A little while ago I asked for volunteers who would be willing to model for me so I could write a few blog posts on how to look better in photos. I asked for people who don’t like the way they look in photos so that we could demonstrate that a beautiful picture is possible for anyone – regardless of how they see themselves in snapshots.
Rachel was our first model, and the first post, 5 Tips on How to Look Better in Photos can be viewed here. Some of our tips here are the same, but you can see them working on someone with a different body too.
Becky wrote, “I just always feel I look too fat or awkward. Of course like most people I always find flaws that probably nobody else sees!!” I think this may be the curse of being a woman in our culture!
In any case, I met Becky and her family at Genesee Valley Park to try and persuade her that she could look awesome in photos. We started with the standard how everyone stands in front of a camera and then doesn’t like the way they look pose.
As we talked about in Rachel’s post, this is an unflattering position across the board. So the first thing you want to do is always be sure you’re at a 45 degree angle to the camera.
This is a huge improvement but Becky’s hands in are just kind of hanging. So next I asked her to put them in her pockets or behind her back (whichever is most comfortable).
This is also an improvement but when Becky saw it she didn’t like the shirt she chose. So another option is our friend the crop tool. This is a great trick if you like the way your face looks in an image, but not your body.
Next we did some sitting pictures which are trickier because most people look thinner standing up. First we did a “square to the camera” unflattering image.
If you’re sitting in front of a camera, remember not to sit this way (I told Becky to – she was just following directions). 🙂
So first things first, the 45 degree angle rule.
I decided here to zoom in a little bit in case Becky liked the up close shots better.
Then we also did some sitting on the ground images. Again, we started with most people’s default position which tends to be unflattering.
And then moved into a more flattering position. Believe it or not, almost everyone looks awesome in this position. Becky wrote, “I do like this one too! Maybe it’s the angle I’m sitting in. It makes me appear thinner.”
Then we threw in her husband Steve for a few images.
You can “hide” behind people to make your body appear smaller in the frame, but you also want to look like you’re hugging them or affectionate somehow rather than just small.
And you can always lean forward together with the other person to create a slimming affect.
So our tips for this post are:
1. Always position your shoulders and body at a 45 degree angle to the camera.
2. Make sure your hands are in a resting position – either in your pockets, around someone, or in a comfortable position behind your back.
3. Don’t be afraid to crop pictures that you like so that it’s just your face. A lot of women are okay with their faces and have more issues with their bodies. You can play around with an image and see what makes you happy before you post it to Facebook.
4. When you’re sitting on the ground, don’t sit cross legged, but put your legs out to your side to elongate your body.
5. If you want to “hide” be sure you’re hugging someone or interacting with them in some meaningful way. You don’t want to be just a floating head sticking up behind someone.
6. Lean forward! Don’t overdo this, but most people do look thinner leaning forward in the image slightly. If you’re in a photo with someone else, then you’ll both need to lean forward.
