I'm assuming you are a photographer, and you interact with people. Saying "That one", "good", "extend your leg", "nice", "gorgeous", is part of interacting with people.

I don't think any model, not one on the planet, would learn 1000 different names, with 1000 variation levels on each to pose, and to practice that pose to be just the perfect canonical "cobra" position.

The best way to explain a pose is to do it. It is fun to guide a person, to say "lower your arm like this," to tell him "good," or "there."

Each person has a different body, complexion, specific problems or "defects" that you want to hide or minimize; react different to light and shadows, on the light setup, your camera angle.

From a psychological point of view the human brain doesn't perform well learning 1000 different names if they are not categorized in general groups. I will "invent" just a random hierarchy.

• Standing, sitting, lay down, side, front, back.

• If you are sitting: legs crossed, relaxed, hands on the knees.

• If you are sitting and your legs crossed and relaxed: head to the light, head away from the light.

• etc.

What is the difference between a category hierarchy vs. just using common language and just interacting with people? Do you want people to feel like they are on a position exam? or to feel relaxed, confident that the one that need them to look right, watching the result as it progress is you?

But if you want a starting point of classical poses, probably you can put an example of them: I'll stand like "David", let's have just a little mysterious smile, like "Molalisa". Imagine you are a "king... That one... Not the lion king you did before" :o)

A standard vocabulary

On this section I am not referring to the body of the post, just to the title "Is there a standard vocabulary for posing?"

The general method I use is:

1) You give a very general approximation. Standing, sitting, laying down.

2) You point and turn the part of the body which is supporting the rest, normally the legs or feet. "Turn your feet to the light", "between me and the light"

3) You build from the base to the top. "Now the torso turn it to the left"

4) Position the hands and shoulders. Hands to your hip.

5) I "position" the attitude: "relaxed; more sexy; yeah, you are angry"

6) For the head you need a 3 axis movement.

a) Turn your head (like saying no axis)

b) Lower your head, rise your head (yes axis)

c) Incline your head (side to side)

7) The eyes: "look at the camera; to the light; upper; lower"

8) I reposition the attitude again and the mouth: "Yea, more sexy, smile, angry face, smile again, you are cuter than me"

and you shoot that smile. :o)