In the world of child modeling, there are plenty of skills that ato be learned that will help models improve their abilities and ultimately book more jobs. One of the most important ones to learn is posing. It can feel strange to have to move the body in different ways just to get the right picture, especially for kids modeling for the first time. It’s best to start simple with things that kids know and understand so that they get comfortable posing in general. The more you can bring their world into it the better they’ll respond.
Some of the most fun poses to start out with are while jumping. Many times you'll see pictures in magazines or in stores of kids jumping on a trampoline, or off of a small box to showcase kids having fun. To practice, try taking pictures at home of your child jumping up and down trying different mid-air poses. They can spread their arms and legs wide with a big smile, or stay up straight to look like they are floating.
Many of the jobs that kid models will book are for sports brands. This means they’ll have to get used to posing with basketballs, soccer balls and any other sports equipment. It can be an action pose or a still shot, but they’ll need to get used to posing with something in their hands or at their feet. Practice by first taking pictures of them using the ball naturally. Then go through the pictures and look at the action shots that you could re-create. You’ll also have to do stills of your child holding the ball or demonstrating a skill.
This is one of the more fun ideas. While there is a sporty side to kids modeling, there is also the more serious side. There will be times where they may be dressed in more business type clothing. The poses for this style of shoot would be much different than the two previously mentioned. Look through magazines and other media where people are in office-like attire to copy some of their poses. Then practice at home by getting them into their Sunday finest and having them pretend to be in business situations. It’ll be fun at first since they’ll feel like an adult, but then you can get more serious with them practicing poses in a suit, utilizing angles and hand placement to show off the clothing.
The best way to practice multiple poses in a row is to do just that, pose constantly and do not stop. You see this in movies or in videos where the model will rapidly change from pose to pose. This is a photoshoot idea that allows the photographer to get tons of poses quickly. The best way to do this is to just grab a camera, and tell your child model to start posing. Anything that comes to mind. It’s important to always remember to pose both from the left side and the right so you can show all of the different angles.
Regardless of which poses you choose or how you decide to practice, the most important is developing comfort in doing model poses in front of the camera. There’s no wrong way to do it if you’re taking your time and taking it seriously. While it’s a fun time for your kids too, they need to understand that they are also building skills that will help them move forward in the world of modeling.
If your child is interested in becoming a model, be sure to check out Southern California’s premier agency, Bensimon Models & Talent!
