How to Look Flawless in Pictures

There are some simple rules to follow, and a bit of practice and you will take flawless pictures every time. As you practice these guidelines, take pictures, and notice what it feels like so you can recreate the feel. Then you will be confident striking a pose no matter if it is a selfie or a group picture.

Rules to follow regarding Lighting:

1. Morning or evening lighting is the best light for pictures.
2. Have your face toward a window, don’t have the window in the background. Back lighting will turn you into a dark silhouette. Front lighting is the simplest to shoot.
3. Natural lighting is best to bring out details.
4. Side lighting is interesting, but you have to be careful and watch how the shadows fall.

Rules to follow regarding your Face:

1. When taking a headshot drop your chin slightly. Be careful of creating a double chin.
2. Know your best side. Take your cellphone and start on one side clicking pictures all the way around. You might already know your best side. Double check by taking some selfies. Mirrors can lie – photos don’t. You should be able to see which side of your face photographs better. What angle best suits you?
3. You don’t always have to have a big wide cheesy grin. Try different smiles. Try closing your mouth. Try parting your lips. Try laughing. Change it up. Relax your face. If you have someone in the picture with you lean into them. Tilt your head toward them. Someone encouraging you to smile and say “cheese” gives an unnatural look.
4. Don’t have dead eyes. Make them sparkle. Think about things that make you happy. It will show in your eyes.

Posture is Key:

1. Posture and how you hold yourself in a photo are key. Shoulders should be back. Chin forward and down. Stand tall and erect. You will look 10 pounds thinner. When you don’t have good posture, your shoulders roll forward, folds happen, your belly enlarges. Think of a string coming out of the center of your head – when you pull the string up it lengthens your entire body.

Create Holes with your Arms and Legs:

1. If your arms are together, it adds width. Creating holes with your arms and legs will add interest and curves. Create blank spots.
2. Creating holes with your arms is easy. One hand should not be on your waist but instead on the back side of you. Fingers and thumb down. You can create holes with a clutch handbag, putting one hand in a pocket with the thumb out. You want to create space between your waist and sleeve. Make sure your fingers are together. Hands on your hips and waist are very overdone – try something different.
3. With your legs you can have one leg in front of the other. Slightly angel the hips so they are not square to the camera but turn the shoulders back to square. Rock back and forth. Create movement and angels. If crossing the legs make sure the front leg is way out front.

Rules for body placement

1. Make sure your body is not straight on to the camera. Do a 45- degree pivot. Pivot and bring your shoulders back. Try arching your lower back.
2. If you have a boyish figure (one with few curves) sit back on one leg and kick out your hip.
3. If it is full length photo and you want to look longer, taller, and slimmer, shoot with a camera angle low, and shoot up. But be careful about getting the double chin in that pose. If the double chin is a problem, keep working on how to position the head so you don’t have it.
4. For shots waist up, a higher camera angle works best. That doesn’t work for full length because your legs will look like little stumps.
5. When standing have what I call “pretty feet”. Think about standing in the middle of a clock. One foot could be at 12:00 and the other at 2:00 or 10:00. Turn the hips in the direction of the back foot and bring your shoulders back around facing front.
6. For standing poses with movement try walking on your toes. That gives some shape to the body.
7. When you are sitting or standing and leaning on something, don’t put weight on the arm. It spreads the flesh and makes your arm look larger.

Shots with a Group:

1. Groups look best when they are interacting. Get everyone to laugh at the same time. Candid shots can become boring.
2. If someone is taking the picture for you, ask them to keep the camera parallel and begin up and take several shots all the way to hip level. This gives everyone a chance to look their best. Take several pictures. Someone in the group is going to have their eyes closed or have a silly look they don’t like. You want everyone to like a picture.
3. You want your pictures to look natural and effortless. Capture the emotion of the moment.

Practice, practice, practice. Before you know it, you will be so comfortable in pictures. Enjoy the journey. And be sure and send me a picture!