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Making a portrait with pom-poms

Explore comfortable positions and framing for two bright, textured props.

Yenra Photography · Published October 16, 2026

Two pom-poms bring bright clusters of texture into a portrait. Their placement can frame a face, widen a pose or create an uneven pair of shapes. Begin with a position that feels comfortable, then decide together how much of the props and person you want to include.

Try different heights

One gold-colored pom-pom sits beside the hip while the other reaches the upper-left boundary. The arms make different angles, and the face remains in the open area between them. The two bright clusters give the portrait an arrangement to explore.

The raised pom-pom extends beyond the original picture edge. That can prompt a choice in your own work: make a closer portrait with part of the prop beyond the frame, or step back to include its whole outline. Both versions can tell you something about what you want the picture to emphasize.

Start with the props at comfortable heights. Ask your partner to suggest a position they like, then look at the face, hands and outer edges together. A small adjustment is enough for a useful comparison.

Give a raised pair room

Doki Donut Cosplay holds two silver-colored pom-poms above the head in this standing portrait. The raised arms make an open shape around the face, while the plain wall gives the clustered strips a comparatively quiet background. Both pom-poms and the shoes fit within the source frame.

Compare the amount of room above the props with the space beside the arms. A wider view gives you more of the pose; a closer one may emphasize the expression. You can decide which relationship matters for the photograph you are making.

Raised arms are one possibility. You can also keep both props low, rest one beside a hip, or use a comfortable seated position. Let your partner lower their arms between photographs and choose the positions they enjoy. The exercise works with still poses.

Compare the arrangement outdoors

In this outdoor portrait, Doki Donut Cosplay holds one pom-pom high and the other beside the hip. The leafy background, lighter path and darker ground offer several areas behind the pose. The raised cluster stands against green foliage, and the lower one sits beside the pastel clothing.

Notice how the surrounding colors and brightness change the visibility of each cluster. Before making another picture, look around the outline of the face and both props. A small shift of your camera position can change what sits behind them.

These examples come from different moments and settings on June 13 and June 14, 2014. They offer placements to explore rather than a controlled comparison of lighting. Keep their capture times and credits with the source images when you return to them.

Finish by looking at the variations together. Which arrangement feels expressive and comfortable? Which one gives the face and props the space you wanted? One shared discovery is a good result; you can keep another idea for next time.

Look back with curiosity.

• What becomes easier to notice?
• Which variation would you like to explore next?
• What small observation would you like to keep?

Keep exploring

Exploring props in a portrait · Noticing the spaces within a pose · Exploring the edges of the frame

Browse the complete Anime Mid-Atlantic 2014 gallery.