The Camera Removes 10 Pounds :: Tips for The Best Poses When Taking Pictures

Women posing for headshot photographs.

If you dread photographs, headshots, family pictures, and basically any photo experience because you don’t like the way you look, you’re not alone. Our team at work was taking headshots this week, and I was reminded of how uncomfortable some women are in front of the camera.

Remove 10 Pounds Easily – By The Way You Pose!

Fortunately, you can use a few easy methods to take photographs that you actually like and want to keep. Start using a few simple tips I have picked up from other photographers over the years. Also, try some of these methods out and then pick your favorites – that’s the benefit of digital photography. You can always delete the bad ones!

  1. Avoid standing square to the camera. Have one shoulder or one hip farther away from the lens. This creates dimension and makes you look less squared off. Demonstrated in this video.
  2. Put the majority of your weight on your back leg. You can even lean ever so slightly (from your waist up) toward the camera. This feels weird but looks great in photos, especially for fuller-framed women.
  3. Create curves by moving your arms or feet away from your body. Your front foot can be up on your toe, or pointed outward, or even kicked back.
  4. Hold shoulders back for good posture and to reduce the under arm skin fold and “flat arm” look that just makes everything look bigger. Hand on hips, thumbs in pocket, clasped hands, and holding something are all ways to move your arms for a flattering look. Check out this video that showcases many of these ideas.
  5. Avoid stiff hands. Keep wrists bent in a more feminine style. Claw hands never look nice. If you’re going to fold your arms, keep your shoulders back and your hands and fingers softened.
  6. For fuller faces or “double-chin” avoidance, lower your chin slightly to the camera and then extend your chin forward slightly. We call this “the turtle!” It seems counterintuitive to lower your chin, but trust me this works! The camera can’t see the extension of your neck, but it will help to smooth your neck area and create a more pronounced chin.
  7. Face angles can really change your look, so try out different facial angles and hair parts to see what looks the most flattering for you.

Photography can be really fun, even for very casual family photos or social media posts. The more comfortable and happy you feel, the better your pictures will come out. I hope these simple posing methods help to elevate your pics. Remember, moms need to be captured in the pictures too!

Rachel Harris Ledet
A New Orleans native and entrepreneur, Rachel is a mom of four with an active schedule. Rachel maintains a daily balance of running her own marketing firm, 30|90 Marketing, managing her kids’ schedules, and maintaining extracurriculars including coaching dance, volunteering, and occasionally teaching courses. Rachel lives in Mandeville with her best friend and husband Lenny, daughters Addison and Amelia, stepson Luke, and son Tucker. With a family of six and a million balls in the air, Rachel keeps things light by continuously learning, spending time with amazing friends, blogging, finding any route to a concert or outdoor festival, and planning her next getaway with her husband. A sense of humor can get you through almost anything, so she tends to surround herself with fabulous and very funny people.

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