Boost Your Confidence with One Single Pose

Ugh – the dreaded photo shoot. Whether it’s for your school, your work or for a friend’s wedding, there’s nothing worse than the lead-up to what you’re sure is going to be a disastrous (and completely unflattering) photo session. The twirling anxiety in the pit of your belly, the frown that won’t seem to fade and the squinty eyes you give the photographer every time they flash the lens. Pure punishment, right?

Well, sure. It can be. But, darling heart, it doesn’t have to be. You can learn how to look good in each and every photo that’s taken of you. You can unlock the secrets of supermodels to increase your confidence, feel amazing and have an awesome collection of photos at your disposal.

Here’s how:

Step 1. Throw out the rulebook

Okay, so however you have taught yourself to pose whenever a camera even remotely sways in your direction, forget it. Throw it away. That overused, underwhelming pose is no good for you.

You know how I know? Because you’re reading this article. If you haven’t been looking good in your photos, then you’ve been doing the wrong thing. Trust me. 

Step 2. The hunt begins

Next, I want you to hunt down all of the photos ever taken of you. I know, this step will be a little cringe-worthy. But it’s worth it. Once you have all of the photos together, put them into two categories: flattering and unflattering.

If you’re not sure whether a photo is flattering or not, go with your gut. If your nose wrinkles when you see a photo, pop it into the unflattering pile. If you linger over another photo and notice how fab your skin is, put it into the flattering pile.

Easy, right?

Step 3. Become Sherlock Holmes

Now I want you to put your investigator cap on and figure out why you don’t like the photos in the unflattering pile. Is it because you look fat? Is it because of a crooked tooth? Pay attention to what you don’t like.

Then, figure out why the focus has been drawn to that flaw. You might be hunched over, which makes your normally flat belly look rolly polly. Or, you might have twisted your face at an odd angle, which emphasized your crooked tooth.

Once you’ve pinpointed the things you’re doing wrong in your photos, take a look at the opposite end and using the same process, figure out what you’re doing right.

Step 4. Lock and load

With your newly created arsenal of what to do and what not to do, take your knowledge out onto the field. Enlist the help of a friend to take photos of you while you practice doing the things that lead to flattering photos.

After each photo, stop and look at the picture to see how it turned out (this works best with a digital camera or your phone’s camera). What you’re trying to do is create a link between what you do with your body and how your picture turns out.

Take your time and don’t rush the process, it’s all about creating that mind-body connection and making the perfect pose instinctive. And keep practicing. Eventually, you’ll be throwing off poses that make people wonder whether you were a supermodel in your past life.

Step 5. Some general tips

And of course, I’m not going to leave you empty handed. So here are a few tips to help you out while you’re in the discovery stage:

• Don’t be afraid to move around and be active.
• To avoid seeming cross-eyed, focus your eyes just above the camera lens.
• If you want to seem slimmer, make sure you keep your arms slightly away from your body (rather than pressing them against your sides), and turn your body three-quarters of the way away from the camera. Front on poses make you seem bigger.
• Throw your shoulders back, lengthen your neck and raise your chin. The worst thing you can do is slouch!
• Don’t try too hard. Candid, natural photos are always the ones you end up loving the most.
• Remember, you don’t have to grin like a Cheshire cat. Sometimes a small, gentle smile is all it takes.

Most of all though, have fun. You want your memories (which photos essentially are) to make you feel good and happy. You want to give a pose and feel confident, secure and happy in the knowledge that you look good and feel even better.

Now go get ‘em, gorgeous!

Cover photo: tumblr.com