When you wear a cosplay people will want pictures of you, or even better… they may want a photoshoot! But, we are not always prepared or confident. You must be wondering. What should I do? I am the first one who goes blank when I have to pose… and believe me, I have been doing this for years! This is why I made this posing basics for cosplay cheat sheet with the do’s and don’ts of posing. The poses of course are more suitable for some characters than others
Posing basics for cosplay
These are just suggestions for better posing. They are not set on fire but they are a good guide if you are just starting. A good photographer will try to get the best of you and some of them will even point you on the right direction. A basic tip is to look for reference pictures and try to imitate the poses of the characters.
Body
Don’t look like a robot. Instead, you can put one foot back and try to raise one of your hips if you are a girl. You are looking for angles created by your body. Triangle shapes are interesting, blocks aren’t. Try to be relaxed and avoid getting your arms too close to your body, it will make you look chunkier and manly. However, if that is indeed your aim go for it. On my Megurine Luka Synchronicity and Raven casual I was not standing straight. Notice the position of the hips and one leg in front of the other.
Head
Don’t leave your head straight, try pointing your nose to a side, let’s say the shoulder of the photographer. However, you can still look at the camera. Remember you don’t need to move your head to move your eyes!. You can also tilt your head a bit to make your look more interesting. Also, remember that most people have a good side for photos, take some selfies and decide which side of your face looks prettier. See the angle of my head on my Luka Magnet cosplay.
Arms and hands
Your arms shouldn’t be dead, don’t let them hanging nor perpendicular to your body. Put your hands somewhere. Make it your hips, your head, casting a spell. You can even grab something if you run out of ideas. Avoid to put them hiding your face or hiding your cosplay details. Crossing your arms is fine with some characters but make sure you are not hiding that important piece you took so long to create. Raven below is a magician and uses her hands to cast spells.
Feet
It is more interesting if your feet point to different parts. Not like a duck but neither as a soldier. Maybe one in front of the other. Perhaps one looking forward and one sideways. Don’t hide one with the other as this can look weird. Check my Sailor V below with feet pointing different ways
Face and eyes
Don’t be expressionless , nor frown, nor tighten your lips. The duck face may work or selfies but it is extremely forced and unrealistic. You should smile if the character requires so, but be fierce if you need to. There are many expressions, don’t limit yourself to one. Also, did you know that your eyes don’t need to look at the camera? Try looking to a distant point instead. It will make the photo look different. Luka Magnet is ethereal and naive, Wonder Woman is a warrior with a piercing stare.
Props
Don’t hide your face with a prop nor point it totally towards the camera . If you do, you are hiding most of it that way. Also, don’t put them too far away from your body. If they are too big they won’t appear in the picture. Don’t hide your awesome cosplay behind big props either. Try other poses with the props that shows them and at cons rest big props on the floor, this way they will appear in the picture and you won’t hit anyone when you swing them. Weapons in diagonal are usually a good idea and much easier to get into frame. Ririchiyo has a very long weapon, I hold it at an angle to fit in the frame.
Surroundings
Always be aware of your surroundings. A picture in the middle of a crowd won’t look professional. Move yourself to a less transited area or near a wall. However, if you choose the wall it is best if you are a few steps a head of the wall. We all love selfies in the bathroom, but probably it isn’t a great shooting area either. Be aware of bins, mess or any ugly things surrounding you. Don’t let your handbag crossing your chest nor all the shopping bags next to your feet or in your hands. Give them to someone or leave them a bit further away. I shot Cinder Fall at a convention. We decided to go outside and take the pictures by a wall away from the crowd.
Final tips
Practice! Practice! Practice! Some poses, postures or looks will or won’t look good on you, make sure you practice in front of a mirror to see what flatters you more. Make sure to mix all the tecniques together and get an interesting pose. Also, I’m sure your character has a couple of characteristic poses or a specific attitude you can mimic. Learn them! They will look super cool on a photoshoot and we all love a cosplayer that can play its role. Sometimes you need time to remember all of this or to get it right, but you will get there. Overall keep practicing, keep trying and have fun!
I hope this posing basics for cosplay tutorial was useful. Remember, if you really want to, youcan support me on Ko-fi if you really like my work, there are no subscriptions and you will help me create more cosplays and more tutorials to share with you! Also, if you are looking for patterns and cosplay related downloadables make sure to check my collection.
And of course, a big thanks to all my amazing photographers Ian Moore, Paul Wills, Martin Jones, Chris Baugh, McCan PhotographyMark Lycett, CMAGS, Caitleen Messenger. You are the ones who make all this possible!
