My sons came home with their annual school photography permission slips yesterday. I love the fact that they get yearly photos and I especially appreciate the fact that at their school they also offer to do sibling photos. Since my youngest started pre-school this year, for the first year ever I will get to have a school photo with all of my 3 boys. This was such great news that I decided I had to go out and find three shirts that would look wonderful together. Then I began to wonder if there were hints on what looks good and what doesn't in a photo. As this stream of thought carried on I realized that it might be nice to find some general tips on how to look good in a photo for the Spirited Woman readers as well. After all, holiday season will be rapidlhy upon us and there is no time of the year when cameras are pulled out more often. So here are a few tips for looking your beautiful best the next time you have to say cheese.
Tip 1: Wear colors that are most flattering for your skin tone and hair color. Canadian Living Magazine even goes so far as to say any pieces in your wardrobe that are not photo worthy should get thrown out. A bit drastic but hey if it doesn't make you look your best why would you want it in your closet anyway? I think I just might have to do a bit of closet cleaning this weekend.
Tip 2: Get a good night's sleep. This is really for more formal photos when you know you are going to have to look great but this piece of advice from Wiki How is practical for any time you know you might be in front of the lens. If you find that despite the good night's sleep you still have dark circles place a cucumber slice on each eye and lounge on the couch for a five minute break.
Tip 3: Practice! Though this may feel silly, practice really does makes perfect. You can either strike a few poses in front of the mirror to find your most flattering angle or better yet with the ease and minimal cost of numeric photos you can get a willing friend to snap a few dozen pics. In this way you get a real idea of what works and what doesn't for the next time someone asks you to smile for the camera.
Tip 4: Position yourself to look your best. The lighthearted article "How to (finally) look good in a photograph" offers a number of practical tips but the idea that you can compose yourself in a certain way to look your best is especially helpful. So, when standing in a photo, remember to strike the red carpet pose by pointing your legs about 45 degrees to the camera and then twisting at the waist towards the photographer. If seated, extend your neck and then tilt your head down slightly to get rid of that awful double chin look.
Tip 5: Smile. Yes, I know this seems obvious but the smile is an art in and of itself so back to that mirror. Find the smile that works best for you. Typically a smile that shows just the top teeth is best but each individual has her style and you will always look your most beautiful when you are being yourself.
So now you are ready for all of those holiday snapshots. And since you are a photo pro now, how about sending your photo into Spirited Woman and let us know why you believe you are a Spirited Woman. Your photo just may be featured on the website or an upcoming ezine.
To your dazzling Spirited Style,
- Dawn Z Bournand www.fabulouslysuccessful.com
Click here to read more of Dawn's posts.
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