You might see celebrities or friends who appear more photogenic than you, but we want you to know you are also photogenic! A simple pose, hand placement, or head tilt can make a huge difference in how your images come out. You are beautiful and you can be photogenic too with these 5 simple tips.
Psst! There are many BONUS TIPS sprinkled in here, you don't want to miss them! 1. Add Movement
This is a little known secret! Movement can capture true emotion and often makes the pictures look more natural. Which is what we all want, right?! When you add movement into your pose, we might be able to capture a giggle or a soft smile that we might not have gotten in a still pose. Posing for the camera does not always mean sitting or standing still. You can twirl your hair, move your dress, hop back and forth, walk toward/away from the camera, or play with a jacket you might be wearing. Don’t worry you don't have to know what exactly to do, these are just ideas. Sarah Lindsay Photography will guide you through poses to capture the most beautiful images. All you need to know is that posing with some movement will photograph beautifully! Here's a helpful video from The Agency Arizona on how to pose with movement like a model.
2. Use Your Hands
Have you ever felt awkward in pictures because you don’t know what to do with your hands? You’re not alone! I used to wonder what my hands should be doing in pictures. I would stiffen my hands like I'm playing "Rock, Paper, Scissors" with myself and then feel self conscious about it. The most natural look for your senior pictures is to occupy your hands. This means you might be playing with your hair, hooking your thumb in your pocket, swinging your dress. If you get lost, don't worry! Sarah Lindsay Photography will help give you tips on what you can do with your hands in the photo so that you don’t feel awkward and that the position of the hands photograph well.
While keeping those hands occupied is important, where they are positioned can also help you look more photogenic in photos. Here's a few things to keep in mind! Place your hands near something that you love about yourself. Your arm and hand can act like a big ol' arrow directing attention towards it. This can help draw attention to the areas you are most confident about and away from an area that causes you to feel self conscious. For example, if you place your hand near your eyes, it draws attention to your gorgeous eyes! Here's a bonus tip- If you put your hand in your pocket or belt loop, you will want to leave a small gap between your arm and waist. This will help make your waist appear smaller in the images! 3. Turtle
Yes, you heard that right. Turtle! If you extend your neck and head toward the camera an inch or two, then tilt your nose slightly down, it can help elongate your face, neck, and eliminate any double chins. Lowering your shoulder will help too. I don't know about you, but when I get nervous, my shoulders inch their way up to my ears! These simple suggestions might feel weird to do but on camera, trust us, it creates the most beautiful photos! Bonus tip: You know how you can tell the difference between a real smile and a fake smile? It's all in the eyes! The corners of your eyes will crinkle a little when you genuinely smile. A fake smile can also be spotted in your photos so to ensure a real smile, think about someone you love, something funny, or your crush!
4. Good Posture
This might seem silly when talking about posing as you might be thinking, “well duh I need to have good posture”. But to be honest, this is a huge part of posing that people often forget about. Standing up straight with your shoulders back is a simple request, but can make all the difference in your specific pose. We know slouching might be what the cool kids are doing, but slouching makes you appear less confident and like you don't believe you look beautiful in this moment. Trust me, you do and you deserve to show off that confidence and beauty in your senior pictures! So, stand up tall, shoulders back, and believe in how beautiful you truly are.
5. Be Authentic to YOU
Feeling confident and beautiful when standing in front of the camera will make you more photogenic. We're not kidding, it's true! Your emotions will show through your eyes and your body language and people will see that in your photos. So with all the tips you've read above, the most important thing is that we want you to feel comfortable in every pose. If you are in a pose that makes you uncomfortable or it just doesn’t feel like you, tell your photographer! We are happy to change change it up to help you feel the most confident.
Looking for inspiration on Instagram and Pinterest can be really helpful too! You can save images that you like to show your photographer. (Disclaimer when saving inspo photos: your photos will not look exactly like the one you see. You have a different location, different lighting, different photographer, different outfit, etc. So just keep that in mind when looking for inspo!) When you are excited about a specific pose, that excitement often shows through in your photograph. Sarah Lindsay Photography is happy to try any pose that fits within your vision! We want your photoshoot to feel like it is all about you and you to feel your absolute best. Bonus tip: You've probably heard people talk about having a ‘good side’. You might say that you don't have a preferred side or that you don’t know which side it is. Here’s a trick to tell which side you feel more photogenic on. Take a selfie and see which side of your face is more prevalent. Likely this is the side that you feel more confident being caught on camera. If when you take that selfie you feel confident on either side, then you probably have two ‘good sides’! You can also see which side your hair is parted on. Often times that indicates which side you prefer. Don't be afraid to tell your photographer which side of your face you prefer. They want to capture the authentic you!
Bonus tip! It can be helpful to practice posing in the mirror before your senior photoshoot. This can increase your confidence and can help you believe you ARE photogenic before the special day.
Excited to work with Sarah
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