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Posing for photos: Part III, Positioning your face

By Meg | June 21, 2007

Other posts in the Posing for Photos series:

• Part I, Say cheesy
• Part II, Positioning your body
• Part IV, Have fun

Now back up to your face. For the best shot, don’t look straight on at the camera. Your face, like your body, will also look wider in that position. Instead, turn your jaw slightly away from the camera. Now people can see that you really do have a nose and chin (that’s a good thing, by the way).

To make sure that you don’t grow a second chin (that would be a bad thing), make sure that the camera is above your chin. You can tilt your chin down very slightly, but only slightly. Any more than that and you’ll make it look worse because you’ll put pressure on your neck and cause it to bulge. In fact, it’s better to raise your chin up just a tiny bit if you can still get the camera above your chin. You can also try bending your knees, but you’ll likely look uncomfortable (because you are) or else the person taking the photograph just automatically brings the camera down with you. Trust me, I’ve done that dance before. I am 5′10, after all, and just recently figured out that was the primary reason why I have what looks like a double chin in so many of my photos (despite the assurance of friends and family that I do not have a double chin in real life).

The solution? Ask whomever is taking the photo to lift the camera up, or if possible, to stand on something like a chair or table. Please don’t hold me liable if anything should break, but I have taken a lot of nice photos from my coffee table. At my great-aunt’s party, my husband was nice enough to stand on a chair while he took photos on about half a dozen cameras. Meanwhile, another family member knelt down and used his knee as a tripod. I know he had the best of intentions, but he probably added about 10-20lbs to everyone in the shot.

Finally, you can decide whether to look away or at the camera. Looking at the camera will make you look friendlier and more engaged. However, I find that look-away shots can be really fun since they look more candid and they add a bit of mystery. It just depends on the situation.

Now, without further ado, here’s a photo I took of myself rather spontaneously while walking through a garden last month. I say “rather spontaneously” because if I thought I was going to be taking photos of myself for a blog, I probably would have worn some makeup - and I’d love to post some newer photos but my camera is missing. So let that be a lesson - wear makeup. You never know when you’re going to wish you had in a shot. Of course, I could add some makeup digitally, and probably will at some point, but I didn’t want my first photo here to be even a little bit dishonest (though obviously I don’t consider makeup dishonest).

Note how I made sure that the camera was taking the photo from slightly above - even though I had to hold it in my hand to take the shot. Also note how I’m looking away, smiling, and have my face turned slightly away from the camera.

For further posing inspiration, take a good look at celebrities on the red carpet. Talk about pressure, though!

Do any of you have any good tips on facial positioning?

Tags: Photos

Related Posts:

• Two morning makeovers: or, why I love makeup and wire cutters (0)
• Posing for photos; Part II, Positioning your body (0)
• Posing for photos: Part IV, Have fun (0)
• Posing for photos: Part I, Say cheesy (0)

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