Big Ben photoshoot poses: 12 ideas that look natural

In short: the most natural Big Ben photoshoot poses are simple actions: a slow walk, a lean on the bridge railing, a forehead touch, a kiss by the red phone box and looking at the tower together. Keep moving, look at each other more than at the camera and give your hands something to hold.

Almost everyone who books a Big Ben photoshoot tells us the same thing on WhatsApp: we have no idea how to pose. That is normal. Very few people stand in front of a camera often, and the tower, the traffic and the tourists do not make it easier.

The good news is that the best Big Ben photoshoot poses are not really poses. They are small, simple actions: a walk, a lean, a turn of the head. Below are twelve of them, each shown with a photo from our sessions around Westminster, with the spot where it works best and a few steps you can follow even if you feel awkward.

In this guide:

• 1. The forehead touch
• 2. The kick-back kiss
• 3. Leaning on the bridge railing
• 4. The arm-in-arm walk
• 5. The hold from behind
• 6. Face to face under one umbrella
• 7. Looking at the tower together
• 8. A silhouette in the arch
• 9. Walking out of the arch
• 10. Standing in the arch frame
• 11. The solo lean on the river wall
• 12. Friends in a row
• How to look natural
• Common mistakes

The twelve poses at a glance

Before you start: three rules that make any pose work

1. Keep moving. A pose held for ten seconds starts to look stiff. Walk a few steps, turn, laugh, then do it again. Most of the best frames happen between the “official” poses.
2. Look at each other more than at the camera. Two or three photos looking into the lens are enough. The rest feel warmer when you are paying attention to each other, or to the tower.
3. Give your hands a job. Hold a coat collar, an umbrella handle, a railing or each other. Hands with nothing to do are the main reason people feel awkward.

Poses for couples

1. The forehead touch

The quietest pose on this list, and the one that looks most like a real moment. It works up close, so the tower becomes a soft shape behind you rather than the main subject.

1. Stand facing each other, a little closer than feels natural.
2. The taller person lowers their head until your foreheads or temples touch.
3. Close your eyes and breathe out. Hands rest on a coat, a shoulder or a waist.

Tip: this is a good first pose of the session. It hides nervous faces and relaxes the shoulders for everything that follows.

2. The kick-back kiss

A classic for a reason. The lifted heel turns a simple kiss into something playful, and the red phone box gives a strong colour next to the pale stone of the tower.

1. One partner leans lightly against the side of the phone box.
2. The other steps in for the kiss and lifts one foot behind them, knee bent.
3. Hold it for a second, then laugh and try again. The second or third take is usually the best.

Tip: boots with a small heel make the lifted foot look better than trainers, and they cope with wet pavements too.

3. Leaning on the bridge railing

Westminster Bridge is the easiest place to pose, because the railing does half the work. Leaning on something makes the body relax straight away.

1. Rest your back or hip against the railing, the tower over one shoulder.
2. Pull your partner in close, one arm around their waist.
3. Look at the camera for a couple of frames, then at each other.

4. The arm-in-arm walk

If you only remember one pose, make it this one. Walking is the most natural thing you can do in front of a camera, and it fills the frame with movement.

1. Link arms or hold hands and walk slowly towards the camera, with the tower behind you.
2. Talk to each other while you walk. About anything.
3. Walk back and repeat two or three times. Each pass looks a little more relaxed.

Tip: walk at half your normal speed. What feels painfully slow looks calm and unhurried in a photo.

5. The hold from behind

A simple way to get both of you in the frame without facing each other. It works well against the river wall, with the London Eye or the Houses of Parliament across the water.

1. The partner in front stands side-on to the camera.
2. The partner behind wraps both arms around their waist and rests their chin or cheek near their temple.
3. The person in front can close their eyes or hold the hands around their waist.

6. Face to face under one umbrella

On a wet day a clear umbrella is the best prop in London. It keeps your hair dry, frames your faces and still lets the tower show through.

1. Stand face to face by the river wall, one of you holding the umbrella between you.
2. Keep the umbrella high enough that the camera sees both faces.
3. Talk, or say something that makes the other one smile.

Tip: choose a clear umbrella rather than a black one. A dark umbrella throws a shadow over your faces and hides the view.

7. Looking at the tower together

The pose for people who hate being photographed. You turn your back to the camera, so there is nothing to get “wrong”, and the photo becomes about the place and the two of you in it.

1. Stand side by side at the river wall, facing the Houses of Parliament.
2. Put an arm around each other and look at the tower.
3. Turn your heads towards each other for a few frames. That small turn adds a lot.

Poses that use the architecture

8. A silhouette in the arch

Inside the arch under the bridge the light comes from one side only, from the river. Stand in the right place and your outlines turn dark against the bright water, with the tower sharp in the distance.

1. Step just inside the arch, close to the wall, so the light is behind and beside you.
2. Stand in profile, noses almost touching.
3. One hand on the wall, one on your partner. Keep your chins up so the outline stays clear.

9. Walking out of the arch

The same walk as pose four, but in a frame that nobody else has. Walking away from the camera through the arch leads the eye straight to the tower.

1. Start deep inside the arch, holding hands.
2. Walk slowly out towards the river without looking back.
3. On the last steps, turn your heads towards each other.

10. Standing in the arch frame

The pointed arch works like a picture frame. This is the pose for the one “we were here” photo you will want to print.

1. Stand in the middle of the opening, side by side, holding hands.
2. Turn your bodies slightly towards each other and your faces towards the camera.
3. Relax your free arms. Hands in pockets are fine.

Solo and group poses

11. The solo lean on the river wall

A solo portrait does not need big gestures. Lean on the river wall, let the tower sit over your shoulder and look away from the camera, as if something across the river caught your eye.

1. Rest one hip against the wall and shift your weight onto the back foot.
2. Hold something: an umbrella, a coat lapel, the top of the wall.
3. Look past the camera, then back into it for a couple of frames.

Tip: booking as a couple? Ask for a few minutes each on your own. Solo portraits at the start are a good warm-up, and you both get a photo just for you.

12. Friends in a row

With friends the trick is to break the straight line. Three people standing shoulder to shoulder look like a queue. Change the heights and the angles and it becomes a photo.

1. Stand close together, bodies slightly turned towards the middle person.
2. Vary the heights: one sits on the wall, one leans, one stands.
3. Link arms or put a hand on a shoulder, then all look at the one who is laughing.

Tip: matching colours, like the white outfits above, tie a group together in the frame. Groups of six or more can book on request.

A quick note from Julia: I photograph couples at these exact spots every week. If you would rather be in the photos than behind the camera, a Big Ben photoshoot starts at £150 and £50 holds your date. Ask me on WhatsApp.

How to look natural when you have never posed

Nobody arrives at a photoshoot knowing how to do it, and nobody needs to. Help with posing is included in every session: Julia shows you where to stand and what to do, step by step. These habits make that part even easier:

• Breathe out before each frame. A breath out drops the shoulders and softens the face.
• Talk to each other. Tell a story, remember your first date, argue about dinner. Real conversation beats a posed smile.
• Let the first ten minutes be bad. Everyone is stiff at the start. The phone box and the forehead touch are there to warm you up.
• Choose the time well. Sunrise and early morning mean an almost empty bridge and no crowd watching you. We shoot at sunrise with no surcharge. See the best time to photograph Big Ben.
• Bring a reference. Screenshots of poses you like help us understand your style in seconds.

Common mistakes and quick fixes

Questions about posing

Want to see these poses in full sessions? Browse our Big Ben photoshoots, read the Big Ben guide for the best spots and times, or check the prices for a session of your own.