Photo Perfection.

'One, Two, Three Say Cheeeeeese'

I mean who actually says 'Cheese' when getting their picture done.. I certainly don't as I will end up with the worlds weirdest grin and a lazy eye. So not attractive. As a girl it's hard enough to pose for a photo and get it right first time otherwise you have to persuade a re-take or for that person not to upload it. If all else fails thank the lord for filters and the ability to distort a picture so it makes you half attractive. I do feel for men these days getting false information when looking at womens pictures. I fully admit I am one to play around with filters and taking a billion selfies before I find one I am happy with to upload and share to the world. It's scary thinking that everything you say/ upload on social media everyone can see (unless privacy settings are selected) and stays floating around for ages. The weirdest thing is typing your name into google and finding what the results are... I'll leave you to do that for yourself.. So I'm going to give you some tips how to get that perfect photo first time.

Top Tips

* Group picture when out.

First you need to carefully select someone who will 1. Not run off with your phone  2.Is not a technophobe and 3. Good candidate for taking several photos. This can be a hard task but if you are in a busy place you have a good chance for catching someone decent. First, ,make sure your settings are to your liking e.g. flash is on or off or if you like it with some filter. Also make sure its not on the front camera.. that could waste time trying to find how to turn it around, although you could end up with a random person selfie which is always entertaining.Next, when asking if they will take the photo always ask the favor in return, that will for sure get you in their good books even if they reject it. Camera already set up, right show them the button to take the photo and clearly instruct them to take several. Make sure they understand that.. Photo's taken and this is the important bit.. Don't let them leave until you have scanned through the photos and happy with the outcome. If they are crap ask for more, don't feel bad or like an idiot as at the end of the day it's not like your ever going to see these people ever again so who even cares! 

* Height Matters

When with a group of people assess the heights of them and place yourself according to that. My two girlfriends are the cutest petite girlies therefore when taking photos I try to go in the middle just so I don't look so much like the big friendly giant. Trust me it looks better that way. If you are all roughly the same height then you have no worries. Also if there is a big group of people with mix genders always get the boys to crouch right down in front. It's not lady like to crouch down especially if you have a dress or skirt on and a pair of heels will unbalance you, if you have had a drink as well that is recipe for a disaster. Standing up clinging onto people is the best bet. You also don't want the ugly idiot friend standing right in front of you blocking your beautiful face, fight your way to the front! Chances are the boys won't even upload the photo therefore doesn't matter if there not seen. Sorry boys! The only down side to that is the boys hiding your killer heels that are brand new and you spent a bomb on them even if you have  26 blisters and walk like a complete duck but you look fab so you cry inside and slap that fake smile on the outside.

* Angles baby

We all look at photos and say 'I look so fat' and that's the end of the world. To avoid this rubbish feeling you gotta know your angles and 'best bits'. If you have just eaten your body weight in food and it got you feeling bloated and looking like a pregnant women, I wouldn't advise standing sideways. Placing a hand on your hip that is closest to the front gives an appearance that your waist looks smaller, especially if squeeze that flabby bit to make it look tinier. You can always tell a dancer from a picture.. they always are lengthened and standing up straight and the big give away is the bevel of the foot. Especially when wearing heels and a cheeky little bevel is slipped in when posing. If you don't know what a bevel is type it in Mr.google or just look at my photos, guilty of the bevel. Not being biased because I'm a dancer but us performing arts people do take some good looking photos.. don't you agree? Going back to 'knowing your best bits' nowadays its all about the peachy bum with the tiny waist to match. If you know you have a booty going on , me me me me, why not show it off? Be proud of what ever your body type is and make the most of it. Concluding angles, when standing front on, try putting one leg in front of the other. It gives you that height (even if you are a petite monkey) and more length in your legs. I am not blessed with legs for days and my father gave me the short stumpy legs..cheers papa. I am all for the one leg in front of the other giving you that one legged look.

* Lighting 

Natural lighting is your best friend. It's great when editing photo's as you don't have to spend a lot of time editing and just generally looks better. When taking photos stay out of direct sunlight as you will be a victim of the squinty eye photo with a confused facial expression. Some times shaded areas work best outside as long you don't get any weird shadows across your face.. When taking photos in the dark the flash is your only option to get a good clear photo. If you don't mind the flash followed by people around you looking and staring that's fine. Plus you need strong eye contact to avoid the 'drunk rollly eye effect'. When taking selfies indoors try doing them by a window so the natural bright light is directed on your face. This will highlight your features and make you look more 'natural looking' and then you can play around with the filters afterwards if needed. Lastly on lighting, a good background is key. If you want the picture to be solely about you, go for a white or neutral background that won't distract the viewer from the picture. Or if you want a cool background I always look out for colours and textures in a place and photograph myself in front. E.g. brick walls or bushes.  

* It's all in the face darling

The last thing I want to talk about is the thing that is the main focus. That rounded, chubby or cheek boned thing pasted onto your front of your head. Face. As a girl I know we all spend hours looking in the mirror trying out different facial expressions that will enhance our face. Everyone is different, and different facial expressions suit different people. There's the people who can get away with the happy grin, or others that don't look like they put any effort into it yet still end up looking flawless or people like me who have to put so much brain power and face muscle effort just to look half decent and not like a dying frog. When taking selfies its all fun and games. You can take as many as you like trying different poses and then just delete the hideous ones after that no human being should ever encounter. Sorted. It all changes when your in a group photo and you have to get in the zone to make sure you get it first time round. You can never be so sure you will get a second chance so practice makes perfect. Endless selfies of people can be annoying however its a perfect way of practicing that pose you need to nail every time when not in control of the photo being taken.  

Who knew taking photos can be so stressful? Most girls consider all of these things when taking photos and i'm sure the male species are guilty of this as well. It's so strange how different it is now when taking a photo to when your grandparents were taking their first photos. They had the task of waiting for it to be developed and then got the shock afterwards of how they looked that day. However i'm sure it didn't bother them not getting a 'good' photo as they only had photos for personal memories. Now days its about doing things to please others, to fit in with society and following trends. I don't blame people for posting photos documenting events however it's the way people do it, constantly trying to out do each other and forgetting why they actually wanted to photograph to begin with. Silly if you think about it. If everyone felt the same about taking photos there wouldn't be that pressure to take that 'perfect' and truthfully unnatural photo to begin with. All I'm thinking about is i'm sure in the future your children and even grandchildren won't want to sit through endless amounts of selfies...

With Love Always

B

x