Every professional wedding photographer knows that exuberant (and often partially-drunk) groomsmen can be especially challenging to wrangle and photograph. If you aren’t equipped with an arsenal of easy, fun poses that will channel groomsmen’s energies into great images and inspire them to cooperate, the photo shoot might just get away from you.
If you have had trouble in the past coming up with poses that appeal to groomsmen, this short video is exactly what you need. In the tutorial, SLR Lounge and Zeiss use portfolio images of L.A. wedding photographers Pye Jirsa and Justin and Chris Lin to illustrate nine epic ways to pose groomsmen:
Here’s a quick summary of all of the poses explained in the video:
1. The Explosion Pose
To get shots like these, let the groom and his groomsmen know you’d like them to leap straight into the air and strike a pose on the count of three. Position the groom in the middle and try to capture his head higher than all of the others.
Mistakes to avoid: faces covered; distracting ground or face shadows; mistimed jumps
2. The Pick Up Pose
Groomsmen love this pose! Organize them so that the strongest individuals are in the middle of the circle. Have the guys pick up the groom and even toss him around a little, and be prepared to document the fun they have together.
Mistakes to avoid: faces covered; backs turned toward the camera
3. The Hanging Out Pose
This pose will require some participation from the guys. Discuss activities they like to do together and determine which activity would make for the best photographs according to your lighting and venue situation.
Mistakes to avoid: faces covered
4. The Selfie Pose
To take a successful “Selfie” groomsmen pose, instruct them to take out their phones and start taking selfies with different expressions. For the most part, just let them play, but occasionally tweak their natural positions and expressions to create the best compositions.
Mistakes to avoid: faces covered
5. The Ring Pose
This fun pose allows groomsmen to let loose a little bit. Arrange them around the groom and ask them to act excited while looking at the groom’s ring, which he should prominently display—preferably with some peppy wrist action.
Mistakes to avoid: missing goofy moments before & after; faces covered
6. The Force Pose
What groom doesn’t want to look like a Jedi master on his wedding day? This pose can be complicated to stage and still keep all of the groomsmen’s faces visible, but do your best. Like you did in the “explosion” pose, instruct the groomsmen to jump in unison while the groom strikes a “Hadouken” pose with his hand(s) extended.
Mistakes to avoid: mistimed jumps; faces covered; distracting shadows
7. The FBI Pose
Similar to the “Force” pose, the “FBI” pose encourages the groomsmen to harness their inner secret agents. Whether you tell them to act like James Bond and make fake guns with their hands, or pretend to be the groom’s bodyguards, the goal here is to make them look as cool as possible. Sunglasses are a plus!
Mistakes to avoid: pointing guns in the same direction; breaking character; faces covered
8. The Serious Pose
This pose is all about making the groomsmen look suave and serious; it works best when you stagger the guys at different height levels and give each man a different pose. Staring straight into the camera and remaining serious and confident can be difficult for many people, so if that’s a problem you’re having, consider having them look off camera.
Mistakes to avoid: covered faces; breaking character; no pose variation or level staggering
9. The Caress Pose
As the goofiest pose of them all, the “caress” pose is designed to get the guys laughing with each other. Just feed them the line, “Squeeze the groom on three,” and watch the adorableness unfold.
Mistakes to avoid: missing goofy moments right after your instructions; faces covered
These nine epic groomsmen poses are guaranteed to spice up any wedding photography album. They will not only help the groomsmen to relax and have fun with the photo shoot, but they’ll also help you to command the groomsmen’s attention and equip you to be able to beautifully document some of the groom’s most meaningful relationships.
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These are great poses, I think they would definitely have fun creating these memories. Thanks for sharing!