Camera Ready

My husband and I were fortunate enough to be invited to a good friend’s daughter’s wedding … in Tuscany! It was a fairytale-type wedding, and we had an absolute ball with old friends whom we hadn’t seen since before the pandemic. After we returned from Italy, we were going through our pictures. I noticed in some, I looked like I had just eaten 25 pounds of pasta (which at that point in the trip, I might have) and in other pictures, I looked like what I thought I looked like. 

Since my girls were pre-teens, they somehow instinctively knew how to pose for pictures … a hand on a hip, one foot out, puckered lips … No one should make that face yet they all do it. Anyway, I decided to do some research on the art of posing for a picture. How do we keep our arms from looking big? How do we stand to look the slimmest? Does the camera person hold the camera above/below the subject? What about making a slight turn in the body or do we face the camera directly? I needed the details so when the time came to take pictures again, I would be model ready. 

YouTube and TikTok are great sources for information. My good friend/OBTW blog photographer Maureen is also a great resource. She and I discussed all the tricks she uses on me and her clients. She agreed that most teen girls already know what to do but us “ladies of a certain age” and teen boys tend to be clueless! We decided to try out our tips and demonstrate some do’s/don’ts. Additionally, I decided not to go for the glamorous look but just be myself in my daily uniform of jeans and sneakers. After all, we’re trying to be real here and this is how most of us are on the daily!

Here are a few key points to keep in mind:

• Put your weight on your back foot. Consider putting the front foot out diagonally across your body.
• If it bends, bend it! Standing with straight arms and legs result in a stiff, unnatural pose. Giving a slight bend in the legs or arms or even the occasional tilt of the head will create a more natural look.

• Try to create a triangle with your arm (put your hand in your pocket lightly, add a slight bend in the arm instead of holding it to your side. When we hang the arm down straight, it flattens to the body making it appear bigger than it is. When you have open space between your arm and your body, it gives a pleasing break.
• Hold your chin slightly out. Almost like you are looking down your nose at someone. Most of us tend to naturally pull our chin back when smiling for a photo. This can create a double chin. Instead, push the chin out and down, almost like a turtle coming out of its shell. This will elongate the neck and hide the extra skin underneath to create a more slimming look. 
• Before the shot and after your feet are set, pretend like you are being pulled up by a string. In other words, use your best posture, shoulders back, chest up. 

• If you are taking a seated picture, consider putting your feet a few steps below you. Straighten the legs out a bit and cross the arms lightly down your legs. When you take a shot with your knees at your chest and your arms by your side, this can have a widening effect — which no one wants!

What about if you are the photographer and are trying to land a great shot of your kids? Well, first if it’s for teenage girls, expect to take 504 pictures minimum. All kidding aside, they have the right idea. The more you take, the more likely you will like at least one or two. Teen girls are great at just slightly shifting their poses, fake laughing with each other, flipping their hair, gently hugging … and then if you are lucky enough to catch it, a true laughing photo results. When taking pictures of adults, consider the following:

• Have them relax and give instructions on where to place their arm — maybe it’s on the hip, maybe they cross their arms over the chest lightly.
• Have your model take a slight step toward you.
• Turn them to a 45-degree angle, then face the camera. Hands/arms should be slightly touching the waist. 
• Change the perspective of the shot. Instead of straight on, consider coming in from the side and have them turn to face you.
• Lighting is important. Check for shadows across the face. This can be extremely aging. Always have your subject face the light. Look for soft light that is evenly spread across the face. 

Oh By the Way, if there’s one thing I want you to take away from this blog, it’s this. Be in the picture. Don’t hide behind the camera or your kids. If your arm looks heavy, don’t stress. Your kids want to see pictures of you. Your spouse wants to see the beautiful face they fell in love with all those years ago. Confidence shows when you throw all the insecurity aside. After my Dad died, my Mom, sisters and I were desperate to find pictures of him. My husband begged us to find a picture of my Dad and him together. We all were looking for his image, his personality and his smile to sustain us while we mourned. Consider this quote from Aaron Siskind, “Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. It remembers the little things, long after you have forgotten everything.”