Sit or stand for camera?

By Alastair Greener, presenter of Present Yourself in a Minute · Updated 5 November 2026

Choose sitting or standing by how you talk best. Whichever you pick, set the camera at eye level and keep the framing the same.

Choose by how you talk

Alastair Greener's tip is simple: use whichever feels more confident. Test it. Record 60 seconds seated and the same piece standing. Watch both on mute, then with sound. Which one looks steady? Which one sounds like you at your best? Keep that one.

Seated

• Sit upright in a chair, with both feet flat on the floor.
• Lean very slightly forward, so you look engaged rather than slumped.
• Keep your hands in the frame or resting, not gripping the arms of the chair.
• Good for talking heads, interviews and longer explanations.

Standing

• Plant your feet with your weight even on both.
• Stay still. A sway that you do not notice in the room is obvious on screen.
• Use your hands for emphasis, but keep them inside the frame.
• Good for short introductions, demonstrations and anything where energy matters.

Keep the framing the same

Whichever you choose, the framing should be head and shoulders, with your eyes at the height of the lens. Matching framing means a seated take and a standing take can cut together without a jump. Hands on camera: in frame or out, never both covers the hands question in more detail.

Steps to test both

1. Set the camera at eye level.
2. Record 60 seconds seated, reading the same piece.
3. Record the same piece standing.
4. Watch both on mute, then with sound.
5. Pick the position that feels natural and holds steady, then stick to it for the day.

A worked example

A 90-second welcome for an online course. Seated works best, because the speaker relaxes and the chair gives a steady frame. For a product demonstration where the speaker picks up and moves the item, standing is better, because the speaker can show it clearly without reaching for the camera.

Common mistakes

• Standing too close to the camera, so the head fills the top of the frame.
• Swivelling in a chair, so the frame keeps changing.
• Changing position between takes without meaning to.
• Booking a studio before you have decided. If you are booking the barn, tell us which you plan to do before the day, so the set-up suits it. Studio hire sets out what a booking covers.

For more on reading to the camera and where to look, read how to read an autocue and eye contact with a lens.

Related guides

• Eye contact with a lens: arrows, eyeline and the window
• Framing yourself on camera: headroom and distance
• Being 10% more than you on camera, 20% on stage
• Facial expression on camera
• How to read an autocue without looking like you're reading
• All guides and tools

The picture at the top of this page is an illustration, not a photograph of a client or a real job.