Determine whether you look better straight on or from the side. I look very curvy looking head on, but I tend to look first trimester pregnant from the side. My string-bean girlfriends that were blessed with super flat stomachs and slim hips look like dudes straight on, yet super curvy from the side.
Cock your hips straight out to the left or right. On film exaggerated movements to the left or right look great, anything leaning back or towards the camera will look distorted.
Make exaggerated angles with your ams. The more angles the better.
Iriana Shayk is the queen of working the angles.
Everyone looks great from 35 degrees. Photographers will always ask you too turn 45 degrees, they really mean 35.
Fingers and toes look like spaghetti in photos (this is why cartoons only have 4 fingers). Learn little tricks to hide your fingers like: running them through your hair, holding them flat against your hip, holding onto your jewelry, grasping your swimsuit sides, putting them behind you, and always point your toes if you think they will be in the shot.
DON'T make funny faces. Don't try to make your eyes look bigger. You'll look like a deer in headlights. Don't try to accentuate your lips, this is duck face and it is never acceptable. Practice just looking normal. It seems funny, but when a photographer says "okay, now just look normal" suddenly you have no idea what thats supposed to look like.
Flex your stomach muscles, as oppose to sucking in. Sucking in makes a concave shape and just looks like "you're sucking it in." Do a sit up, hold it at 45 degrees. That cramping sensation is what flexing your stomach feels like. Now do that standing up, without somehow looking constipated.
Smile with your whole face. If you just smile with just your mouth it looks like you're grizzly bear bearing your teeth. To look super happy when you're just not in the mood, raise your eye brows and open your mouth slightly. It'll look like you're having the time of your life.
Find your model mentor. If your have great boobs research all of Kate Upton and Hidi Klums old photos (notice that they look very straight, straight on). If you have a great butt look at Jennifer Lopez's old pics.
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| Kate Upton straight on |
vs.
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| Damn Gurl. |
Find your inner Shasha Fierce. If you feel beautiful, you'll look beautiful.
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| This girl is owning this shot. You totally overlook how soft her stomach looks or the fact that she is straddling a dog. |
Exaggerate your make up. Makeup tends to get washed out with lighting. So don't be afraid if you look like a clown after applying extra blush, and eye shadow. Always use liquid eye liner. To make my eyes pop I pull my top eye lides up and run Laura Mercier water proof eye line all over the base of my top lashes. Then I run a thin line of liquid eye liner as close to my lashes as possible. Followed up quick sweep of eyeliner along my bottom lash line and two coats of mascara. This looks very dramatic, yet natural.
To do these things all at once feels very weird and requires a fair deal of concentration, which usually makes your facial expression seem constipated. However, the more uncomfortable/unnatural a pose feels the better it looks on camera.
Practice all these things in your mirror, then practice them with your best friend taking photos of you. Notice how much different they look in real life life as appose to on camera. Minor adjustment in your posture will make a world of difference.
Your first photo shoots will either be with new photographers trying to build portfolios or a pervert. Never let a photographer talk you into doing something you are uncomfortable with. I had a photographer repeatedly suggest that I take my top off, my responses were "No thanks." "I wouldn't feel comfortable doing that." "Okay, we have enough shots. Thanks for the shoot." Of course I never saw the pics from that shoot or heard from that guy ever again but thats just what you have to do sometimes.
If you found this blog helpful or if you have any other awesome hints that should be included please let me know.
