When people find out I’m a photographer the first thing they tell me is ‘I’m not photogenic’. With all due respect, I disagree. In my humble opinion, someone who thinks they are unphotogenic, just hasn’t been photographed by the right person yet.
Anyone taking a photo has the ability to make their subject look either better, or worse. When I’m photographing my clients I’m constantly working to seek out the most flattering and beautiful way to capture them. This is through the use of light, angles and composition and the way we pose. I can slim someone down or make them look bigger just based on the way I have them sit or stand. With posing families there are a ton of ways to organize groups so that bodies look their best.
Let’s look at an example. Check out the two images below. The first one I’m facing away from the light and shadow is cast over part my face. My pose isn’t flattering to my upper thighs and I don’t love my side profile!
With a couple of simple changes the second image is more flattering. We turned me round to face the sun for more beautiful light, and lifted those legs up a touch so my weight wasn’t all on one thigh. My husband taking this photo could have done a little more work to get me looking smiley, but heck, I was on holiday and not planning to share any of this!
Lastly, my secret fairy dust for capturing good photos is to make sure my clients are comfortable with me. Someone told me recently, that after spending five minutes with me, he felt like he was talking to an old friend. If you’re not happy with the way you look in photos you just haven’t been photographed by the right person yet – what do you think?! Agree or disagree?!
.
