Thank you for being here! The goal of this guide is to give you more confidence in front of the camera and give you encouragement to take MORE photos.
Let’s have some fun in photos—finally! It’s hard to be in front of the camera, especially when your photographer is your friend or partner and they can barely hold the phone, let alone tell you what to do with your hands.
1: Stand up straight. Seriously, your mother was right. Roll your shoulders back and lift your clavicle bones toward the sky. This gives you an instant lengthening, and it’s slimming without puffing your chest out.
2. If it’s a full-body photo, instead of resting your feet right next to each other, simply place one foot in front of the other to bring a nice curve throughout the line of your full body -or- angle your body to provide an instant slimming effect.
3. Hinge at your hips and lean your top half forward, toward the camera. This gives you additional length and slims your waistline.
4. Bring your chin out AND down. Think of it as the turtle movement: You lengthen your neck and avoid a double chin by moving it out, toward the camera. But, don’t point your chin up. Anything you point toward the camera gets bigger, so pointing your chin upward gives you the same affect as opening your selfie camera accidentally—it makes you all chin! However, if you keep a turtle movement in mind and point your chin down (to slim it) while also moving it out and forward (to lengthen), you’ll have a lovely slimming effect.
5. Find your pockets or “hold the peanut. It’s usually a miracle when women have pockets, but when we do, it’s the perfect activity for wandering hands. Don’t put all your fingers in your pocket. Leave your thumb outside the pocket for a chic look. What to avoid: Don’t hook your thumb into your pockets or belt loops—you’re not a cowboy, and it gives your pose a cheesy vibe.
For outfits without pockets, you can “hold the peanut” simply hold your hand in front of you, lightly connected, as though you’re holding a small peanut with both hands (seriously).
Note: You’ll feel SO WEIRD doing all these things, but with the way the lens interprets these movements, you’ll look awesome on camera. That feels counterintuitive, right? A good rule of thumb in photos: If it feels weird, it probably looks good.