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[MDA]

A good idea is to look at pictures of how other cosplayers have posed as the same character (which can give you some really good ideas), and to look at screenshots from the anime or artwork from the manga.

For Simca... well, there's a variety of things for Simca that would work, but there are just some things one should not do in public. But flirty, confident, sexy, and fearless definitely work. If you get put with a Ringo you could mock her...

[KoiKoi]

I love it so on I'm also working on Naruto costume just finsh inuyasha the wig , so on can't wait to see it when you done good luck on it xD.. when done you sould up loaded a pic so I can see it or what it will look like xD.. good luck no the best of luck xD...

[gypsy_girl]

My advice is to also google search for characters that have the same personality as the one you want to cosplay. I often choose minor characters so the original source material is lacking. Then I search for characteristics. Are they serious? Cute? Playful? Do they wield a sword? Often times you can find other reference pictures to give you possible posses.

[letfightinglove]

I was kinda nervous about the character posing in pictures as well actually, but as the others said, look at images of your character posing and/or other cosplayers poses. It will do wonders and you will have some awesome in character posing!

[user0913]

Being relaxed and comfortable in front of the camera helps a lot too.

[~BloodCaduceus~]

Here are a few of my favorite tips:

One, watch the series/game/movie that the character is from. How do they act alone on the screen? If they hold props, how do they hold them or fiddle with them? What facial expressions do they have?

Two, practice in front of a mirror, but for TWO reasons. One, how a pose looks for the character, and two, how a pose looks for your body type. A pose may seem wonderful for a character, but on camera may not work for you. Find a happy medium!

Three, look at screenshots of the character via Google Images, Flickr, or Photobucket. You also could look at how others who have cosplayed the same character have posed, what works and does not work for them?

I hope I helped!

[brucer007]

Work with photographers that are known for being helpful in directing good poses.

If you are posing alone, you can pretend there is someone standing next to the camera. Look at that "invisible" person and act or react off that. You can have someone stand near the camera, out of the picture, to give you someone real to look at.

[TheKimonoLady]

I'd come about it in a more indirect, acting way: 1. What sort of general personality does the character have? 2. What mood are they in at that "moment" being visualized when the picture is taken?

If you think about the answers to those questions and look at the famous poses of the character in mind, chances are you'll find them doing mostly the same poses anyone with that personality and mood would. Which is nice, because you don't have to reinvent the wheel with each character.

Both personality and mood translate to positioning of your body. How a character stands and carries himself is just as important as how he looks.

Randomly Made-Up Example: Big Buff Man
Personality: Confident, Proud
Mood: Cocky (challenging someone to a fight)

Proud people stand tall. Their chins lift higher. Their shoulders aren't slumped. Their chest is usually pushed a little forward. The feet are typically shoulder-width or more apart because confident people subconsciously move to take up more space (how many shy male characters do you see sitting with their legs wide apart?).

Being cocky: Imagine you just wiped the floor with a rival and now you're taunting him. When you're feeling cocky, you might lean in a little toward the camera (subconscious intimidation) and your head might tilt and gestures become exaggerated because your muscles feel loose and relaxed.

Randomly Made-Up Example 2: Shy Schoolgirl
Personality: Shy, Unsure
Mood: Wistful (thinking about whoever she has a crush on)

Shy people tend to fold into themselves. Their arms and hands are usually kept close to the body (no wild hand waving about). Head tilted down, hands in pockets or together in front or clutching something (subconscious safety net). Feet closer together than usual. You have no interest in getting near the camera, so even though there may be close-ups, you wouldn't lean invitingly into it.

Being wistful: Sigh deeply and as you exhale sink down into yourself. Stare off into the distance (relax the muscles in your face because "you're" having a very involved fantasy of your crush saying hi to you). If you're holding anything across your chest, relax your grip on it: don't hold it tight against you (same fantasizing reason).

In both of these cases, having a specific situation for your character to "think" about can help you find natural poses with your body. Not all poses will look good on-camera as is, and a good photographer will help you adjust them (tilting one shoulder more toward the camera than the other to avoid an often-unflattering head-on body shot, for example).

Watch people around you to see how they behave regarding personality and mood for tips on your own posing. You'd be surprised how much you notice once you start looking!

[Konkatsu]

Thanks!! Thats really helpful :3

[SobriK]

Echoing the mirror training, which is how most actors and model-types work on their facial expressions as well. The main reason for spending time in front of a mirror is that it helps you appreciate the differences in how you *think* you're projecting an emotion and how much of the emotion you're actually projecting. Often, these are two circles that don't overlap all that much.

TheKimonoLady's advice above for motivation is absolutely spot on, but if you don't practice your expressions in front of a mirror you'll never know if you're selling it. It's one thing to read motivation like that and think "Ok, yeah... I'm feeling cocky. I've got this!" but when you see yourself in front of a mirror and realize that you haven't changed much in your posture, you can really start playing with that motivation.

A problem I've always had in stage shows and theater is selling my reactions, body language and facial expressions. If you consider cosplaying a form of acting (which it sort of is), you need to put more effort into subtle emotional queues than you'd think in order for someone 5, 10, or 20 feet away to see it. If you're not looking at yourself in a mirror, the exaggerated facial expressions and postures can seem ridiculous, but it never ceases to amaze me how much is needed to affect the simplest change in posture or emotion.

In short: if you think you're going over-the-top with your poses and facial expressions, you probably aren't

[XxSweeneyToddxX]

Originally Posted by SobriK

A problem I've always had in stage shows and theater is selling my reactions, body language and facial expressions. If you consider cosplaying a form of acting (which it sort of is), you need to put more effort into subtle emotional queues than you'd think in order for someone 5, 10, or 20 feet away to see it. If you're not looking at yourself in a mirror, the exaggerated facial expressions and postures can seem ridiculous, but it never ceases to amaze me how much is needed to affect the simplest change in posture or emotion.

In short: if you think you're going over-the-top with your poses and facial expressions, you probably aren't

Yea I agree. Often the more subtle things can really make a pose look great. Unfortunately for me, my facial expressions fail so much. No amount of practicing in the mirror can help me

I also find that when I pose in pictures at cons, I always tend to do the same pose, but then again, I guess there aren't many poses for Sweeney. lol If anyone has any, I would love suggestions! xD

[OtakuDesu]

Can someone give me an idea for posing as Hong Kong from Hetalia? He's personality is...quiet and emotionless..so wouldn't that make my pose and facial expression really...boring..?

[ChocDropMantle]

Originally Posted by OtakuDesu

Can someone give me an idea for posing as Hong Kong from Hetalia? He's personality is...quiet and emotionless..so wouldn't that make my pose and facial expression really...boring..?

Meh, if it's at a con you might as well break the boundaries a bit because you don't want to look bored in pictures. (Like smile smile/grin a bit :T)
I recommend to use props (eg: the bamboo round things you steam meat buns in/dumplings, one of those asian fabric parasols or a panda etc) but if you're unable to get those look up what other HK cosplayers do on this website as well as on cosplay cure/dA etc. You might also want to look up simple martial art moves~ :P

I'm putting together a HK costume for Hetalia day LULZ.

EDIT: Look up "Hong Kong" on zerochan and you get 70+ images of him and poses :P

[Meredith]

I have a character, Nina Fortner for the few that know who she is, and I'm working on her storybook she uses for a few chapters and the gun she carries. I've got a few ideas for gun poses, but am utterly lost on the storybook poses. It's not a magic book or anything like that, it's just a book from her past. (she's got mild amnesia, and the book reminds her of stuff that really scares her) The only poses I've seem are screenshots where she just holds the book like a book. Open, at eye level, very scared look on her face. Not any variation there. Does anyone have any ideas for other possible poses with a thin storybook? If it helps at all, she's got an intellegent, deductive personality and at the point of the story the book comes in at, she's turned from a sweet niave girl into an independant woman willing to kill evil people. I see her as kind of tainted by all the things happening to her, but still very much afraid of just why she can't rember things.

[amyisheycool]

So i don't know if this belongs in here but:
Im going to a convention pretty soon as Ciel from Black butler in the pink ball gown and i was wondering if anyone knew any poses i could do? Thanks!