At a recent party with some of the neighborhood friends and my dear besties, the topic of how exactly to pose for the perfect photo came up. I love some of the suggestions that some of the gals shared; including asking the person behind you in the picture to pinch the nape of your neck to pull any excess skin back off your face to make you look fresh and twenty something. Yes, I'm serious ... this was suggested!
I will also admit to trying an elaborate process of looking away from the camera and flashing back on the count of 3 to ensure I didn't have an overposed face. The result was a little reminiscent of Zoolander's "Blue Steel" model face and not exactly the desired look.
To save the back of my neck and make my next photo more photogenic, I've scoured the web for a few tips and tricks from the pros. Enjoy these ten, pain free tips to the perfect photo shoot.
- Always pull your shoulders back and stand up straight (but not so rigid that you look scared or panicked). Your mama would be so proud of your good posture!
- Keep your arms down by your sides, but they should fall just away from your body to look most natural
- Look at the top of the camera, just above the lense ensures that you look best.
- Tip your chin down (I never knew this one and it makes perfect sense and explains that strained neck face I've made once or twice!)
- Smile with your mouth open (it looks the most natural) but only show your top teeth.
- Put your tongue behind your teeth as you smile - it makes your face look more relaxed
- Most people look best when photographed at an angle, put one foot in front of the other and one shoulder closer to the camera to ensure you aren't facing forward (and looking too wide!)
- Balance heights of those in the picture. As a tall gal, I will attest to this one! If you are tall and posing with shorter people (or vice versa), be sure that your heights are more levelled out in the picture. Stand on something to look taller or sit to look shorter. Sounds crazy, but when you have a pic with your friends that looks like "mom and the kids" you will wish you had!
- Remember ... photos exagerate EVERYTHING! So, less is best (such a tough lesson for me!)
- Practice, practice, practice. As silly as it sounds, look at pictures of yourself and when you find one that you really like how you look, be sure to pose that way again.
~charmed b
