Filters schmilters! Instead of spending all your time in post-production, cleaning up pics to look perfect or hiding when someone breaks out a camera you can’t control, take a look at this list of tips that will help you look uber-photogenic.
If you are thinking “I never look good in photos anyway”, please keep reading. Seriously! People who think they take bad photos tend to avoid the camera, so they never get any practice. Trust us, if you stop shrinking from the photographer and start employing these tips, you’ll soon have an album of great photos you’ll be happy to share.
Get your angles right
Those red carpet poses celebs love to use really do look more flattering. Instead of facing the camera straight on in every pic, work your angles. Standing slightly to the side with a hand on your hip and turning your face and upper body toward the camera will give depth to your features and figure.
Stop faking it
Don’t you just cringe every time a photographer tells you to “say cheese”? Stop faking it and inject some natural charm into your poses.
- Practice your ‘smize’ (smiling with your eyes), so your eyes twinkle and the skin around them crinkles in an authentic way.
- Joke around with the photographer and anyone sharing the picture with you, for a much more natural happy snap.
- Think happy thoughts! A lot of people tense up when the camera comes out but thinking about something really happy will give you a more relaxed look.
Find your good side
You don’t have to be as intense about your good side as Ariana Grande but the fact is human beings are not perfectly symmetrical, so most of us have a “side” or a combination of angles that show us off in our best light. Look over old pics and pull out the ones where you are really happy with your look. You’ll find a common pattern in how you pose that you can remember and emulate in the future.
Let your light shine
Professional photographers spend years ‘chasing the light’ and understanding its properties. You don’t need to be that extreme, however a few simple light tricks won’t go astray!
- Look toward a bright light just before the picture is snapped as it will shrink your pupils and help you avoid “red eye”.
- If you can, keep looking at a light source while the picture is taken and it will put natural sparkle in your eyes.
- Make it your mission to have your picture taken while facing a natural light source, where soft light hits your face and imparts a gorgeous glow.
Step up from a camera phone
Image features LUMIX FZ300, GF8, GX85, TZ80 and TZ110.
Camera phones may be convenient but most only offer pretty low-grade image quality and don’t adapt very well to environments with low light or large amounts of image noise. Do yourself a favour and get a camera that has been designed to capture your world in all its stunning glory.
LUMIX G Mirrorless Camera Range LUMIX Digital Camera Range