Progress Photos questions

[Sarah4Fitness]

I searched for a topic on this, but didn't find any results.
When taking initial or progress photos, does one "pose"? Are we supposed to be sucking in our stomachs, and flexing our abs, and other various muscles as we develop them, and drop body fat? Or do we take images "at our worst" or in a relaxed state, to compare baselines?
I'd love to get advice on this, so that I won't HATE all of my progress photos, as I take them.
Anyone have posing rules, or advice, for the most accurate (and least horrible looking) update photos?

[drarmament]

I searched for a topic on this, but didn't find any results.
When taking initial or progress photos, does one "pose"? Are we supposed to be sucking in our stomachs, and flexing our abs, and other various muscles as we develop them, and drop body fat? Or do we take images "at our worst" or in a relaxed state, to compare baselines?
I'd love to get advice on this, so that I won't HATE all of my progress photos, as I take them.
Anyone have posing rules, or advice, for the most accurate (and least horrible looking) update photos?

Just take it, its your documentry on how you progress, so you can look back on it in the future.

[UhhChelsea]

Just be consistant lol. Naturally don't compare a relaxed week one to a flexed week 8. I'd just take a relaxed and flexed at each stage.

[broad.stance]

Pictures taken in a relaxed state are fine for most progress photos, as they can show basic changes in composition. Relaxed photos are also good because they reveal changes in posture (pelvic tilts, scapular winging, slouching and the like) that flexed photos would hide. The relaxed poses are front, sides, and back. Four positions; that's it.

For flexed photos there are a few poses that are used for physique assessment. Mark Young has written an Ultimate Guide to Physique Assessment that shows the nine basic poses that you can use. They're the Compulsory Poses found in bb.com's posing advice article (http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/posing.htm) with two additional rear shots.

Of these poses you'll often see variations for women. Side chest will have the arms extended, side triceps will have a leg extended, and biceps poses will have the hands open instead of clenched. Someone will correct me if I am wrong, but I believe they're mostly for women's figure and not bodybuilding. I am of the mind the standard poses are good enough to judge muscular development and symmetry in both genders - and good enough for judging the same in yourself even if you're not looking to compete (at this time ).

The short forum article Effective Self-Photography will give examples of why back-lighting is not your friend when taking photos.