Take the Picture: Tips for Feeling More Confident in Photographs
Do you ever avoid the camera at family functions because you didn’t love your outfit, you felt fat or bloated, your face was breaking out? Then you realize, there aren’t many pictures with you and the kids. There are a lot of pictures of the kids. There are a lot of pictures of your husband with the kids. But scrolling through your camera roll, you have thousands of pictures, and you are barely in any of them. Well, I’ve been there.
No one wants to think about this, but what if something happens to you and your kids don’t have many pictures of you. I’ve come to the realization that I don’t want to be that person. I want to be in the pictures. I want my children and grandchildren to remember me. I want to model body positivity for my children and my nieces and nephews.
I started thinking, how can I make myself look or feel better about taking pictures. After some research and practice, I came up with some tips that work for me.
Tips for Feeling More Confident in Photographs (from someone who is not a professional photographer):
- Smile. Maybe even laugh. Be genuine. Sometimes, if your smile is radiant, that is all people see and nothing else matters.
- Throw that butt back girl. Trust me it helps keep my curves in check.
- Stand at an angle. Not fully forward and not fully turned to the side.
- Have pictures taken from above. The angle is much more appealing.
- Sit or stand straight for improved posture.
- Stick your chin out to avoid the double chip.
- Put part of your body behind your neighbor if you’re taking a group picture.
- Hold your purse in front of your body.
- Check out different poses on Tik Tok or Pinterest.
- Black and white photos hide redness on my face. I LOVE a good black and white photo every now and then.
- If your partner isn’t fabulous about taking photos of you, there are other creative ways to make sure YOU are included. For example, you can ask you kids or your parents to take the photo, you can take selfies, or you can set a timer on the camera. This often results in making the children laugh.
At the end of the day, your pictures are your memories and your children’s memories. So I’m here to encourage you to take the picture momma. On your good days and your bad days, just throw that butt back, smile, and take the picture. You got this. Cheeeeese!
