How to pose correctly for the camera
Photogenicity is a strong thing: some “gray mice” in the pictures look just stunning beauties! What you need to know in order to look as advantageous as possible in the frame, said the Nizhny Novgorod photographer Pavel Ermakov.
You can pose for hours in front of the mirror, take a hundred selfies a day, but once you point the lens at you, you freeze like a deer in the headlights? Yes, you have a fear of the camera! What can you do to be able to relax before shooting and look natural and at ease in the pictures? Never be afraid to learn! Pose in front of a mirror, take an example from models in glossy magazines and follow a few simple rules.
Forget the passport photo pose. You don’t need to stand straight to the camera, otherwise you risk looking like a soldier on a parade ground. Remember: you should be half-turned to the camera, and the lines of the body should always bend smoothly. For example, shift the weight to one leg, put your hand on your belt, and tilt your head slightly to one side. Ready! All straight lines are “broken”, which means a good shot is guaranteed.
When posing in front of the camera, do not forget about the position of your hands. They should never “stick” to the body! This will make the shape rough, square, and add a couple of sizes visually. Why are you overweight in the photo? But the elbows slightly abducted from the body accentuate the curves of the waist, making the silhouette thinner and more graceful. If you want to hide your hands, you can safely put them in your pockets, while leaving your thumbs outside. By doing this, we will simplify the bottom of the frame and increase the emphasis on the face. Make sure that your fingers are relaxed and collected, do not allow “animal claws” or twisted hands, it looks rough and unnatural.
Remember: what is closer to the camera, it seems larger, more massive. It is worth evaluating your figure and deciding which part of the body there is a reason to visually enlarge. Do you want your thighs to look fuller? Lean your back against the wall and push your pelvis forward. Here it is important to understand that the stomach will immediately become larger, because it will also be closer to the camera. If you need to draw attention to the chest, choose the buttocks as a fulcrum, and move the upper part of the body forward. All this time, do not forget to “break” straight lines, create bends. Never put your brushes in the foreground! Big hands are the privilege of men, not fragile ladies.
The position of the model in relation to the light is extremely important, so watch where it falls. Direct light completely erases the volume (both desirable and undesirable). If you want your skin to look like a Barbie doll in the photo, feel free to turn your face towards the light source. In this case, the frame will be much more successful if the body is slightly rotated so that the side light can reveal the figure, texture of the clothes and make the picture more interesting. Play with the cut-off pattern, choosing an angle depending on the task at hand. If the shot needs to be dramatic, turn your face to the side so that all the lighting is sideways.
Extreme abnormalities can also kill the shot. The desire to show both the back and the face leads to a strong bend in the neck, unwanted folds and, as a result, a spoiled frame. Excessive striving for a “long” neck will be exactly the same mistake: a too thrown back head can undesirably distort facial features. If you want to take a shot from the back, while showing the face, try to turn the body towards the camera to such an extent that all the wrinkles on the neck disappear. Alternatively, you can cover them with a strand of hair if the length permits.
Don’t strain! The camera loves you
Look down and think about some joyful event from the past. Remembered? Look up at the camera immediately, and all emotions and memories will be reflected in your eyes.
Smile! A laugh in the eyes will bring life to the frame. But do not forget that an overly wide smile means narrow eyes, extra wrinkles and a double chin. Rehearse alone in front of the mirror and pick your best smile!
Like many models, girls try to “strangle” themselves in front of the camera at all costs. If you do this skillfully, you can really get a beautiful artistic shot, but, as a rule, most girls just get a “choke” gesture. And then the neck is not visible in the frame, there are no collarbones, chest, and the body becomes square, with powerful arms and straight lines.
Elbows and knees directed into the frame never looked aesthetically pleasing, avoid putting them forward. Demonstration of armpits is also a rather controversial technique, which, however, is very popular among novice models and photographers.
- To make your skin look perfect, cover minor imperfections and under-eye circles with concealer. Apply some powder on top to remove excess shine. In this case, you should not be too zealous, otherwise you will emphasize unnecessary wrinkles. Do not use products containing luminous pigments: in combination with flashes, they will certainly give the skin an oily shine and create ugly highlights.
- The eyes are the windows to the soul. Accentuate them with black pencil and blend lightly with a brush. You can visually enlarge your eyes with the help of metallic shadows and false eyelashes, it is advisable to use separate bundles.
- Bright lipstick will certainly attract attention and make your smile sexier. The main thing is to choose the right color. For example, raspberry, burgundy and plum tones are suitable for owners of cold skin tones. Girls with a warm skin tone should pay attention to a terracotta lipstick or choose an orange-red palette.