Everyone reacts differently when there's a camera in front of them, regardless of whether its a friend or a professional they have hired. A lot of people don't like having their photo taken, and will wince at the sight of themselves not looking quite as Angelina Jolie as they would like.
However, there are things you can do, to make what you have look great. I suggest you actually try doing them as you're reading them.
Make the most of who you are, play up to the camera with your own special virtues, and you'll end up with a photo that Angelina Jolie might wish for.
1. Hold your head
A lot of the time, when someone takes a photo, the person in the photo will often pull their head back. It's an instant reflex, where we somehow manage to think the room is only 1 metre wide, and we need to pull our face back as far as possible so we fit in through the lens. To paraphrase Jamelia: Stop!
If the photographer is too close, then either step back, or get them to step back. But don't push your head back. I call this the turtle look, where we look like turtles retreating into our shells, and our chin remarkably evolves into folds of neck. The other danger is tilting your head up, so everyone gets a lovely shot of nostrils. Great, if that's the look you're going for, but normally people aren't aiming for that appearance.
So here's the tip: stand tall - you know all those tips about posture and invisible lines pulling you up? This will lengthen the neckline. Now, you don't want to do the whole ladies finishing school thing of pretending to balance books on your head, because usually that means your chin is tilted upward. Gently tilt your head forward, and downward at the chin. Keep your neck lengthened, and your chin tilted down slightly, as if you're resting it on the edge of a table. Voila - goodbye multi-chins and volcanic looking nostrils, hello graceful, defined jawline!
2. Stand at an angle
A camera effectively flattens a three dimensional scene into two dimensions when it takes a photograph. It makes everything into height and width, and it can miss the more subtle nuances of a person. I rarely stand straight on in a photo, because I end up looking like a podgy cut out. This is because the camera creates the image from what is in front of it, which if I'm straight on, is from left to right, my widest part across my hips and tum.
The two dimensions however can be used to your advantage. By standing at an angle to the camera, anyone can look instantly slimmer in a photograph. You will need to practice this in the mirror first of all though, but it's fairly easy to do when you've worked it out. Protractor is optional.
First of all, imagine the camera is right in front of you. From where you're standing now, turn your body 45 degrees from the camera. Don't go the full 90 - you will end up looking like a police mug shot.
Rest your body weight more towards the leg farthest from the camera. Point your closest leg (and foot) towards the camera, about 10 degrees.
Now twist your head and shoulders back round towards the camera, without moving your hips or feet. Don't turn your head straight on to the camera though - keep it at a slight angle (10 degrees or so). It's the left-right thing again - keep it at a slight angle if you want to slim the shape of your face a bit or show off your cheekbones.
This is the lovely Alison from Plans and Presents, posing for me. She gets the pose spot on. Flick through any magazine or newspaper and look at the stars on the red carpet. 80% of them will be striking exactly the same pose (the other 20% tend to turn round and show off their backs, but that's another story).
3. Smile!
Sounds daft, but it's something people seem to forget to do! Don't go for the full-on cheesy grin though, but a relaxed, and content smile. I've seen people pouting quite a lot in photos. Pouting can be hit or miss really - you only really know when you finally see the photo and either feel content with it, or it makes you cringe. Safest bet is to smile. And smile with your eyes too! Take a deep breath, and exhale slowly and calmly, and let a smile creep gently on your face. I find this usually makes people's eyes smile a little bit more.
4. What to do with the hands?
If you're following my advice so far, then you might be wondering what to do with your hands. Well, in the photo above, Alison has elongated her figure by placing her hand on her thigh. As I said before, the camera turns everything into two dimensions, seeing everything as left to right. If you've achieved the 45 degree turn, then you're showing your figure at its slimmest angle. Let your arm relax (without slouching the shoulder), and it'll accentuate length of the body.
Place your hand over your hip, or thigh, and your hand will automatically look bigger than your body (without being a giant, out of proportion hand).
Try to avoid folding your arms - unless you're doing a slightly comical angry pose. Folding the arms tends to cut the body in two and can be a little less flattering.
5. Turn to the light.
Maybe, like me, you're a bit of a fan of America's Next Top Model, in which case you'll have heard Tyra instructing models to "find the light", shortly before they get ousted. Unless you're going for a particularly artistic photograph and your photographer is going for slightly dramatic, then my suggestion is to face the light source. The reason for this, is that you'll reduce any harsh shadows across your face. I don't mind my nose, but if the light is at the wrong angle, it does turn my face into a sundial. Light can catch anything - including wrinkles, and cast shadows. Turn your face towards the light and you reduce those shadows, and keep your skin looking much smoother.
6. Avoid the light!
Yeah, I'm going to contradict myself here. But this isn't about any light. This is the sun! If you've ever had someone take a photo of you outside only to look at it and hate it because your face is scrunched up, then here's my top tip - turn away from the sun. Ask your photographer to turn on their flash, and take the photo. You'll be able to relax your face a little more, and your photographer will get a much better photo.
Hopefully these tips will help you get the most out of being in front of the camera, and you'll end up with more beautiful photographs than before.
If you've got any questions or want any advice and you'd like me to write about in my blog regarding photography, feel free to email me!
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