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I’m Joe. I teach at the School of Visual Arts in New York. This is some tips for helping people look better in pictures.
Have them show up groomed. Have them show up wearing nice clothes. People look better when they’re dressed up a little bit. They don’t have to wear an evening gown and a tuxedo but it’s better if they’re not wearing torn jeans or tee-shirts with a lot of writing or logos on them.
Have them show up with their hair done. If they’re the kind of people that need a shave, have them shave before they show up for the shoot.
Have your subjects show up with their hair and make-up done or groomed, if that’s what they need.
Never photograph people with a wide-angle lens when you’re doing a portrait. Lenses in the focal length from 75 to 105 millimeters are pretty good for portraits.
Try not to photograph people from below their eye line. It’s better if you get a little bit above. It has a slimming effect. It makes everybody look a little thinner.
Syd, roll your left shoulder back a little bit. Photograph people on a little bit of an angle across this way. They look thinner.
Have them look right into the lens so they’re engaged with you. Talk to them while you’re shooting.
And have them smile. Smiling people look good. You put a smile on anybody’s face. Happy people look good.
Roll that shoulder back even more, Syd. Even if you’ve got to turn from the waist down a little. That’s terrific. Turn your head a little bit to the right. That’s terrific. That’s great. There’s the face. That’s terrific.
And those are a few tips for helping people look better in pictures.
Comments
13 responses to “How to Make People Look Good in Photos | Portrait Photography”
She looks better in video than in the photo.
Thank goodness that model had the "shoulder slightly back" technique to make her look slender.
Dude, how do you even find the subject when you can't find the camera you're talking to? 😉
Wow how insightful. Never would of thought that having your subject dress nice would make them look better. Thank you for the amazing tips.
That girl would look awesome anyway, she is gorgeous 😀
good photography techniques and can be used as a reference, thank you
This guy looks like Phil Jackson of the New York Knicks.
I don't think taking a portrait should require the subject to change their appearance for the photo. Then it just isn't photography. How the subject looks at the time of photograph is how they should be captured. Don't tell them to do something particular because then it becomes unnatural. I guess if your taking wedding/promo photos then this cancels out, but if it's just an ordinary, everyday photo, then I wouldn't say anything to the subject other than "Can I take your photo"?
Great nice beautiful video photography, u can also publish in Youpic.
No one is ugly if you get them smiling with genuine mirth in their eyes. Maybe not everyone is a super model, but no one every got turned to stone looking at a happy person, IMHO.
Lol that comment below just made my day
What if they're extremely ugly?
Thanks Howcast 🙂 this is my problem