INTRODUCTION–BECOMING PHOTOGENTIC ANY TIME – ANY PLACE This guide is designed to give you confidence in front of any camera, and to help you feel beautiful in every photo from now on – no matter where you are, how made up you are or who is taking the photo. Use these tips whenever a camera is pointed your way.
PRACTICE IN THE MIRROR A lot of the suggestions found in this guide will not feel natural. In fact, you will most likely feel ridiculous. If you are not doing them quite right, you may not like the image and feel embarrassed. Please practice in the mirror as the camera is captures images much like you see in a mirror. So, practice in the mirror enough to know how fabulous you look following each tip.
YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL We’ve all had someone sneak a photo when we’ve had a weird expression, or caught at an unflattering angle. That is not who you are or what you look like in real life, so remember to be gentle to yourself.
S T E P 1: F I N D Y O U R B E S T L I G H T THE POWER OF LIGHT Photography literally means writing with light. Lighting is one of the most important things in photography. Lighting can make you look 10 years older or 10 years younger. Harsh lighting ages you, casts creepy shadows, and can make you look exhausted. The opposite of harsh light is even light, which is what you want to illuminating your beautiful features.
HELP PICK THE BEST SPOT Assuming your picture is not being taken by a professional photographer, your friends will probably thank you for suggesting a location that makes them (and you) look fabulous.
FACE THE BIGGEST WINDOW The trick is to face into the light, with your photographer positioned directly between you and the window (or just slightly off to the side). If you don’t have as much control over where you’re standing, at least point your noise towards the brightest light source when inside. If you find yourself outside, a good shade spot is sometimes best especially at high-noon around 12pm. The most glittering light outside is from sunrise to mid-morning or late afternoon to sunset.
S T E P 2: T A K E A S T E P B A C K CAMERAS CREATE DISTRORITON Have you ever taken a selfie and thought your nose looked large or distorted? Well, if you are holding the camera at arm’s length, there will be tons of distortion and your nose will likely look bigger. For selfies, flip the camera around and take the shot into a mirror so you can back up a bit or hand your camera to a friend. More on selfies later.
CLOSE TO CAMERA = LARGER Anything close to the camera will appear larger, so try taking a step back from the photographer and put your weight on your back leg especially if you are within five feet of the camera.
FAR FROM CAMERA = SMALLER If you’re self-conscious of your derrière, you never want your bottom half closer to the camera than your face. My trick is to always lean forward slightly when the camera appears and I always step back, put my weight on my back legs and kick my booty back.
S T E P 3: S T R I K E A P O S E PLANT YOUR FEET Turn away from the camera slightly about 45 degrees, without being directly side on. The best way to do this is to take one half step back, then shift your weight onto the back foot/ leg. Raise the front foot to tip-toe, crossing the knee in.
ARMS PULLED BACK & OUT Let your back arm pull to the outside of your body and rest on your hip following your bodyline. Your front arm can slightly pull away from your body, or even rest your hand on your hip.
PERFECT POSTURE Get as tall as possible by lengthening your spine. Be sure not to hold your breath that will make your shoulders rise and look a bit puffed up. When sitting, come to your tiptoes to make your legs look longer.
THINK TRIANGLES Think triangles and leading lines. Triangles add shape and draw your eye in. Notice the triangles created in both the right side images. Triangles add depth, create shape, and direct the eye where to go.
S T E P 4: Y O U R C H I N
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THINK “TURTLE” Push your face towards the camera like a turtle, then tip your forehead a little closer. Be sure not to go down too far. Here’s the breakdown of the images. 1.) Normal Chin position from the side 2.) Chin out and down position from the side 3.) We often kick our heads back when we laugh or when a camera is staring at us. This makes our eyes small and makes our chins/ jawline big. 4.) This chin is tucked back and down slightly too far. Creating a bit of a double chin and the eyes are not on the right plane. 5.) Perfect. This is how you want your chin to be. There is a slight difference in 4 and 5. In picture number 5 the chin is correctly positioned, the eyes are at the right plane and look big and normal. There is no double chin.
S T E P 5: L A U G H O U T L O U D FAKE SMILES LOOK INAUTHENTIC Fake smiles look inauthentic and you can see it is not genuine in the eyes. The eyes are the most important part of a portrait. The only thing worse than being the only nonsmiler in a photo is having a fake smile. A fake smile does not reach the eyes and can be easily spotted. We need authentic expressions to put our best self forward.
LAUGH OUT LOUD My very best trick is to literally giggle or laugh out loud. I use this with everyone to eliminate the fake smile. Even the fakest, most ridiculous laugh will be helpful, because those tend to get the best real laughs in the end which reach the eyes and looks genuine. The biggest difference in these two images are the eyes and you can see how the body language softens as well. It much more authentic. Another benefit to this trick is that not only will you look amazing, but your friends will be smiling for real, too. Fun!
USE MENTAL VISUALS Sometimes we want just a spark in the eyes with or without a smile‌also known as googly eyes. You can visualize your dream man or George Clooney or whomever you love to get that soft, sparkly expression. Whatever it takes to get the shot. This always makes me start to smile or shows up in my eyes and brings the softness we want in pictures.
TIPS & TRICKS–HAIR AND MAKEUP TOUCH UP
HAIR & MAKE UP TIPS & TRICKS WHEN YOU HAVE 3 MINUTES OR LESS If you see that you are about to have a picture taken and you only have 3 minutes: o Check your teeth o Dab away excess shine with a tissue o Apply lipstick , gloss or chap stick o Give your hair a boost If you see that you are about to have a picture taken and only have 1 minute or less: o Ask a friend to check your teeth. o Apply lip balm/ gloss/ chap stick (at least dab in the center of your lower lip) o Zhoosh your hair. o With less than a minute, while fluffing your hair, mash your lips together and chew on them a couple of times to give them color, run your tongue over your teeth and pray they are clean, then lick your lips to give them a little shine and hope that none of that was caught on camera.
TIPS & TRICKS–SELFIES & PHONE APPS SELFIE’S TIPS & TRICKS Find a window or light source that is diffused. Do not angle the phone down or above you as it gives a distorted look like in the top picture. Do put the camera even with you and use the chin, forward and down method you learned to get a natural look like the image at the bottom. If you find yourself in a group, get in the middle. The end is always an awkward body position and angle and the person at the end closest to the camera will always look bigger than real life. With large groups or scenery, a selfie stick is helpful.
SMART PHONE APPS THAT I USE For minor corrections, my phone camera. For creative editing I use the following: o Snapseed is great for blurring, adding texture, vintage look and the beauty filter is amazing. Snapseed is also an excellent app to use to take pictures. o VSCO for a film look and other creative editing. I love their black and white films and mellow color films. o For Face corrections, FaceTune. o For Video, I can create a good looking video with the app Video Shop. I can add filters with an app called Vide Filter.
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