This is for you, not me.
What I'm looking for
I want people to be confident enough to try things they wouldn't normally do. I'll bring direction and ideas, but the best sessions are a two-way conversation, you bringing something to the table too, not just standing where I put you.
Treat the camera like someone is actually watching. Not performing for an empty room, but for an audience that's paying attention. That shift alone changes how a shoot feels, and it shows in the images.
Modelling is a form of acting
In my experience, the people who take to this fastest are actors and dancers, the ones already comfortable being looked at, already used to treating a lens or an audience as something to play to rather than something to shy away from.
You don't need training to bring that same energy. Give yourself a reason for the pose, a mood, a thought, a small story, rather than just an angle to hold. A held shape with a reason behind it comes alive, and that's the version I want to capture.
A few examples, pulled from real sessions
Direct engagement
Full eye contact, held with stillness rather than a forced smile. It only works with real intent behind it.
Breaking eye contact
The opposite approach. Looking away from the lens turns the gaze into part of the story instead of a stare down the barrel.
Unguarded reactions
A genuine, slightly silly moment beats a held smile every time. This one came from a reaction, not direction.
Concealment
Hiding the face on purpose. Withholding can read as more compelling than showing everything.
Objects as narrative
Interacting with something rather than just holding it. It gives you a reason to be caught mid-moment rather than posed.
A prop doing double duty
Sunglasses off the face become something to hold, chew on, gesture with, not just an accessory.
Everyday gestures
A hand in the hair, a habit rather than a constructed shape. The most natural poses often aren't poses at all.
Full-body ease
Nothing here is fighting gravity. The whole frame reads as genuinely relaxed, not held.
Extension over stillness
Reaching, leaning, extending through the spine, the opposite of a static, closed stance.
Letting the environment carry it
A wall, a railing, a doorway. Letting the location do some of the work of the pose.
Moving through a space
Letting the world carry on around you rather than clearing it out of frame. Movement outside the pose adds movement to it.
Sitting without performing it
A seated pose doesn't need to be arranged. Give yourself somewhere comfortable to land and let your body settle into it honestly.
Beyond the stereotypes
There's more to this than the poses people expect: the elongated turtle-neck stretch, the hand-on-hip triangle arm. Those exist for a reason and they can work, but they're a starting point, not the whole vocabulary. I'd rather find the pose that's actually yours.
Editorial versus commercial is a useful distinction here. Commercial work tends to want something cleaner and more legible at a glance, it's selling a product or a clear idea, so the pose usually needs to read instantly. Editorial has more room to breathe. Freeform, awkward-on-purpose, mid-movement, caught rather than composed, that's often the more interesting and more desirable result in an editorial context, even if it wouldn't work on a billboard.
Knowing which mode you're in changes what "a good pose" even means. Neither is more valid than the other, they're just different jobs.
Before you arrive
Have a rough idea of a mood or a character in mind, even a loose one. Look through your own reference, Pinterest boards, stills from films, other people's editorials, and bring a few that speak to you. I'll always have direction ready, but the sessions that go furthest are the ones where you've already got something you want to try.
A few questions
What do I do with my hands?
Give them a job. Hold something, adjust your collar, touch your jaw, run a hand through your hair. Hands with a purpose almost always look great, it's a small trick that makes a big difference.
How do I pose naturally if I've never modelled before?
You stop thinking about "the pose" and start thinking about what you'd actually do in that moment, adjust something, react to something, look at something. Natural poses are rarely poses at all, they're small actions caught mid-way through.
What if I feel awkward or self-conscious in front of the camera?
Completely normal, and it melts away fast once you're moving rather than standing still waiting to be told what to do. Some of my favourite shots have come from a laugh at an awkward moment, so don't worry about having one.
Do I need modelling experience to book a session?
No. Some of the strongest sessions I've shot have been with people who'd never done this before. What matters more than experience is being willing to try something and see how it feels.
What's the difference between editorial and commercial posing?
Commercial needs to read instantly, it's selling something, so the pose has to be clean and legible at a glance. Editorial has room to be freeform, awkward on purpose, caught mid-movement rather than composed. Neither is better, they're just doing different jobs.
Should I bring reference images?
If you've got a Pinterest board, a film still, or an editorial that's been sitting in your camera roll, bring it. It gives us a shared starting point, and I'll build on it and push it further rather than just copying it frame for frame.
Questions first? Reach out at contact@mettyunuabona.com