Photo tips - Posing - Katherine Wheeler Photo Retouching

Photo tips - Posing

6/3/2018

You're here because you are enjoying your DSLR or digital camera and taking photos of your family but perhaps when you look at your photos something seems off. For instance, you're surprised at how your double chin is protruding. In fact, where did it come from? Your husband's form may seem more pudgy than how you usually see him, or you're not sure how to pose your family during the family reunion.
Maybe you're new to photography and would like some help. I am here to help. Today's topic is about POSING....

Proper poses can make a huge difference in how you see yourself in that photo. The wrong placement and angle of limbs can enhance what most women don't want enhanced. The wrong angle of the camera can enlarge certain areas that make us frown. The wrong group setup can make each family member look very tiny and the overall photo unpleasing.
I hope you enjoy and benefit from these tips from me and from video sources I have found just for you.

CAMERA ANGLE
â€‹Stand up taller or raise the camera a little over eye level so you're shooting downward a little bit. This will create a more flattering and slimming effect while reducing double chin looks and a slimming waistline. Another bonus is that if the subject is looking up at the camera, the eyes are looking upward and the natural light from the sky will shine in the eyes. Never shoot from below eye level which will enhance double chins and enlarge the torso.
When taking a selfie with someone, raise your hand higher up and shoot down at yourselves. Below is a great video on how to visually see what I'm talking about.

POSING WOMEN: *smile* A lot of us have a tendency to feel self-conscious about our figures. We don't have to be. We have our own natural beauty, and properly posing ourselves can result in more flattering photos in which we can actually smile. The trick is to twist. Never stand facing forward to the camera. One pose is to twist your hips away from the camera, hands on hips or bent at the thighs, lean forward just a little while stretching your neck forward to reduce double chins. What I personally like to do is to hide behind my husband who is a lot leaner than me. Well, half of me is behind him otherwise if I stand in front of him I 'look' huge. Also, holding a small child hides a lot too. *wink*

FAMILY POSING
â€‹Raise your hand if you've been in a group photo and everyone is standing in a row. The photo gets pretty wide and the people get rather small especially if there are a lot of people in the group. Think, ROWS. Remember class photos when we were kids? There were a bunch of rows to fit all 30+ kids. What I like to do is have small kids at the front, have a couple adults kneel next to them, then have the rest behind having the tallest at the back or two of the tallest kneeling on the floor. Make sure no one's face is hiding behind someone. The mother /grandmother, parents/grandparents should stand/sit in the center of the group. Everyone should probably have shoes on even though my family in the photo has socks and some with shoes. *laugh*

Now the MOST important thing you must do when photographing a group. Is click, click, click a million times. Or at least 10 clicks per pose. The more you click, the better the chance at getting opened eyes, great smiles and all looking at the camera. Does that really happen? At the same time? Sorry not too often. But it sure gives your retoucher plenty of great smiles and opened eyes to composite together into one photo. That's why you see a lot of portrait-studio-perfect family photos. So click away! Then send them to me, your family photo retoucher, and I will make you a beautiful and perfect family photo.

The more you practice and play with photography the better you'll get. Have fun with these tips and I assure you that you will get super excited as you see how much more amazing your own photography has developed. Not someone else's, but YOURS. Those images will be taken by YOU. Imagine how proud you'll be as you show them off to those you love. You are the one who captured this magical memory. And when you want that extra magical touch, you know who to go to. *wink*