How To Pose For Party Photos: An Event Photographer's Guide

I can't be the only person who gets a fire Instagram pic at a party only to look through the event's album on Guest of a Guest or BFA the next day and wonder, "What the f*ck?" I'm sure this is mostly because I make whomever is snapping with my phone take about a dozen (hundred) photos before I get the shot, but whenever a professional photographer approaches me, I freeze with the knowledge that I've only got one chance to make this look good. Inevitably, that causes me to look stiff and/or terrified. 

So, after years of running into my favorite GofG photographer, Stephen Smith, at black tie bashes across the city - and years of him telling me to stand up straight, turn slightly to the left, and relax my smile - I've finally asked him to jot down his posing notes to share them with the world. 

If you want to look good in a flash (quite literally) click through for the professional photographer's guide to posing.

[Photos by Stephen Smith Imaginare co.]