Posing subjects effectively is a big part of a successful portrait session. However, there are instances when you’re not quite sure about what to do with your talent. Don’t worry, it happens even to pro photographers! If you often find yourself struggling with this during your sessions, you may find today’s featured portrait photography tips to be especially useful.

In the video above, we have Jay P. Morgan of The Slanted Lens sharing his 10 easy steps for successful portrait posing. The goal of these steps is to get you ready and comfortable to work on set, posing and directing your models. This process covers everything from a starting pose to tweaking the poses to make the final shots more interesting.

Working hand-in-hand with the poses are your lens choices. Some poses will work better — or best — with certain focal lengths. So, Morgan also gives a quick rundown of your options based on the kind of portraits you want to shoot. He also gives some great examples for each lens, so you have a better idea of which focal length works for the scene you’re working with, or look you want to create.

Want more posing tips and portrait photography tricks like this? Don’t forget to drop by our portrait photography group discussions if you’ve already joined the Photofocus Community!