There are many different aspects to making a good portrait photograph.
One of these is learning how to pose.
A good photographer will always help you to get your body in the right position and will chat with you to help you relax.
When you are out with friends, you are on your own, so here are a few simple tips that make all the difference.
1.
Stand so that your body is facing into the centre of the picture and angle it.
2) Turn the head half way between where your body is facing and the camera.
3) Give a slight tilt to the head.
There are examples of each of these below for you to see the effect.
Standing square on to the camera makes the body look square and solid, minimising any curves.
This is generally not considered a flattering pose for women.
But changing the head angle does improve and soften the image.
Angling the shoulders up to 45 degrees away from the camera produces a much softer image and makes the body look slimmer and allows the natural curves of the body to be seen.
No matter the size of the female body, it generally looks more attractive to the eye when see from this angle.
Adding a little tilt of the head to the side again softens the image and is generally quite appealing.
Women can also tilt their heads forward and generally men can tilt their heads backwards.
But this is personal preference and influenced by cultural interpretations.
So try your own variations and choose the ones that you like.
Putting it all together, turning the shoulders, the head and tilting it; throw in a look away from the camera and you have naturally pleasing photographs.
This article and others on posing are on my Blog where photographers can also find technical details on how the photographs are taken.