28 Trio Pose Ideas for Memorable & Gorgeous Photos

Do your 3-person social media photos suddenly feel boring and uninspired? Make them stand out like never before with cool, unique trio poses you can try. Keep scrolling for 28 different trio poses, from the fun and easy to the cool, creative, and aesthetic—we’ve even included some trio yoga poses for your next photoshoot. You’ll also find tips and tricks from a professional photographer, personal stylist, and modeling agent to help your group photos pop.

Best Trio Poses

According to professional photographer Victoria Sprung, making sure everyone involved feels happy will come across in your group photo. Here are some fun trio poses ideas to get you started:

Bear hug: Stand close and give each other a giant bear hug.
Carrying a friend: Two friends carry the 3rd friend by cradling them in their hands.
Elevated surface: One friend sits on a surface, while the others stand on either side.

Section 1 of 9:

Fun Trio Poses

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Stacked up To create this pose, all 3 people are staggered in the photo. The front person is on their knees or squatting, the middle person bends down slightly, and the top person stands up. Everyone can play with their arm movements; for example, one person can keep their hands under their own chin while another makes a heart shape above their head.
- Each person can make a different face or use similar expressions, like a kissy or serious face.
Meet the wikiHow Experts

Victoria Sprung is a professional photographer with over 13 years of experience.

Paul Julch, MA, is a personal stylist with experience styling fashion photo shoots and corporate videos.

Traci Halvorson is a modeling agent who also specializes in marketing and image consulting.
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Bear hug Share the love by giving each other a giant bear hug. Stand close together and wrap your arms around each other, making sure to vary your arm locations so it looks unique. If one of your friends is smaller than the others, place them in the middle so they get to be deep in the bear hug. It’s a thoughtful pose for a picture that celebrates a big day, like a birthday or graduation.

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Sit and squat When you’re all sitting down at a restaurant or in a small space, have 2 friends sit next to each other. Friend #3 can then stick their head in the space between the other 2. It works wonders when you want a trio shot in a crowded bar or venue.
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Upside down and looking forward All it takes to achieve this fun pose is for 3 friends to face backwards from the camera while standing next to each other with their feet at least hip width apart. Then, all 3 people bend at the waist, and look through their parted legs at the camera (while making silly faces and hand gestures, of course!)^{[1]
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Section 2 of 9:

Cool Trio Poses

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2 Plus 1 2 friends pose together while the 3rd friend poses on their own. The 2 friends can make it interesting by whispering to each other about the 3rd friend, or just rolling their eyes while friend #3 poses boldly. Friend #3 can stand out by pretending they’re the only person in the photo as they pose like a model (or like they’re caught in a thirst trap).
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Walking away together You don’t always have to face the camera to make a statement. All 3 friends can walk off into the distance together. It works even better when you’re walking towards something scenic, like the ocean or a sunset.
- Holding hands is optional here.
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Back-to-back While a back-to-back may seem difficult for 3 people, it isn’t when you shoot the photo from above. Get someone else to take the picture from a higher vantage point, or simply (but safely) stand on a chair. Everyone faces outward while looking up at the camera together.^{[2]
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Section 3 of 9:

Easy Trio Poses

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Holding hands All 3 friends face each other, and hold the back of each other’s hands. You can vary the pose to make one friend’s body face forward, while the other faces a different direction; as long as everyone is looking at each other (and smiling), mission accomplished.
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Hand holding in the middle Here, the person in the center stands straight ahead and smiles into the camera with one friend on either side. The other 2 friends face each other and hold hands in the front, and make sure to turn their heads forward so they can be seen. This one works wonderfully when you’re in a tight space.
- The friend in the center can put their arm around the other 2 friends, since the group should be standing close together.
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Leaning in What could be simpler than 3 good friends standing next to each other and leaning in? Because this pose is so easy to do, you can get creative with your facial expressions or hand gestures. It’s a solid standby when you just can’t think of anything else to do before someone snaps a photo.^{[3]
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Section 4 of 9:

Funny Trio Poses

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Lean and laugh It couldn’t be easier for 3 friends to laugh in a photo while slightly leaning in towards each other. Keep your body language natural and have fun with the premise. Two of you may be looking at the 3rd friend who is making a funny face.
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Jumping in the air If you’re in a special place that you want to share with others, get your timing right when you all jump up in the air together. Try to give each other enough space to jump in a slightly different way. This one works great in silhouette, too, when you have to be far away to capture the shot.
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Carrying a friend For this silly pose, 2 friends carry the 3rd friend by creating a seat with their hands. The friend being carried can find extra support by putting their hands around the other 2. If you really want to make them laugh, pretend you’re asleep or passed out as your 2 friends carry you.^{[4]
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Section 5 of 9:

Creative Trio Poses

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Interlocking legs Instead of just posing with your arms around each other, have the person in the center interlock their legs with the other 2 friends. Then, sit your butt down as if you’re doing a squat exercise. It’s also known as a 3-person leg squat crossover and is super versatile.
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Caught in a heart Have 2 friends stand in the foreground and create a heart shape by joining their hands/arms in the middle. Friend #3 stands in the background in the middle of the heart, and looks flattered by holding their hands to their face. This works great when you have a lot of room in the background to play with.
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Moving in a circle Many children’s nursery rhymes involve holding hands and dancing around in a circle. Well, this pose is just like that, only more photogenic. Join hands with your friends and slowly move together in a circle—don’t move too fast…your photo might end up blurry! Choose this pose when you’re in nature for some “dance around the Maypole” vibes.^{[5]
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Section 6 of 9:

Aesthetic Trio Poses

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Elevated surface Use this pose if you have a desk, table, or any elevated surface nearby. One friend can sit on the surface and face forward. The other 2 stand on either side and put their arms around the seated friend.
- If you’re in a public space, make sure sitting on the surface you have in mind is permitted.
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Low angle If you have time to play with angles, this pose will help your photo stand out. Pose standing up in whatever way you like, while the person taking the photo sits or squats on the ground. You can take this one to an extreme if you’re in a place with lots of floors or levels. Think about posing on a balcony while being photographed from the ground floor.
- This one is even possible if one of the 3 friends takes the photo as if they’re posing for a selfie.
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Silhouette Taking a silhouette pose is a wonderful idea when you don’t want to worry about how you look in the photo. If the light is right, all 3 of you can stand or pose so you each look like a black silhouette. Your background should be special for this one, like a bright orange sunrise or a generally sunny sky.^{[6]
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Section 7 of 9:

Chaotic Trio Poses

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Charlie’s Angels Each person strikes a different pose to recreate the retro Charlie’s Angels look. One person holds their “gun” up, while the other aims theirs, and a 3rd squats down. The different perspectives will give this photo lots of thumbs up, especially when you’re in an urban setting.
- This pose may be even more entertaining as a trio pose for guys.
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At each other’s throats Two friends stand in the foreground with their arms around the other friend’s throat. Behind them, friend #3 holds their arms out to say, “Please stop fighting!” It’s a fun way to get people to stop scrolling and check out your photo.
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Pillow fight One friend lies down on the ground while the other 2 friends attack them with pillows. It’s ok if you get a little bit of blur on this action shot, since it’ll look more authentic. This is a silly trio pose that you can have a great time creating while at a slumber party.^{[7]
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Section 8 of 9:

Trio Yoga Poses

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3-Way tree pose Get your yoga on as a trio when you all come together to do tree pose. Stand in a circle and let each person get into tree pose. If you’ve got great balance as a group, try holding hands.^{[8]
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- Get into tree pose by standing with your feet hip-width apart. Shift your weight to one foot, and lift the other foot to rest on your ankle, calf, or thigh. Bring your hands to your heart or overhead for balance; looking at a particular focal point helps too.
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3-Way boat pose For a 3-way boat pose, each friend sits on the floor in a circle, leaving enough room between you to extend your legs. Then, extend your legs and lift your feet to a 45-degree angle while leaning back slightly. If you’ve got great balance, try to make your feet touch the person next to you so everyone is connected.
- You can also extend your arms to touch or hold hands.
- For an easier version, everyone can simply do their own boat post seated next to each other, with each person positioned slightly ahead of the next.
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3-person plank pyramid pose One friend gets into a plank position. Friend #2 does a plank on top of the first person’s back, with their feet on friend #1’s upper back and their arms on friend #1’s ankles. Friend #3 does the same on top of friend #2.^{[9]
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- This pose involves getting into an inclined plank position, so make sure it’s right for you!
- To get into plank position, lie face down. Place your forearms on the floor with your elbows directly under your shoulders. Lift your body so you form a straight line from your head to your heels.

Section 9 of 9:

Tips for Taking Fun Group Photos

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Find an inspiring location. It’s easy to take cool group photos when you’re at the beach or on vacation. If you want to make your everyday photos stand out, just look for unique locales that are visually interesting. It might be in front of a building with modern architecture, or in a field of flowers you find in the park. Even a unique-looking corner of a room in your house might inspire you.
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Vary your heights in the photo. Sometimes, a group photo where everyone is the same height can look boring. To shake things up, have one person stand straight, while another sits, and a 3rd squats down. Or, you can each stand between the foreground (front of the scene) and the background (back part of the scene), which also gives the illusion of different heights.^{[10]
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Incorporate movement. While you don’t want your group photo to look like one big blur, posing as if you’re moving around can breathe life into a static-looking photo. Raise your arms, extend them to the side, pose as if you’re walking, or extend your legs out. Whatever movement you use will fill the frame in a unique way.^{[11]
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Stagger your legs. To stagger your legs, step one leg back while shifting your weight onto that back leg. Now, your front leg is free to move around. Staggering your legs helps photos look more dynamic and less one-dimensional, and helps your body appear more photogenic.
- Personal stylist Paul Julch, MA, also suggests “turning a little bit into a 3/4 pose with your shoulders and your hips” to look good in pictures, because that visually narrows your frame.”^{[12]
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  Paul Julch, MA
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- Modeling agent Traci Halvorson adds that, “when you strike a pose, put your hands on your hips, and move your hips to the left or the right to create what we call the S curve… It's very flattering.”^{[13]
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Experiment with different angles. Once you know how your group wants to pose, don’t just take the photos from one angle. Try a few straight on, and then move around to take more photos from different angles. Some may be high, low, balanced, or off-kilter. You may end up choosing an angle you never thought you would for your final photo. Plus, you can delete all the photos you don’t use, so there’s no reason not to try unique angles.^{[14]
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Use a variety of facial expressions. It’s fine for everyone to smile in a photo to show you’re having a great time. But it can be fun to play around with your facial expressions, too. If you’re in a funny pose, you might be inspired to make goofy faces. If you’re trying to be cool, act like it through your facial expressions. Try having 1 friend act silly, while the other 2 act serious, or vice versa.
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Focus on connection. Sprung states that one of the most important parts of taking fun, vibrant photos with friends is coming up with “ways to make everyone involved feel happy, so that it shows in the photo."^{[15]
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Victoria Sprung
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Expert Interview} Make sure you’re letting everyone have a say in the photo pose and let others try something, even if you don’t end up using it. Above all, have fun! Your friendship and joy will definitely come across to others looking at your photos.