Photography - Individual & Family Posing - Live Sessions

Taught by Bernie Raffe AMPA on Udemy

  • Category: Photography/Portrait
  • Level: Beginner
  • Rating: No reviews yet
  • Price: $39.99
  • Duration: 2 h 56 min (23 lectures)
  • Language: English

View the course on Udemy

About this course

A Udemy course by UK portrait photographer Bernie Raffe AMPA on posing people for relaxed, flattering portraits. It follows live indoor and outdoor photo sessions with individuals, couples, siblings, "fuller figure" subjects and large families, mostly real people rather than models, and shows how the instructor overcomes their tendency to sit or stand stiffly. It is a non-technical course, so any camera, including a smartphone, is fine, and no previous knowledge is required. It has 5 sections and 23 lectures (2 hours 56 minutes), was last updated in October 2015 and is taught in English.

Each video has a short introduction and summary followed by the live session. The family section covers parents with two young children (seated on the ground, running around and on a bench), a two-part extended family session showing how to organise a large group, parents with two older children in standing and seated poses (repeated from another course) and a gallery of extended family poses.

The individual section includes two male posing sessions (standing, leaning, with a jacket, on a sofa and against a wall), female posing with a professional model indoors, in a garden and by a lake, a short off-camera flash shoot, natural female poses, head and shoulders posing and a lecture on the jawline for headshots and profile photos.

Couples are covered in a four-part standing session and a lecture on posing fuller-figure subjects (and a dog). The last section shows poses for younger and older siblings. The instructor also shows poses that do not quite work and explains why. PDF crib sheets accompany most lectures and downloads are enabled.

Pricing: Paid Udemy course: list price US$39.99 at research time (Udemy discounts it often). Lifetime access and a certificate of completion are included.

Who this course is for

Any photographer who takes portraits of friends, family or clients, whatever their usual genre.

Beginners: no previous knowledge is required.

People who photograph non-models and want them to look relaxed.

Who it is not for

Anyone looking for camera settings or lighting technique.

Fashion or studio photographers wanting editorial model posing.

What you will learn

  • Posing parents with young and older children.
  • Organising and posing large extended family groups.
  • Male and female individual poses.
  • Head and shoulders poses and stronger headshots.
  • Posing couples and fuller-figure subjects.
  • Posing younger and older siblings.

Strengths

  • Real live sessions with non-models.
  • Shows poses that fail and why.
  • PDF posing crib sheets for most lectures.
  • Works with any camera, even a smartphone.

Limitations

  • Last updated in 2015.
  • Two lectures are repeated from another course.
  • Little on lighting or camera settings.

Comparison with other courses

Portrait Photography: Creative Tips & Ideas for Great Images (Bernie Raffe AMPA, Udemy): adds lighting, location and expression ideas to the posing.

Wedding Photography: Tips, Tricks & Ideas for Amazing Photos (Bernie Raffe AMPA, Udemy): applies posing and group work to a full wedding day.

Course FAQ

What camera do I need?

Any camera: DSLR, mirrorless, compact or smartphone.

How long is it?

2 h 56 min across 23 lectures in 5 sections.

Is it free?

No, it is a paid Udemy course (US$39.99 list price at research time).

Updated on October 29, 2026 by CoursesAdvisors Editorial Team - How we review courses

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