Tip : poses and light

There is a very simple rule in photography…. In my opinion there are no rules. 

What works for one model won’t work for another. This is also one of the reasons my standard answer to the question “can you advise a good book with example poses” is “there is no such thing as a standard pose”
Some models for example look great shot straight from the front while others really need a more side look/pose. In other words there are plenty of options. 

Now there are also poses I would actually hardly ever use. Like the familiar hands on the head. I don’t know where that one came from but my idea of a pretty pose is not one where you can see both armpits in the frame and a model that looks arrogant or sultry into the camera. Brrrrrrr

Now when you shoot a portrait it’s often a shot that has the face as the main point of attention of course. However you can still use a lot of different “options”. You can of course use some wind to make the hairs flow. But when you use some harder light (which I love) it can be awesome to have the model use her shoulder and part of the upper arm to pose with. Thanks to the light fall off you can get some really powerful shots that really draw the attention of the viewer towards the model. 
Now add some expression and there you go. 
Very simple light but very effective.