Examples of Outdoor Portrait Poses

When planning outdoor portrait photography poses, think about what you want to capture in the portrait before you shoot. In this shot, the seated pose on the rocks creates a relaxed feel for the image. The subject's face and body are nicely framed by the palm leaves, and the river in the background ads to the laid-back feel that this photo captures.

In this shot, the squatting pose of the subject helps draw the viewer's attention to the most interesting aspect of this photograph: the frozen lake. Again, the natural background of pine trees is used to frame the subject. Even though the photo is taken outside where there is plenty of light, the photographer used a fill flash to make the subject stand out against the background. The black jacket, scarf, and shoes also help define the subject against the white frozen lake.

This adorable portrait is an action shot and shows the young girl's profile. The bubble, in addition to capturing the spirit of youth in the photo, also shows the beautiful colors of refracting sunlight. The shallow depth of field keeps the girl and bubble in focus and blurs the background which focuses the viewer's gaze.

Get away from taking profile photos where the subject is always standing or sitting. Having your subject lay down can really give the shot an interesting perspective. The small flowers in this shot are further accented by the single blossom in the boy's mouth.

Staging an outdoor portrait with a prop can add a lot to what you want to capture about the subject. The use of the old, weathered book in this shot adds a timeless quality to the image. The girl is in a green garden, and her simple white dress suggests this shot could have been taken yesterday or 100 years ago.

What makes this family portrait more interesting than most is the perspective the photographer takes. Usually, family portraits are taken with both the subjects, and the photographer standing. The fact the photographer takes this shot from the perspective of looking up at the family allows the family to look more relaxed and confident. It also creates a background that is nearly all blue sky, which simplifies the shot and focuses all of the viewer's attention on the family members.

Outdoor shots don't always have to be nature shots. The iron bridge serves as a sophisticated and edgy background for this urban portrait. The evening light also creates interesting shadows and shades that add to the mood of this shot.

Having the subjects sit in the grass in this photo gives this shot a casual and informal feel that works well with the subjects' age. Even though the girls are posing for this shot, you still get the feel that you walked up on a group of young people who are just hanging out in the park.

This portrait experiments with both perspective and color. Shooting down on the subjects gives the viewer a birds eye view. In addition, the color of the sand blends in with the color of the sunbathers' skin and makes for a superior outdoor portrait photography pose.

When shooting portraits outside, the most important factor to consider is the sun. This shot brings the sun directly into the portrait by shooting into it. The shot is composed so that the sun's rays enter the frame near the woman's face, which adds a beautiful, angelic quality to this portrait.