EMBRACE YOUR IMAGE – HOW TO LEARN TO LOVE THE LENS
If you don't like having your picture taken, a little practice and some self-acceptance will soon have you posing pretty. You deserve to be seen!
We all deserve to have our lives remembered in photographs. Our children and our grandchildren deserve to have photographs of us. We deserve to capture our travels (with us in the frame), our milestone birthdays, our nights out with friends.
For most of my adult life I avoided having my picture taken. But something changed when I turned 60; I became curious about (and sometimes almost delight in) seeing my image. Now, I'm actually interested in posing for the camera. Don't stand between me and the lens!
If you're afraid of being in front of a camera, if you really dislike having your picture taken, it's probably because you're just not used to seeing your own image. (Unlike the Selfie Generation.) I guarantee that with practice and a little self-acceptance, you too will be comfortable in the frame.
Top Tips to Help Overcome the Fear of Being Photographed
Be curious about your own image. Practice by taking some selfies, or have a friend take photos of you. Take lots of photos and then study them with a detached curiosity to find out what you like and don't like, what works and what doesn't work.
Make the best use of available light. For the photograph, face a window with the camera in front of you. Alternately, place yourself perpendicular to a window for some nice side light on your face. Avoid harsh sunlight. Avoid lighting situations with too much contrast on your face.
Learn how to pose for the camera. Practice makes perfect, it is said, and that's certainly true with being photographed.
Here's a bit of beginner advice on how to pose. Stand tall with your weight on your back leg. Roll your shoulders back. Lift your spine. Breathe. Bend your arms slightly. Look directly at the camera. Move your head forward slightly forward, like a turtle (but not too much).
Exaggerate your smile. Try to think of something fun or something that makes you happy, and then smile with your entire face. It may feel fake, but it will look good in a photograph.
If the smile doesn't quite feel right, try a rest – drop your head and relax your expression for a moment. Take a breath and then try again with your best smile.
After studying scads of celebrity photos, I realize that many celebrities rely on one pose and one smile for most photo sessions. Once you've discovered your best pose and your best smile, you'll be ready for any photo-op, just like our pal Salma.