A Non-Model’s Tips for Looking Great in Photos

I am not a model. I happen to be comfortable in front of the camera, and I do happen to have photos taken of me a lot for outfit posts. However, I am not a model. I am a non-model.

So as someone who has spent literally years perfecting the duck face and every other face known to a tween, listen to this advice: JUST DONT. Unless you are being ironic, #ThenDo. However, I can offer some of the things I have learned while being in front of the camera. And, with the holidays upon us, it means tons of of snapshots, you might want to listen in.

Step One Think what you are trying to convey on the outside. If you are grumpy or flustered, the camera will catch that. Want to appear happy? Think happy.

Step Two Lift your chin! Want to define your jawline? Stick your neck forward just a bit, and then angle your chin down just a notch. Just a bit, and just a notch though! Want to have a neck? Pretend you have some fishing line pulling up your nose lightly.

Step Three to get better posture, pretend you are trying to touch your shoulder blades together. Not only is it a great stretch, but opens your chest and makes your posture look heavenly. Does anyone have any books we can stack?

Step Four The key to making a pose look good is to try hard to make the pose look good, but look effortless. For instance, if you have you hands on your hips, you usually grip your hips hard. Instead, grip your hips, but relax you fingers. This small change will make you appear elegant and feminine.

Step Five Smile with you teeth! About 2% of the people I know actually look good smiling with their lips closed. The other 98% look like they are grimacing. Don’t grimace! Pearly whites!

Step Six  When posing in a group, make sure that everyone is in line with each other. The one person closest to the camera will look the biggest. Don’t look like the fat friend of the group. (totally uncool and unsympathetic remark, sorry about that).

Step Seven Ditch the pigeon toes! Maybe your legs look skinnier up top, but they sure look funny on bottom. Instead, separate them shoulder-length apart. Or try with one leg standing tall, the other forming a triangle with your foot in front. Or the classic foot pop that every girl knows, just always pop the foot closest to the camera.

Do you have any more great tips? I’d love to hear them! I certainly need them!