses. IE arms crossed.
Ignore the 1-2-3 thing.

Also when I'm working with models I always tell them "If it feels uncomfortable you probably look uncomfortable which won't make a good photo." One of the biggest give aways if someone is feeling tense is the hands. They can have a great smile on their face but if their hand is in the frame clenching a piece of clothing that will be a dead give away of how uncomfortable they are.

nocojoe wrote in post #12263728
Honestly, I think if you keep the mood laid-back most people may not know how to pose classically, but when relaxed will subconsciously do things that make them look good.

Not this. At least not within a reasonable time-frame unless you're shooting them purely candidly.

If you're in a situation in which you actually have to set someone in front of a camera to have her picture taken, she will take on a "deer in the headlights" posture because that's exactly what she is at that point.

Sure, there are some people who seem to take naturally to modeling and some others who have learned how to pose themselves by experience, but most people do not automatically assume a "natural" pose when you put them in the very unnatural situation of having their picture taken.

The whole point of posing is that the photographer should be a serious enough student of human observation to know what looks natural through the lens--which is not the same thing as looking natural to the eye.

The lens does not see as the eye sees and as the mind perceives. What looks perfectly natural to the eye can appear grotesque through the lens--the photographer is supposed to know that and deal with it.

If by "feeling uncomfortable" you're talking physical comfort, that would not be true. What feels most comfortable may be dead wrong as seen through the lens.

If you mean "feeling uncomfortable" emotionally, that's wholly dependent on whether the subject can trust the photographer to know how the craft well enough to make her look her best.

Jeff25rs wrote in post #12264175
I always tell them "If it feels uncomfortable you probably look uncomfortable which won't make a good photo."

That's not true. I have poses I use that look great through the lens, but feel awkward to the subject. If they trust you, they'll try it.

Also, my posing techniques have matured beyond the 1-2-3 stage, but it can be a useful tool for someone who is just starting out and is unsure where to begin.

Despite this being old, it's still pretty useful: http://blog.kitfphoto.​com/Zeltsman/

thenextguy wrote in post #12270466
Despite this being old, it's still pretty useful: http://blog.kitfphoto.​com/Zeltsman/

Not the OP, but I just started reading this and it looks incredibly useful. Thanks a ton!

XTshooter wrote in post #12266781
I have poses I use that look great through the lens, but feel awkward to the subject. If they trust you, they'll try it.

This is true.