Last week a convo popped up on my Facebook feed which showed me that the struggle to know how to stand in a photo is real.
Rebel wanted to know how to pose for photos without looking like a potato. And let’s face it, that’s something we can all relate to. I mean I feel like there’s a little bit of potato pose in all of us, don’t you?
Up until about a year ago, my photo posing abilities extended to smiling. That’s it.
I knew how to make my face look half decent in a photo (more on that in a minute) but as for the rest of me? Well let’s just say that the very few times I stood in front of the camera, I pretty much looked like I was auditioning for a marching band that specialised in slouching.
Legs together, arms at your side, roll those shoulders forward, tuck that chin in and would you look at that?! You’ve got yourself a potato with a slouching marching band chaser.
Hello Potato!
I think my lack of posing ability was because I was always behind the camera instead of in front of it.
I don’t know about you, but whenever we’re on a family holiday or there’s a birthday happening I’m the one who takes all the photos. As a result we’ve got albums full of beautiful photos capturing my family blowing out candles, walking along beaches, unwrapping presents on Christmas morning, hugging each other…all without me in any of them. Sound familiar?
So after spending the best part of 2015 on the couch (long story, you can catch up here), I decided that life was too short not to be in photos. I began joining in with the Styling You #everydaystyle community and snapped a photo of my outfit most days.
I felt completely awkward in front of the camera at first. But over time it gave me the confidence to do weird things* like stand in front of a full length mirror and work out which pose is the most flattering for my body shape.
*not weird at all. If you’re not sure how to pose for photos, stand in front of a mirror and try a few different poses. You’ll soon discover one that is perfect for you, I promise.
Standing in front of a camera each day also taught me to stop worrying about people looking at me while I’m getting my photo taken. Because guess what? Nobody IS looking – they’re all too busy scrolling through their own phones to be looking at anything or anyone else!
So, with a new-found confidence and a few hundred outfit photos later, here’s how I stand in photos to avoid looking like a potato.
#potatofreepose
How To Pose For Photos (and not look like a potato)
ONE: ADJUST YOUR OUTFIT
Give yourself a quick once over before the photo is taken.
If you’re wearing jeans, pants or shorts, pull them up or down so they’re sitting correctly on your body. Smooth your top, adjust your skirt. Make sure your bra straps are tucked away (if that’s the look you’re going for) and everything is in its place.
In this example, I pulled my jeans up (goodbye muffin top!) and pulled my top down so it sat firmly in place. Doing those two things instantly removed my potato shape and gave me back my waist. HUZZAH!
TWO: FIX YOUR FEET
There are lots of different ways you can pose using your feet and legs but I find this little method to be the quickest and easiest one to remember.
- Place the heel of your right foot into the arch of your left foot
- Lean back on your left leg and your right foot will bend all on its own. Clever huh!
THREE: USE YOUR HANDS
Here are a few ways you can use your hands/arms with this pose:
- Left hand on hip
- Both hands loosely at sides
- Hold a handbag/clutch/jacket/scarf/champagne glass/other accessory in hand
- One hand on hip, other arm around friend/partner/random
Hold that handbag
FOUR: STICK YOUR CHIN OUT
This is possibly the most important tip I can give you. I learnt it years ago from our wedding photographer and it’s stuck with me ever since. To avoid the dreaded double chin happening in photos, simply stick your chin out.
It will look completely ridiculous from the side, but from the front it will look amazing. And finally, tilting your head down ever so slightly will ensure double chins, turkey necks and any other pesky collapsing face issues are well and truly hidden.
FYI
As a general rule, most people recommend turning on a slight angle rather than facing the camera directly like I do. I find the whole angle thing very unflattering for my shape as it makes me look much wider than I am. So my advice is to get in front of the camera, take as many photos of yourself as you can and work out what is the most fun and flattering pose for you.
If you’re on Instagram I’d love to see your #potatofreepose Tag me @kirstenandco and use the hashtag so I can check your fabulous photos out!
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