Previously Rachel was featured in a blog post with pictures of her on her own in order to show easy posing techniques on how to look better in photos. For this post we’re going to talk about ways to look better in photos with other people, which actually turns out to be a lot easier.
Rachel had a very natural on-command smile but if you don’t (like me) you’ll relax and look much happier once you have some people around. This is especially true of moms holding their kids.
Rachel mentioned before the session (and gave me permission to share) that she really dislikes her chin in photos. In the previous blog post we talked about how leaning forward and sticking your neck out like a chicken can help your chin become more clearly defined. Notice in the above picture how she’s sitting up straight so her chin is not well defined but in the picture below she’s leaning forward and you can’t even tell. If you have a child in your lap or other people in the photo, it’s relatively easy to lean forward and still look natural. You may feel ridiculous, but you might actually look awesome – the key is to try to relax as much as you can.
It can also be easier to apply some of the lessons we learned in the previous post when you have other people to work off of. For example, Rachel’s arm isn’t flat against her body – she can put it out slightly to make it look thinner. This is a natural position while holding a child, but not so much when you’re by yourself.
Here’s another example from Listen to Your Mother Rochester. In this image the women were all able to put their arms in flattering positions around each other, lean forward in a way that looks natural, and to banter with each other to look happier and more relaxed.
To summarize, our four tips for looking better in photos with other people are:
1. Have everyone (or even just the adults) in the photo hug and lean forward a little to give the image a more intimate and relaxed feeling.
2. If you don’t like your arms, put them behind someone, but make sure you’re at the right height to do it – usually someone’s waist is best, it doesn’t have to be their shoulders.
3. Have your kids stand or sit in front of you – not so they’re blocking you completely, but so that you appear smaller in the frame. People in photos by themselves always look larger than people in photos with other people.
4. Say something distracting to keep your mind off having your picture taken. Even a statement like, “Group hug!” or a silly question like “who has the messiest car?” (or smelliest feet, has gone the longest without shaving their legs, etc.) can relax everyone.
Have photography questions?
Leave a comment below and I’ll do my best to write a blog post about it. I might even request models (who get free sessions!). You can either leave a comment via the Facebook box below, or scroll a little bit further down and leave a comment in the second section (which does not require a Facebook account).
