How to Prepare for Your Utah Gymnastics Pictures: Pose Ideas and Tips

Gymnastics pictures should show more than what your gymnast looks like in a leotard. They should capture her strength, flexibility, personality and the skills she has worked so hard to develop.

A little preparation can make a huge difference in the variety of photos we create. Before your session, spend a few minutes helping your gymnast choose poses she feels confident performing. You’re welcome to use the examples on this page as inspiration, recreate poses you’ve seen elsewhere or bring completely original ideas of your own.

Start by Saving Gymnastics Photo Inspiration

Before your session, look through the gymnastics pictures on this page and screenshot the poses your gymnast likes. You can also save inspiration from Instagram, Pinterest, past competition photos or images of other gymnasts.

When choosing poses, look for a good mix of:

• Leaps and jumps

• Flexibility poses

• Handstands and inversions

• Standing poses

• Floor choreography

• Beam-inspired poses

• Strong, simple portraits

• Fun poses that show your gymnast’s personality

You don’t need to recreate an inspiration photo exactly. We can adapt the pose to your gymnast’s level, strengths and individual style.

If she has her own idea, bring it! Some of the best gymnastics pictures happen when a gymnast says, “Can I try something?”

Use Poses From Her Floor Routine

One of the best places to find meaningful pose ideas is your gymnast’s own floor routine.

Think about the moments when she:

• Hits a strong finishing position

• Holds a dramatic lunge

• Reaches into a leap

• Uses expressive arm choreography

• Shows off flexibility

• Pauses in an interesting shape

• Salutes at the beginning or end of her routine

These poses already feel natural because she has practiced them repeatedly. They also make the photos more personal. Instead of performing a generic gymnastics pose, she is showing a recognizable piece of her own routine and competitive style.

If possible, take screenshots from a video of her floor routine or have her practice her favorite positions before the session.

Don’t Forget Her Beam Routine

Beam routines are another great source of gymnastics picture poses—even when we aren’t photographing on an actual beam.

Your gymnast can recreate:

• Her beam mount or finish

• An arabesque

• A scale

• A relevé pose

• A turn preparation

• A leap or jump position

• A low pose or kneeling position

• Her beam salute

• A favorite dance or choreography moment

We can use ledges, steps, architectural lines and open spaces to create the feeling of a beam pose while still making the image fit the location.

Beam-inspired poses are especially helpful for gymnasts who want elegant pictures that still clearly show their strength, balance and control.

Choose Poses That Show Different Sides of Your Gymnast

Try not to choose ten poses that all look nearly identical. The strongest galleries include a variety of shapes, heights, expressions and movement.

For example, your gymnast might choose:

1. A big leap or jump

2. A handstand or inversion

3. A standing flexibility pose

4. A low floor pose

5. A strong finishing pose

6. A beam-inspired balance

7. A close-up portrait

8. A pose from her floor choreography

9. A fun or playful pose

10. A personal favorite

This gives us enough variety to create a gallery that feels complete.

Your gymnast does not need to be the most flexible or advanced athlete in the gym to have amazing photos. Clean lines, confidence and a pose she feels good performing are often more important than choosing the hardest possible skill.

Practice Before Your Gymnastics Photo Session

Your gymnast doesn’t need to rehearse for hours, but she should try each pose at least a few times before photo day.

Make sure she knows:

• How she wants to place her hands

• Which leg she wants to use

• Where she wants to look

• Whether the pose works best from the front or side

• How long she can comfortably hold it

• What facial expression feels natural

For jumping or moving poses, we may repeat the movement several times to get the best timing, extension and expression.

Please choose skills your gymnast performs safely and confidently. Photo day is not the time to attempt a new skill or push beyond what she has been trained to do.

What to Bring to Your Utah Gymnastics Pictures

To arrive prepared, bring:

• Screenshots of your favorite pose ideas

• A list of your gymnast’s must-have poses

• Clean bare feet or the footwear requested for the session

• A clean, wrinkle-free leotard

• Hair supplies for quick touch-ups

• Water

• Any small prop or accessory approved for the session

It’s also helpful to arrive with hair and makeup completely finished. Photo sessions move quickly, especially when we are photographing a group of gymnasts at a location like the Utah State Capitol.

Inspiration Is a Starting Point

The examples on this page are here to help you plan, but they are not a required pose list. Your gymnast can use them exactly, adapt them or bring her own ideas.

I’ll help with angles, spacing, hand placement and small adjustments during the session. The goal is for your gymnast to arrive knowing which skills and shapes she wants to feature—not to expect her to direct the entire photo herself.

With a little preparation, we can spend less time deciding what to do and more time creating gymnastics pictures that feel powerful, polished and completely her own.

Utah Gymnastics Photography by Lake City Photos

Lake City Photos creates gymnastics pictures for individual athletes, teams and gymnastics programs throughout Utah. Sessions are designed to showcase each gymnast’s strength, skill and personality through professional individual and team images.

Come with your favorite poses ready, bring any inspiration you love, and don’t forget to look through your gymnast’s floor and beam routines for ideas that are uniquely hers.