Equipment used:
Paul Buff 86 inch PLM
PLM 7 feet back from subject with photographer in front of it
Einstein 640 Studio Flash
white sweep
Canon 6D, 35mm 1.4

Information on posing men for portraits is far less easy to find than posing women.  The male portrait is about capturing completely different traits.  Rather than cute or glamorous the male portrait is about strength, fitness, coolness, ease or likability.

Typically men need a purpose for their hands.  If not using their hands, they can get fidgety and feel uncomfortable.

This model was awkward smiling directly into the camera and as with most male clients: didn’t know what to do with his hands.  The photographer had him put one hand in a pocket, the other holding a pair of glasses.  The assistant was off to the side making the model laugh.  The photographer said, “When you start laughing look into the camera” and we got the shot.