How To Be Camera Confident

POSER

Now, I’m not saying I’m the best at posing in photos but I will say that I’ve done it a lot, which kinda makes me a professional, right?! All jokes aside, I’ve worked on many fashion photoshoots, on my own photos and of course helping my Husband shoot Weddings, so as millennial as it might sound.. posing is kinda one of my “things”?

If you’re already an Instagram Queen, this post might not be for you (GIRL you don’t need my help!) However, if you feel like you turn into a cardboard box every time someone points the camera at you, or you really want to take great photos but hate every single one, this might just help you out…

Start Small

As a blogger, I obviously started posing for photos on my own in my garden. It was just myself, self timer, my tripod and occasionally my neighbour wondering what the hell I was doing. This was the best place to start when it came to learning how to pose myself. I took hundreds of photos and eventually learnt what shapes to make with my body and what was the most flattering (and unflattering!) Taking a photo, checking it, taking another, checking it was the best way to learn. I had no one watching me so I had no worries of anyone judging my ability or how I looked. If I hated the photos, no one would see them and if I loved them.. you guys did! If you’ve never posed before or feel embarrassed, this is 100% the best way to start. You can pick a tripod up from Amazon for a tenner and even the iphone has a self timer function these days!

Don’t Give Up

Isn’t it crazy how seeing a bad photo of yourself can put you in an instant bad mood? The thing is… you get used to it! I would say for every one photo I upload to Instagram, I get 20+ bad ones of myself. I always have more than ten photos to choose from, we take hundreds! Not every photo is going to be “the one” and that’s okay. Sometimes your eyes will be closed, sometimes your leg will look funny, sometimes you’ll look like you’re about to faint and burp all at the same time.

Work Those Legs

If you’re blessed with long pins, you won’t need to work at this one much. However, if you’re a fellow short legged lady, like myself, welcome to the club! Legs will always look shorter in photos so it’s never really on our side. You’ll be pleased to know that making your legs look longer is actually very easy to do and always makes the shot more dramatic. The trick is, always put your weight on your back leg. Instantly this makes the front leg look longer and more slender (oh, what a word!) If you’re feeling extra stable, you can even point your toe a little, this definitely adds precious length too.

Be Comfortable

So this one is a little tricky if you feel awkward infront of a camera but with practise it should happen eventually! When I look at a photo I can instantly tell if someone is uncomfortable – your shoulders look hunched, creating a stand-offish body language and your face will scream “I am NOT enjoying this!”. It’s important to pick a location you’re happy with (whether that is somewhere quiet to begin with) and that the person taking your photo is comfortable with you and understands it might take a while to get the shot. Wear clothes you feel good in, if it’s cold wear something warm – these little things really help. If you are feeling stiff, give yourself a little body shake (I do this ALL the time) by letting all your limbs hang loose and wriggling your body.. if it doesn’t help loosen you up, it will make you laugh which in turn will create a nice photo in itself! Afterall, you CAN smile in photos too!

Be Inspired, But Be You!

It’s great to be inspired, I have a bank of photos I love, but pretty much all of them are of supermodels… which I am not! I look at these photos to get myself inspired, to stir up the creative energy but I never assume that I will look like them in my own work. Taking elements from your inspirational photos is great and definitely something that works, but always be proud to be yourself. Some people love to laugh in photos, some love to pout. Some love to push the boundaries with poses, pose on the beach, pose in London – everyone is their own person. Personally, I love to inject some nature into my work and some personality where I can. I’m not a Victorias Secret model posing on the beach in my bikini and that’s okay. Being yourself is what makes your photos stand out.