We may have been compensated through an experience or products from the links and companies mentioned in this post. Thank you for supporting my small business. Please see my disclaimer for more info.
12 Cute Poses for Girls for the Hobby Photographer
If you’re looking for some cute poses for girls, look no further! Here are 10 top poses that will get your girl subject having fun in front of the camera, no matter her age!
#1 Cute Pose for Girls
The Standing Lean
If your subject is a little nervous and awkward about what to do in front of the camera, then you can’t beat this cute pose for a girl! Have her lean against something to get her relaxed. A wall or vertical flat surface is the perfect place to start. Your image will surely pop if you choose a compelling surface for your subject to lean on. I have used everything from an old barn to a fence to a railing leading to the local pier. Don’t be afraid to experiment!
With the standing lean, you are not limited to having your subject lean backward. Have your subject lean from the side or forward over a surface to mix things up a bit.




#2 Cute Pose for Girls
Simple Standing
Don’t worry if you have nothing for your subject to lean on. Cute poses for girls come in all styles! Try this to make your subject comfy in front of the camera. Have her stand in her natural position and prompt her for what to do with her hands.
Start by standing together while making conversation. Once your subject seems pretty relaxed in her position, tell her, “don’t move,” and back up with your camera and grab the shot as she stands. Prompt her to put her hands in her pockets, starting with the front pockets and then having her move them to the back for variety.
Prompt her to rest her weight on her back foot – on the heel. This will push her hips forward and create a much more feminine and flattering line.
Another tip for helping her feel less awkward is to give your subject something to hold. Perhaps pick a flower or have her hold her phone. That adds the bonus of a snapshot in time. In the future, it will be fun to see what technology she was using on the day of her photoshoot!
The Great Big List of Christmas Prompts for Your Christmas Photo Shoots
#3 Cute Pose for Girls
Walk That Way
Another cute pose for a girl is to capture your subject while moving. Have your subject walk away from you. When she is just the correct distance away, tell her to stop and turn back to look in your direction. Once you’ve captured that, have her turn around and walk back toward you. Capture her mid-stride on her way back. This works exceptionally well if you have some leading lines to work with. I like to use a path, a sidewalk, or a bridge for some natural leading lines. Walking is one of my favorite cute girl poses and keeps your subject from feeling awkward!


#4 Cute Pose for Girls
Hands on Hips
The hands-on-the-hips pose is one of my favorite cute girl poses for the sassy girl! Who am I kidding? Every girl has a bit of built-in sass, and those hands on the hips bring it out! When you photograph a curvy girl, have her slide her hands forward, a bit more toward the front, as if she’s pointing her fingers at her belly button, which will give the illusion of a smaller waist.
One of the best things about using the hands on the hips prompt is that this cute girl pose creates space between your subject’s arms and body. This space is the perfect simple way to slim your subject. Every girl loves to look a little slimmer, and this little technique does the trick!
You always want to avoid arms hanging limply at your subject’s side, as this creates a frumpy feel and is not at all flattering. Try it out sometime and see what a difference this makes!



Use This Giant List of Photography Prompts to Capture Natural Photos
#5 Cute Pose for Girls
The Sitting Lean
By now, your subject may be ready for a change of scene. Another pose I love is the sitting lean! The sitting lean is a super cute pose for girls and, again, puts your subject at ease. You can either have your subject lean against a wall or surface or have her sit on a bench, chair, or step and lean on her hand.





10 Super Simple Unposed Family Photo Prompts
#6 Cute Pose for Girls
Hands on the Face
At this point, you’ve probably started to recognize how important it is to have good direction for your subject in how to use her hands. A cute pose for a girl is to have her place her hands near her face. If your subject is sitting, have her rest her face on her hands in a comfortable position. When using hands near the face, be sure and show the side of the hand more than the back of the hand. The back of a hand tends to look a bit more masculine, and the side of the hand more feminine, so keep that in mind when posing. If your subject is a bubbly personality, you can ask her to put her hands by her face and see what happens! Sometimes a girl who is a natural in front of the camera will show her personality in her own unique way!
One final tip about posing with a hand on the face: Be sure your subject doesn’t smash her hand into her face – tell her that her hand should barely be touching her face, and you are just pretending to rest your face on the hand. Try it on yourself in the mirror once. You’ll quickly see that resting your face on your hand squishes your face. Pretending is a much better photographic option!



5 Insanely Simple Ways to Make Your Subject Look Thinner
#7 Cute Pose for Girls
Look Up
One of the most flattering cute poses for girls is to have your subject ever-so-slightly looking up. This is a flattering look for anyone and is a great way to help slim your subject’s face. Look for an area where your subject is naturally lower than you, such as a stairwell or a hill, or you can have your subject squat or kneel and look up in your direction.
Sometimes I bring a small step stool along on a shoot if I know the terrain will be very flat or my subject is much taller than me.
Use These 11 Fun Group Poses for the Best Prompted Group Photos


#8 Cute Pose for Girls
Twirling
Every girl loves a good twirl! If your girl has a dress or a wrap or anything that will flutter, have them twirl around a few good times as if they are a 5-year-old girl again! Be ready to capture the motion by ensuring that your shutter speed is fast enough! You can always intentionally show movement by slowing down the shutter as well. You are the artist and lucky you – you get to choose how to capture this cute girl pose!

Family Photo Tips: How To Rock Your Next Outdoor Family Photo Shoot!
#9 Cute Pose for Girls
The Closeup
Everyone loves a good closeup. I like to deliver a closeup shot in every gallery I present. A closeup is easy to achieve and is almost always a favorite shot for the client! If you have a surface on which your subject can lean, then have her put her arms down and rest her head on them. Zoom in on her face for this shot, making sure one eye is on the thirds line. No need to get all of her hair in the image – you are focusing on her face here. This technique will give you a timeless result, with the main point of the photo being her beautiful facial features!


How to Get the Most of a Location for Private Senior Portraits
#10 Cute Pose for Girls
Play With Your Hair
Here is an excellent prompt for your subject, who needs a little help with what to do with her hands. Have her play with her hair. So simple, yet this prompt leads to such a feminine result. If your subject has short hair or doesn’t want to fuss with her hair, have her touch her collarbone. Voila! Another cute girl pose!



The Ultimate Guide to Photographing Big Groups of People
#11 Cute Pose for Girls
Props
Props are an excellent addition to your photo shoot and a great way to capture some cute girl poses! If you are shooting a senior, you can have them bring along something very personal to them, showing a snippet of what they enjoyed in their high school years.


If they don’t bring anything along, you can get a super cute girl pose by improvising on location. Here we used mom’s lipstick to write her graduation year on her hands. Be sure to carry some wet wipes in your camera bag. You never know when you might need them!
Unposed Photography Prompts Instead of Poses for Natural Photos

This beautiful and bubbly young woman was happy to gaze into a flower for a moment, capturing the pensive side of her personality.

How a Prompting and Posing Photoshoot Will Capture Natural Photo Poses of Anyone
#12 Cute Pose for Girls
Kick Up Your Feet
This pose is probably my favorite cute girl pose ever! It is so simple and so adorable! Have your subject lie on her belly, kick her feet up behind her, and rest her chin on her hands. So simple! Such a beautiful result! Be sure and set your aperture open enough to get some creamy blur on the feet for a most professional-looking image.
This cute pose for girls is darling and oh, so fun! You can take the shot from almost any angle and still get a beautiful result!





As you will find in almost all of these poses, the most important thing you can do is help your subject know what to do with her hands. Remember that a hand hanging down to the side will almost always make your subject look frumpy and awkward. The key is to have those hands busy doing something from framing the face, playing with the hair, or resting in a pocket. One of the secrets to achieving a cute girl pose is to direct her hands!
If you enjoyed this article, you’ll probably enjoy these too!
- Learn How Pink and Purple Hair Will Change Your Outlook on Life!
- Why It’s Never too Late to Start a New Creative Hobby
- The Complete Guide to Podcasts for Women Over 50: Who, What, and Why
- How to Take Your Perfect Selfie: An Over 50 Guide
- The 7 Best Treadmills for the Heavy or Overweight Person
- 50 Unique and Thoughtful Gift Ideas for Women Over 50 Who Have Everything
- Sleep Apnea Diagnosis? 21 FAQs About a CPAP Prescription for a Great Night’s Sleep
- The Best Aftercare Instructions for New Cosmetic Eyebrow Tattoos
- Thank You for the Friendship: 10 Life Lessons to Learn From TV’s Golden Girls
- 7 Best Office Chairs to Improve Circulation for the Feet and Legs
- The Best Thing To Do When Your Permanent Adult Tooth Falls Out
