I don’t have a professional camera. So these are all cellphone pics. Which unfortunately looses depth and causes elongation. Also, I haven’t installed any lighting yet.
Here, Han has just a little twist in his hips and his shoulders are leaning back. A slight angle on his wrist helps too:
A wide stance on Luke, a slight lean on Leia, with her torso twisted, along with lots of futzing, helps to sell this classic duo pose:
Here, Jack has his shoulders slightly back, with his hips forward and twisted slightly. With one arm up in the air, and the other hanging on for balance, it helps sell that he’s drunk. I also used PERS to have him looking sideways.
Here, The Joker has a slight lean to him. Which helps sell the weight and length of his gun:
In this classic pose, Indy is squatting while he “weighs” his options:
This pic is all about posture. Heath Ledger’s Joker is pretty slouched with his head slightly tilted. He appears to be dragging his feet after crawling from a car wreck, as he coaxes Batman to hit him. Selina Kyle has a posture that accentuates her curves. With one hip downward and very particular tilting of her torso. You can also see Bane in the background “posturing” with quite a bit of confidence:
This DC Trinity setup showcases a solid defensive stance, with the option for forward momentum. It’s all about the footing. Wonder Woman’s sideways stance with one foot forward adds depth. Notice the slight bend in her knee and the toe of her boot pointing forward. Superman’s hover pose is simple, yet effective. With one knee bent, and the toes of his boots pointed downward, his floatation is easily sold. Batman has a wide stance, with one foot slightly forward and his fists at different heights, selling a fighting stance:
Here are a couple of flight poses. I find that bending the knees and pointing the toes downward really sells the height of the flight. I have their arms at different heights and depths to add life:
Here are a couple of seated poses. I find that it’s all about the slouch. Use a seated posture that works for the character and sells body weight. Notice Loki’s legs are wide and posed at different heights. The toe of his right boot gently resting on the floor. I also have him putting some weight on Odin’s spear. Check out Blondie here too. He’s perched atop a 1/6 horse, but I really wanted to focus on him. He’s putting some weight on his stirrups as he balances his rifle over his forearm to take aim. For this pose, I tried to get as close as possible to Clint Eastwood’s on-screen presence.
Here are several poses using the various techniques I’ve discussed:
Here are some dynamically posed fights. You can really “feel” the impact of Winter Soldier’s punch to Steve Roger’s shield. You also really get the impression that Falcon is flying backwards as Iron Man stands his ground with a wide stance on a multi-level surface:
Sometimes, setting up a display is just too much fun! Everyone wants Stan’s autograph, but only Deadpool wanted him to sign a bazooka!
I’ll close with Suicide Squad Batman. I’ve posed him atop a detolf, on a gargoyle. I tried as hard as I could to imitate a classic Jim Lee Batman pose. This Batman is on a multi-level surface; with one knee bent and one foot forward, while resting his right hand on that leg. He stands with an intimidating posture. Stoic. His cape was one of the most difficult futzing tasks I’ve ever had, but worth it. It really sells the wind atop the building: