Tips from Photographers

If you've ever been in a situation where you've had your photo taken, and you've not wanted to because you know that the result won't be flattering, then this post is specifically for you. I know a lot of people aren't particularly comfortable with the idea of having their photo taken, partly because they dread seeing the result.

So I recently asked some amazing professional photographers to help me with this post, and asked them to contribute a few words to help you when you're faced with a lens pointing at you. Here's their top tips for looking your best in photographs....

Don't wear fake tan. It may look fairly natural to the naked eye but it almost always looks orange on a digital photo! Also, if the ladies wear fake tan and the men don't the difference is obvious on the group shots.
- Paula Anne Brown
www.ollievision.co.uk

A smile is in the eyes as much as the mouth - the better you get to know your photographer before the event the more relaxed you will be when smiling and that will shine through in your photos
- Helen Rushton
www.helenrushtonphotography.co.uk

A photograph taken from above is always best to avoid double chins and also makes your waist look smaller too!! Just make sure your top isn't too low cut or you might get to see more than you bargained for!!
- Kerry Diamond
www.kerrydiamondphotography.com 

I tell my clients, "Think like a swan, swans never have double chins"
- Mandy Charlton
http://mandycharlton.com/

keep your arm away from your body, put it on your hip and point your elbow out. stops flattened arms looking big against bodies 
- Kathy Dunn
http://www.katherineashdown.co.uk/ 

Shimmy and relax your shoulders avoids that hunched-like-a-vulture look. And look up into the camera or at your partner.
- Rosie Woodhouse
http://www.littlepeopleportraitsskye.co.uk

When your arms hang at your sides it makes you look wider so always bend them at the elbow and create that little triangle of light between your body and arm. This is a great slimming trick.
- Robin Owen
http://robinowenphotography.com/ 

I tell clients not to smile because they're having their picture taken but because it's a beautiful day, because they're in love, because they've just married the love of their life. I also tell clients to whisper a compliment in one another's ears or to remind each other of something they noticed about one another on the first day they met, or something they love about one another. When they do this, it always brings natural, genuine smiles to their faces.
- Erika Szostak
www.photomadly.com

Get to know your photographer before the big day, via an engagement or portrait shoot - you will be much more relaxed in front of the camera come the big day and your photographer will have learnt a lot about you and the style you like! (And no red or patterns on clothing at the enagement shoot!) 
- Sally Beard
www.thephotographyboutique.com 

I always get clients to raise the chin slightly. That always seems to sort out the "double chin".
- Addey Kehinde
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Imagery-by-Addey-Kehinde/139728756082158

Kiss the back of your hand to plump up your lips again after you've been smiling for ages and your lips feel all thinned out.
- Hannah Webster
http://www.lifelinephotography.co.uk/

On my shoots I often say "chin up" as it avoids unsightly shadows under eyes (in natural light) and makes people look more attractive. If you are being photographed try to be mindful of your body and posture, (e.g. what you do with your hands, if in doubt hand on a hip always looks good) but don't concentrate on it too much, as long as you look natural and you're having fun the pictures will look good as well.
- Olivia Vitazkova 
www.reverinephotography.com

Always stand with your weight on your back foot and bend your front leg. stand at a slight angle about 45 degrees to camera not flat on unless instructed to do so.
-Emily Walker
http://www.emilyhancock.co.uk

Be honest with your photographer about any concerns you have BEFORE the photo shoot. Do you have a skin condition that you don't want to show on the photos? What about a mole or birthmark that you dislike? It's vital to discuss this prior to the shoot so that the photographer can take action to minimise the appearance of a condition if necessary.
- Paula Anne Brown
www.Ollievision.co.uk
 
Always make sure you get an engagement shoot before your big day. You'd be surprised at the difference it will make to your wedding pics and how comfortable you feel if you and the photographer have built up a relationship and you have experienced the way he/she shoots. It also gives the photographer chance to get to know how you photograph. Try to be yourself and not to do to much 'posing'. The idea is to capture YOU Don't be afraid to chat, laugh and play around with one another as if the photographer isn't there- these make great shots!
- Emma Thwaites
https://www.facebook.com/emmylouphotography?sk=wall 

When you're being photographed try to think of your photographer as a funny friend, not a random stranger. The way you look at a funny friend is very different from a stranger. So your photographer is your best buddy. ;)
- Cathie Heart
http://www.cathieheartphotography.com/blog/

make sure the person with the camera is shooting slightly downwards so that your eyes look bigger, close your eyes for a moment before the click so they are fresh, make sure the light is even on your face and you're not squinting and relax!
- Jo Blackwell
www.joblackwell.co.uk
 
and finally, two tips from me...
If you're short (like me!) ask your partner to put their arm around your waist, rather than placing their hand over your shoulder. If it's on the shoulder, it can end up looking like you're being pushed down further, whereas round the waist makes you look closer to their height.

Ladies, try to avoid holding bouquets/handbags too high. Holding a bouquet under the bustline hides the outline of the waist and can make even a slimline lady look wider than she is. By keeping arms long and relaxed, you elongate your figure. 

I hope you've found these tips helpful... feel free to add any you've picked up or know to the comments box below, and I may do a follow up on this post!  

The 2012 Wedding Predictions

As we're only a touch over a week into the New Year, and I'm still managing to feel all New-Yearsie (that's a word, right?), I thought I'd dedicate today's blog entry to predictions for the coming year for weddings and ceremonies. I decided recently to ask a hand-picked panel of wedding industry businesses to help me with this particular post. I wanted to know their ideas and thoughts and insights into what they think will become the big trends and themes for the year ahead.

Having started my business about 15 months ago, it's been amazing to me to watch how quickly wedding fashions and trends come and go. Some have a natural limited lifespan, while other trends have such longevity, they're easy to adapt and evolve into something new.

So what do we think we can see in the next 12 months?

Over to the experts....

Weddings will still be concentrated heavily on detailing for most weddings. Less Shabby Chic more Elegant and sophisticated. Brides dresses shall become focussed either around a fashion influence for the 2012 which is Drop waist (1920s styles) due to the two films ; The Artist and The Great Gatsby our this year. Or the dress will take on longer sleeves, lace and A-line from the influence of the Royal Wedding Dress from Catherine the Duchess of Cambridge. The wedding colours will be fresh/clean for spring/summer and towards the latter months the pantone colour of the year (burnt orange) will be more widely used with bold colours.
- Mel, Homegrown Bride Blog
http://homegrownbride.com/

‘Uplighting and mood lighting will be big for 2012. Following on the trend from American weddings, I predict brides will be keen to personalise their function suite and make it more atmospheric by adding LED uplighters, fairy lights and candles. They can also enhance the space in accordance with their colour scheme too!’
-Laura, LFT Events
www.fabulousweddingshow.com

• Yellow, either on its own, or mixed with greys, creams or pastel shades.
• Vintage - still big, but particularly accents of patterned retro fabric and the inclusion of vintage books. People seem to be focusing on using more props to make table decoration more interesting or themed and vintage/childhood memorabilia seems to be a strong theme. I'm also often being asked to source vintage glass and silverware for my couples.

I know thats only two things but they do seem to feature quite heavily in my bookings this year! I think the overall feel is a very creative one, with couples and their friends making items for the wedding, whether that is stationary, decorations, or even flowers and outfits. Maybe bridal DIY but with an emphasis on simple, chic ideas and a more luxurious style than previously. I've seen a few perplexed MOB's listening to their daughters' creative plans!
- Sophie, I Heart Flowers
http://iheart-flowers.blogspot.com/

Top trend/reception detail that I am seeing a lot of interest in is speciality stations. Whether that is a dessert bar, a candy buffet, speciality cocktails/signature drinks or all together. This has been influenced by the american wedding cocktail hour. A Scottish twist can be added with a scottish favourites bar - dumpling, tablet etc.
- Alison, Plans and Presents
http://www.mrspandp.com

Over the years styles of favours have changed from sugared almonds to lottery tickets. Why not try something a little more personal... handmade bracelets can be created to tie in with colour schemes of your day or particular styles.
- Jo, Jo's Highly Strung
http://www.coriandr.com/shop/joshighlystrung

I see a move from Vintage to boho/shabby chic weddings with lots of hand made details by the bride and friends. I love this as it allows people to get creative, pool talents and resources and create their own style. Fun to organise and fabulous to photograph!
-Jaz, Jaz Ampaw-Farr Photography
www.jazampawfarr.com

I think lace is going to stay popular in 2012 and lots of plummy and purple shades for the bridesmaids.

- Wendy, Flossy and Dossy

http://www.flossyanddossy.co.uk

2012 will see the tradition of having lace in the Wedding Dress continue as many Brides took inspiration from Kate Middleton in 2011. This will develop from lace in the dress to softer, more romantic accessories with flowers in the hair, more muted colours in the Wedding decor and softer edges to Wedding Cake design.
- M.T., Edinburgh Brides Wedding Guide
www.edinburghbridesweddingguide.com

Feel free to add any predictions you think we'll see in weddings in 2012 - would love to hear from you! 

Great Expectations

I thought today I'd write about managing photographic expectations.

In this digital age, there is a lot that is possible with the use of photo editing software. So much so, that the product Photoshop has entered the cultural lexicon and become a noun, a verb, an adjective... it's used to explain or rationalise images, or on occasion it's a put-down and dismissal of the appearance of images (or the subject).

As a result, people do have expectations of what a photographer can do with this magic wand. (Dare I mention that it actually has a magic wand tool?).

But, there are limitations. Nothing is perfect. I've achieved some amazing results through Photoshop, including removing fences and fence posts, telegraph poles, as well as the usual enhancement of an image to make it pop. However, there are things I simply can't do, and I usually try and explain this to people.

A while ago, I took some photos for a make up artist's portfolio. She'd asked her male model to shave, but he turned up with a couple of days of facial hair growth. At the end of the shoot, as I was packing up, she asked me if I could "photoshop" out the facial hair. To be honest, it would have been quicker (and easier) if he'd shaved there and then, and we'd re-shot the entire thing. Editing an image would mean retouching every individual hair, and even then it would have resulted in looking plastic and unreal. As photographers, we need a starting point. To remove a fencepost can be easy, provided there's "information" around it to give an indication of what it looks like behind. To remove a picture on a blank wall can also be fairly straightforward. However the human face is a complex thing, with contours, shade, skin tone change even in a small space of skin, it can change completely. Think about the difference, for example, between the crease of your nose next to your nostril, up to your cheek, and under your eye. The texture, colour, pore-size, angle all changes completely within that small area.

I have edited model's faces, for photo shoots. However, the occasional blemish is easy, versus removing half a face of hair.

I was also asked about removing a radiator from some photographs. The position of the radiator was at the time, impossible to escape from. It was the only location suitable for the photographs, and suggested by the client. Where possible, I tried to crop it out, but we were shooting in a small space, and occasionally the client had several people in the shot, meaning that even with a very wide angled lens, I was limited to how much of the image I could cut out without cutting out people in the process. Five people take up more width than two, and I had to shoot accordingly. Nor was there anything around that I could use to "fill" the information behind the radiator. It covered the skirting board, and there was no alternative stretch of wall I could clone into place, without it looking like the walls were melting as if it was in a David Lynch film.


A lot of it comes down to what information is around and nearby. If there's nothing to indicate what ought to be in its place, then it's almost impossible to remove an item from an image. If the surrounding information is a tiny piece, then it does depend on the size and scale of what you want to remove. If the thing you wish removed is tiny, and there's lots of information (say, a picture frame on a large blank wall), then it becomes fairly straight forward.

Imagine it a bit like reading a sentence. If the sentence was something like:


The man went for a walk to the shops to buy food

and all you had was the first and last word, then you're really going to struggle to "guess" the rest of the sentence. If there are three words missing (for example "The", "went" "walk") you're going to have an easier time to guess and fill those words in. Photo editing software, even at its most sophisticated, is guessing the rest of the information.

It sounds easy, but you'd be surprised how time consuming this sort of thing can be. A single photograph that needs a complicated edit (which people assume is easy) could take around 30 minutes to edit. If I have to do that to 10 photos... that's pretty much most of a day sat at a computer editing ten images, which if it were for a wedding, then I'm looking at a minimum of 200 more photos to edit.

A lot of the time, as every good photographer will tell you, it's simply about getting it right in camera. That's not necessarily just about the settings on the camera, but often about picking the background. I usually scout around looking for a suitable background, even swivelling round 180 degrees can give a completely different vantage point. I also think about the lighting - for example, where the sun is in relation to my subject, or if there's any harsh lighting to avoid. That stuff is pretty straight forward. Getting it right then, is ideal - it takes seconds at the time when it could take hours later on.

Sometimes, there are things which are unavoidable. Sometimes you have to settle for a scene that's 90% perfect, because that's the best situation available. For example, I edited some photographs with some lines on the ground. The lines were pretty unavoidable and bright, and it was the best spot for the photographs to be taken at the time. So I edited them out carefully. Unless you had an identical photo of the "before" scene, you wouldn't realise it had been there, but taking them out made a massive positive improvement to the image. I've also edited out those green exit signs in the background of photos. The telegraph poles in one photo sat right in the middle of a beautiful view of the hills, so I edited it out. All of these things took a while, but afterwards you wouldn't have realised those things were there. You may well have forgotten that they were there.

So what can I do with Photoshop? Well, as mentioned previously, unsightly fence posts (as opposed to thick heavy fences), or telegraph poles are straightforward. I've removed the odd stray beer bottle that guests have taken with them into large group photographs and left standing by their feet (and when you've got 100 people in a photo, it's sometimes hard to realise at the time what every single one of them is up to at the time!). I do general enhancement, to make colours pop a little more, or remove the occasional stray hair that wisps across a bride's face in a small breeze, I remove blemishes that might have occurred overnight - we all get them from time to time, and to be honest, it's usually something you want to forget was there, and until you see a photograph with that blemish in it, you'll probably forget it was there in the first place. I've smoothed crumpled dresses, or creases that occur naturally after a bride has been sitting in a wedding car. I try to keep my photography as true to the reality of the situation as possible though, I'm very uncomfortable with digital "plastic surgery" as I call it (slimming down, pushing up etc), nor will I remove scarring, birth marks, or other permanent features. That's not to say I can't do those things, but I feel that its important to be true about who is in the photograph, rather than an unrealistic "photoshopped" version of the person.

The real trick is to managing expectations of what photo editing software and the age of digital photography can achieve. It's also about making sure you discuss in advance with your photographer what they can or cannot do. If you've got something you're not sure about, and you'd like it to be altered, have a chat with them. It's much better to discuss these things in advance than assume after the occasion that a rogue radiator can be removed where it can't, or making a man clean shaven, when often there's nothing better than doing it before the shutter clicks.

Seeing Past the Photograph

Today I thought I’d write about looking at photography.

Whenever we log on to the internet and look at people’s websites and galleries, its easy to be blown away by a slick photography website, and overlook what we’re actually considering. If you went into a car showroom, and saw a lovely, shiny new car, complete with the new car smell, lovely wet look black tyres, the reflection of lights dazzling on the bonnet, its easy to get the wow factor just looking at it. It might be a car you actually don’t like very much, that doesn’t meet your needs, you might not even like the colour – but the showroom surroundings make it look great.

Looking at an online gallery is a bit like a showroom. The hardest bit is actually looking properly at the images and deciding whether it meets our needs, whether we think it’s a good photograph. Is that a photograph you’d want in your home, or are you being dazzled by the showroom effect?

Photography is an individual taste thing. I can’t tell you what to look for. I don’t even advise looking at whether it “fulfils the rules of composition”, because some photos don’t adhere to the so-called rules and look great; and anyway, rules are made to be broken.

What you need to look for is whether you can you see yourself in that photo; do you want to be that person in the photo; is that a photograph you would want to have on your wall or in your wedding album for the rest of your life?

To help though, I’ve written a few things I tend to consider when I’m looking through other people’s work.

1. What's going on in the portfolio?
Most photographers have their work broken down into different categories, different galleries. I look at each category gallery as a portfolio. Look through each portfolio carefully, and see what they’re including in it. Also consider what they’ve not included though – have they included images of details, the flowers, table decorations, cake, rings? They may have chosen not to include it in their portfolio, but by considering what’s included – and what’s not included – can help inform you, and you can always ask about this if you choose to contact them.

2. Size and variety of portfolio?
I've learned to try and edit my portfolio down to the very best images I have, the ones I feel proudest of. I might have four or five similar photographs but editing is important, so I'll find the strongest image of those four or five and will only use that image in my portfolio. A portfolio with lots of similar images for example, a bride from a slightly different angle, but in the same location, same pose... to me, its a bit like watching the same advert three times in a commercial break. It can work as a diptych or triptych as a sequence to tell a little story (where two or three images are placed together on one page). One thing that's always been ingrained to me is that its better to have a small portfolio of 10 fantastic images, than 20 images where 10 aren't so great. I've always been reminded I'm only as strong as my weakest photograph. In terms of variety, that's a personal choice. I actually have different portfolios for each category of work I like doing. So my wedding portfolio consists purely of wedding work; there's no portraits or non-wedding related photographs in the selection. I like seeing portfolios that stick to one category of photography. I'm less keen on portfolios with two garden flower photos; three bridal images; a slick city building; two of cars; four of children in a studio... I like photographs to stay relevant to the subject of the portfolio. It doesn't matter if the portfolio is small, as long as it’s the best work the photographer has to offer. I think of it like a chef showcasing their food - they don’t serve a starter, main course and dessert all on the same plate at the same time.

3. What do these people look like?
Nobody is perfect, everyone has their flaws. A good photographer though should make the viewer completely overlook the flaws. It shouldn't be the first, second or third thing you see. The mood of the photograph should be the thing that catches your eye first – are these people wearing fixed grins, or are they genuinely having fun? We've all seen photos of ourselves that we hate, ones that show off a double chin, look right up the nostrils, make our bodies look larger than we need reminded of. A good photographer should be able to avoid this. Sometimes photographers will ask someone to drape their body over something – a car, a tree, a bench. Think about how these people look – whether their pose looks stiff and uncomfortable, or whether it looks relaxed and natural.

4. What am I looking at here?
This is a bit like no. 3 – look at what the photographer has seen; or maybe look at what the photographer hasn’t seen. Taking a good photograph involves more than pressing a button – the photographer should be looking around before they take the photograph. It’s about the attention to detail in the image. So look around the picture. When we pose for photos with our friends, we might find the tidiest location to take the photo, or we select a nice view in the background. Has the photographer thought about this?

Some details can be edited out, but it should be noted that Photoshop and other photo editing software isn’t a failsafe, fix-all. There are things I will edit out of the image, which are easy to take out, and might be unavoidable, for example a bright green exit sign in the far background of a photograph; dead leaves lying on a lawn, even fence poles between my subject and a great view.

Ideally a photographer should get everything right in camera, rather than rely on Photoshop to fix it. Some things simply can’t be fixed in Photoshop, and a good photographer should manoeuvre to try and get it as right as possible.  Look around the image and see if the photographer has achieved that.

5. What effects have they used?
There are so many effects now, but you still need to look beyond the effect to see the actual image. The effects a photographer might employ include: sepia or cyanotype toning; spot-saturation (one item is colour, the rest is black and white), soft, hazy effects, turning the camera at a 45 degree angle.

Personally, of all those listed above I dislike the black and white with spot saturation effect most of all, as I find it distracting and overused. I also think its an effect that is already starting to go out of fashion, and it’s going to date the image quickly, although its something I think most people will experiment with at some point.

Sepia and cyanotype (blue toning) can be quite nice, as an alternative to black and white, but it depends on the situation. Certainly, their roots are in traditional darkroom techniques.  The 45 degree angle will give an effect of being candid, suggesting that it’s been “shot from the hip” and unposed – but you’ll have to look carefully to decide whether its actually posed or not. 

The most important thing to decide is whether these effects are appropriate for the actual content of the image. A vintage wedding car might look good with a sepia tone; a modern wedding car however might not.  Equally a black and white image of a bride with spot saturated blue eyes or red lips may end up looking a bit too supernatural or ghoulish.

I remember years ago at a portfolio review in London, a photographer asked me why I’d put an image into black and white when the rest of the set were in colour. I replied, “I thought it looked good when I tried it out”. The photographer advised me that I ought to think about what I was going to do with the image before I took the photograph rather than as an afterthought. Ever since then, effects have been a pre-thought rather than slapping it on an image afterwards to see what happens.  I’ll take the image with an idea in mind about how I want to present it. If an effect looks a bit odd, then I tend to assume the photographer hasn’t planned or considered the image first. I love photograph where the effect complements the subject matter perfectly.

These aren’t hard and fast rules for analysing photography, but its important to remember this is something you need to love once it’s come out of the showroom. There’s nothing worse than a photograph depreciating in its value to you when you take it home.  

Vintage darlings: Fifties Wedding

As part of my exploration into vintage, I am extremely pleased to present this week’s featured guest, Charlie, who co-writes the blog at http://fiftieswedding.com/.

Charlie‘s blog is very much a mother-daughter collaboration, with her mum Selma writing a regular post every week. Their website features lots of beautiful vintage ideas and inspiration, most noteably paying homeage to Charlie’s icon, Audrey Hepburn.

Their Fifties Wedding blog is a lot more than articles about vintage. Selma and Charlie offer brides (and anyone involved in weddings) lots of useful tips, how-tos, practical ideas and inspiring images, including dedicated inspiration galleries of wedding dresses and wedding shoes. Personally I think it’s a great resource that ought to be bookmarked by any vintage inspired bride in the process of planning her wedding.

Charlie and Selma began writing Fifties Wedding in October 2010, and in the short space of time it’s become very popular, no doubt as a result of Charlie and Selma’s evident passion for vintage and breadth of ideas. I asked Charlie how she finds having such a popular blog since October. Charlie explains “I have met so many lovely people through doing it. I am completely shocked at how popular the blog has become in such a short space of time – I really never thought there were so many 50s inspired brides out there! It’s obviously a great feeling to know that people are interested and reading the blog though! I couldn’t be happier – hopefully it will just keep growing!”

Charlie was initially inspired to start the blog after finding difficulty in sourcing what she wanted for your own wedding. She particularly had problems finding a dress, bird cage veil and shoes, all within her budget. Like many people, although she could have spent hours on Google, what she really wanted was a single website with tips on everything. Charlie explains, “In the end I made my own birdcage veil for example, because I just didn’t know where else to get it! Since doing the blog of course I have found that there are hundreds and hundreds of fabulous small suppliers & designers out there. Indeed many of them I wish I had known about when planning my wedding!”

I asked Charlie about what vintage she incorporated into her own wedding. Charlie replies, “It was a mixture of 50s, vintage, summer & country all wrapped up in one. My dress was 50s inspired – tea length with a petticoat to give it that 50s shape. I wore my mum’s vintage pearls too, and had 50s inspired peep toe shoes with bows on. We hired an old-fashioned style ice cream trike, made lots of bunting to hang round the garden, and put flowers in vintage vases and jugs”.

I wanted to know a little more about what attracted Charlie specifically towards 50s vintage. She says “I love the fashion and style of the era and the glamorous movie star icons (Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn). Those full dresses, the red lipstick, the bows, the polka dots…just some of the things I love!”

So why does Charlie think there’s been such an increased interest in vintage inspired weddings? Charlie responds “I think there has been a general acceptance over the years that your wedding doesn’t have to be traditional if you don’t want it to be. The eras of the 20s, 30s, 40s & 50s particularly evoke nostalgia and romance that I think people are drawn to – the black & white movies, the art deco posters, the wartime fashions, the Hollywood actors of the 30s etc. All of these times reflect our history. I also think that there has been a growing interest towards vintage-inspired weddings just as much as there has been a growing interest towards DIY weddings, hippy weddings, weddings in unusual locations and all sorts of other sorts of weddings. With more and more wedding websites and blogs, and more articles in magazines about ‘alternative’ weddings, brides-to-be are encouraged to make their big day personal to them – whatever that may be.”

Of course, not everyone wants their wedding to be completely vintage inspired, and some brides might want to incorporate a few elements that can achieve a vintage feel. I asked Charlie what tips she had for anyone looking for some subtle vintage details. Charlie suggests “Well it’s all about the wedding you want that reflects you. For a touch of 50s glamour it could be anything such as little pearl earrings & gloves, or perhaps an Audrey Hepburn updo. I think flowers in vintage vases and tea cups are a great idea too. I think a 50s style dress of course is very important!”

Since I started this exploration of vintage weddings, one thing that has been apparent is how flattering vintage clothing is on different figures. I asked Charlie if she thought this was part of the appeal of vintage wedding glamour. Charlie answers “I definitely think that plays a part – with 50s styles anyway! That’s why I love the 50s style dresses. Wearing vintage clothing is like wearing a little bit of fashion history too, and if you’re wearing you mum’s cardigan from the 1960s you can be pretty sure no one else will be wearing the same thing! It’s fun to be different!”

And does Charlie have any tips to achieving the right look? She says, “There is no right or wrong – that’s the beauty of it! You can incorporate as little or as much vintage as you like.”

Finally, I asked Charlie if she had anything she’d like to add?

Charlie replies “Only that if you’re getting married, have the wedding your way!”.

With thanks to Charlie for her fantastic answers – her blog is definitely a must-read for any bride to be, or anyone interested in vintage. I'm personally eyeing up the brooches featured in their article 1950s Inspired Thank You Gifts for Bridesmaids & Mums - I reckon they could make a nice mothers day gift!


Follow Fifties Wedding on Twitter @fiftieswedding
 Fifties Wedding Facebook page
Fifties Wedding website

Strike a pose....

So today I thought I'd write a post offering six tips about being in front of the camera.

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!