Mish Wanna-Be Photogenic

Ever wondered how the celebrities get great photographs everytime they step out onto the red carpet? It's not because they are beautiful. It is not because they are thinner than the rest of us normal people and they are definitely not PHOTOGENIC. Besides, what does it mean to be photogenic? Well, it is simply defined by Google below:

pho·to·gen·ic/ˌfōtəˈjenik/

Adjective:

(esp. of a person) Looking attractive in photographs or on film. (of an organism or tissue) Producing or emitting light.

In the digital age we find ourselves constantly bombarded with everyday 'paparazzi' asking for a photo at a function, group photos with friends or portraits for whatever reason. It can be annoying, stressful and horrifying esspecially if you are not the kind of person who lavish the lime light.

Thankfully nobody in the history of photography has ever been able to pull of a double chin. So in my capacity as aspiring photographer and enthusiast, I am always confronted with these questions: "How can I look as great in a picture? What will make me look more slender than I really am?

I love helping my friends look spectacular in a photo but I swear I struggle to take my own advice sometimes. You know what they say, practice, practice, practice and before you know it... You will be feeling confident, calm and picture perfect anytime your local paparazzi pops up!

The most common mistake we tend to make and a lot of my friends would agree, is that we treat the camera as the enemy because the damn thing exposes our flaws or worse, highlights flaws! This is a scary thought and it causes you to shy away away from the camera and when you should actually be leaning into it to help you achieve better results! Shying away from the camera can make you look a little heavier believe it!

Try these tips, it really works:


1. Dreaded double chin:
    This happens when you pull your head back in order to be further away from the camera. Instead slightly lean forward with your head, it elongates the neck and eliminates the appearance of that nasty double chin. Lift that beautiful face but not too much. Ask your photographer to help judge here. What you want to do is lift your head and dip your chin down slightly.

2. Sitting on a chair:
    Scoot yourself to the front of your seat, it makes you look taller. By sitting to the back of your chair, your legs will appear bigger in porportion to the rest of your body. The wonderful thing about this tip is that if you have tummy folds like I do, it gets ironed out when sit on the edge of your seat, your back is automatically straightened and your chin lifted and the double chin becomes single chin and voila... You have lost a kilo in an instant.

3. Great arms
    Do the Kim K pose! This is my favourite! I come from a long line of women with beautiful legs but thick arms. So you are in a beautiful sleeveless top and you are confronted with a photo request. The room is full and your only escape route is blocked, you start to panic and just as you are about to get out... The photographer says its your turn. The pose you choose is keeping your arms as tightly strapped to your body as you can, hoping that your arms will not look like lumpy flapjacks and unfortuantely it is a miss. To avoid flabby arms, put one hand or both hands on your hips. Shakira is wrong because a hand on your hip will help you lie.. to the camera that is. Having your hand on your hip, opens up the arm and creates the illusion that your arms are more slender than they really are.

4. Angled pose
    This is another great one. Angles are your friend and so are your legs. Find an angled pose that works for you. This is an exercise that you can do in a mirror in order to see which is more flattering. I would encourage you to use your camera to help better judge your results. Exagerate your pose. Have fun with it. Engage the camera by putting your leg infront of the other and transfering your weight to your front leg. It gives you a subtle hour glass figure. An extra tip here is if you add your shoulder to your pose. Do a side profile Kim K pose and drop your shoulders to the front and slightly down. You will love the picture perfection.

5. Know what works for you
    Don't be affraid to tell your glamourazzi photographer that you want to change your pose. At all times avoid having your happy snap taken from the bottom. So when he or she is ready to take the photo from a couple of stairs below you, kindly ask to switch positions. By taking a photo from a higher platform down on the you, the double chin disappears and your eyes seem larger and become more expressive. Think about a warm happy thought and you will be pleasantly surprised at how beautiful you will look. Remember the eyes are the windows to the soul.

Lastly keep practising these tips and after a while it will become second nature to you. Also, the more you practice these tips, the more comfortable you will become infront of the camera and the more confident you will become.

Enjoy and embrace and love cameras every where!