Bottom line up front: I am definitely not a model but over the years working on HSS, I’ve had my photo taken quite a bit. And that’s taught me a thing or two about what works and what doesn’t when it comes to looking your best in photos. I’m sharing those tips today to help you look good and feel more confident when you’re getting your photo taken.
Here are five tips to help you look good in photos:
1. Smile! 2. Stand up straight 3. Practice 4. Take a lot of shots 5. Don’t always look at the camera
What's up guys, I'm Brian Sacawa.
You're watching He Spoke Style,
and today we're talking about how to look good in photos.
All right, so just right up front,
I want to say that I do not consider myself
an expert on this topic.
I am not a model.
But you know, over the years, because of He Spoke Style,
I have had my photo taken kind of a lot.
And when you're in the habit of being in front of the camera
and then seeing what it produces,
you tend to learn a thing or two.
So today I'm gonna share five things that I have learned
that I hope will help you guys feel more confident
when you're getting your photo taken.
Number one is to smile.
Now, my mother always gives me a hard time
when she sees photos of me when I'm not smiling,
those ones where I'm trying to look too cool or tough.
And you know, it's funny,
because when Rob and I go out to shoot photos,
a lot of times I deliberately try to look serious or intense
and what it looks like when I see the photos
is that I just look pissed off.
So like my mother, the photos that I tend to like the most
are the ones that I am smiling,
and they just have a better vibe to them
and they just feel more like me.
Now, having a good smile in a photo
is a little bit of an art.
Just giving a big grin can often look a little unnatural.
The best smiling photos are typically the ones
that look more candid.
There are a couple things you can do
to create this more natural look.
One is to think of a joke
or something that always makes you laugh,
or you could also have your photographer tell a joke
or make a funny face or do something
to get you to loosen up and make you smile.
Next is posture.
When you stand up straight, you look more confident.
Now, this is something you don't want to exaggerate
to the point that you seem rigid
or uncomfortable or unnatural.
I think it's as simple as just having an awareness
of your posture so you're not slouching
and that you're standing up straight.
Number three, practice.
Now, unlike what you've been told,
practice does not make perfect.
Practicing allows you to deliver a more consistent result.
Now, in terms of getting your photo taken,
practicing means a couple of things.
First, you kind of need to have a little bit of a repertoire
and this is something you develop
by looking for inspiration.
Look through magazines, look at Instagram,
see how people pose and what looks strong
and what also appeals to you.
Now, once you have that picture in your mind
of what you like, spend some time in front of the mirror
practicing some of these poses and seeing what looks good.
But most importantly, getting comfortable
and feeling what it actually feels like
to stand a certain way or to look a certain way.
You know, when you're standing in front of the camera,
you're not going to have that mirror in front of you.
So it's important to develop a kind of muscle memory
so that you know you are nailing the pose
that you are going for.
Some things to pay attention to
are how far apart your feet are.
If you're tilting your head,
just how far is a little too far
and where do you feel most comfortable having your arms?
One other thing I want to add
is that instead of just doing static poses,
it can be very helpful to incorporate some movement
for a more natural or candid look.
And that can be as simple as shifting weight on your feet,
taking your hands in and out of your pockets,
buttoning and unbuttoning your jacket,
looking from side to side.
You know, the more you do this, the easier it will get
and the more comfortable you are going to feel.
Next is a big one, and that is to take a lot of shots.
Photos are very deceiving because when you look at one,
you're just seeing that one shot.
And that can lead you to think
that you only get one shot to take a good photo.
Completely false.
The more photos you take,
the greater the odds of coming up
with at least one that makes the cut.
Now, playing over to the side there,
we see the sequence of all of the photos
that Rob and I took on a recent shoot.
We shot about 100 photos to get the five or six images
that we ended up using on the blog and on Instagram.
And I will tell you, if you want to go back
and slow it down, not all of those shots were very good.
My fifth tip applies if you are trying
to get a more candid look to your photos,
and that is do not always look at the camera.
You can look off to either side.
I personally like to look down and to the left,
for instance, because I know
that it will show the part in my hair,
and I tend to like how that looks in photos.
If you're out on the street,
chances are someone is going to say something to you,
and those reaction shots are always really good.
And you can always just pick something out
to look at in the distance
or imagine someone is talking to you.
Those are all great ways to create
or manufacture a candid moment
out of something that is completely not.
One bonus trick here, and that is a way
to give yourself a more structured-looking jawline.
What you can do is if you bite down very gently
with your back teeth,
that will give your jawline a more defined appearance.
This is not something that you want to overdo,
because if you do overdo it or bite down too hard,
you will see on your cheeks that you are biting down.
But if you do it gently,
it will just help to define your jawline ever so slightly.
All right, so I hope those tips were helpful.
Just to review, smile, stand up straight,
practice, take a lot of shots,
and don't always look at the camera.
Remember, I am not an expert.
These are just some things that have worked
for me in the past.
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Thanks for watching, and stay tailored.
