Headford News & Community Service-How to Look Good in Photographs

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COMMUNITY SERVICE 
HOW TO LOOK GOOD IN PHOTOGRAPHS

Do you feel like you just NEVER look good in photographs, no matter what? Well, read on. We're about to change that.


We've all been there . . . You’re at a special occasion—maybe a wedding, a birthday, a Christmas gathering—and somebody shouts, ‘Smile,’ before snapping a photograph. It's a terrible photo that makes you look ten years older, twenty pounds heavier, and maybe even a little brain damaged. This one hateful photo turns up in a frame in your mother's house. Your best friend has it on their phone and sends it to 80 billion other people. It's enough to make you run from cameras for the rest of your life. Too many of these experiences can leave you dead certain that you just Do Not look good in pictures.

             

But, it doesn’t have to be that way.

Often, when the Solas Community Spotlight goes to interview people, the response we get is, ‘No photographs!’ But then we can’t do the interview. Because, really, what fun are a bunch of words with no pictures? So, if you hate having your photo taken here are:

FIVE EASY TIPS FOR LOOKING GOOD IN PHOTOGRAPHS

1.         Get Real. As an actor for over twenty years, I had to endure a lot of photo shoots and learned that the number one rule for getting a good photo is to be as real as possible. A good photograph shows your honest personality, not that cheesy kind of fake smile that little kids do when they’re showing off. And, as the photographer for the Headford News & Community Spotlight, the people of Headford who have allowed me to photograph them have taught me even more about this concept. If you know you’re about to have your photo taken, think of a child or pet being particularly silly or adorable. Or remember one of Marty Wheelan’s stupid jokes from the radio: ‘What do you get when you’re Dentist of the Year? A little plaque.’ Think of something real that makes you smile, and remember, everyone is beautiful when they are being true to themselves.

2.         Choose colours carefully. Muted colours and neutrals like cream, taupe, grey, and brown are best. Avoid busy prints and extremely bright colours because these either suck colour from your face or intensify the wrong colour. For example, if you suffer from rosacea and you choose to wear florescent pink, it can make you look downright scary. Likewise, dark red lips almost never look good.

3.         Know your best side and angle. It sounds cliché, but never hesitate to offer a photographer your best side. And, no, that’s not the back of your head. We all have asymmetry in our faces: one eye is bigger than the other, one cheekbone higher, etc. Study yourself in the mirror as well as other photos of yourself in order to find out if it’s your right or left. 

            When the photo is being taken, place yourself at a pleasing angle. Never face the camera straight on if you can avoid it. Turn your head just slightly to one side or the other (keeping your best side toward the camera), push your face slightly forward and tip your chin down a bit. It may sound weird, but this creates pleasing angles and less likelihood of a double or triple chin effect.

4.         Cheat a Little to Look Slimmer. There’s an old-school red carpet trick that celebrities do to appear slimmer. Put one hand on your hip, angle your body to the side, and turn your head toward the camera. Works every time.

5.         Embrace what makes you, you. Are you more chubby than fit, with a six-pack of pudding cups? That pretty much describes Jason Segel, and he was voted Hollywood’s Most Huggable star. A little extra flesh can help you seem cheerful and approachable in a photograph. Do your eyes get squinty when you smile? Good. That’s a sign that it’s a genuine smile, not a fake, and that makes people want to get to know you. Are you worried about a gap in your teeth? Lauren Hutton turned the gap between her front teeth in to a fortune. She was on the cover of Vogue a record forty-one times.

Of course it's best if you're not ossified or completely knackered when the photograph is taken. Other things, like lighting (which can make or break a photograph), and timing (having to wait around for equipment, etc.) may be beyond your control, but if you’ve covered the five basics, above, it will improve the quality of the picture immensely.

And remember, the more photos you are in, the better they will get. It’s a proven fact. You can actually get better at having your photograph taken. So, get over your photo-phobia. If you feel the fear and do it anyway, you’ll not only get better looking in photographs, you’ll grow courageous!

Would you like to be featured in the Headford News & Community Spotlight? If so, leave a comment below or just ring Solas and ask for an interview (and photography session). We’d love to hear from you.