Day 5 - Top angle

Today I am goin to give 5 simple tips for ‘how to pose in front of the camera', which I learned and experienced over the years.

Well, I am not a ‘pro’ in this field, but I consider myself a ‘matured amateur photographer’ ;)…  In 90s as a visualiser / art director, I had the opportunity to work with some very good professionals in this field of photography, most of them were ‘table-top’ specialists, some from ‘fashion’ and also with some real great dubakur photographers. 

Here are they…

One This is the basic. Don't just look at the camera, ‘LOOK THROUGH IT’. Any professional fashion / Portrait photographer will say this all the time even to some pro models, to get much sharper look while shooting. You look not the lens, try to look at the eyes behind the lens, no matter how far you stand.

 

Two Smile through your eyes, not just your mouth. May be you can try squinting your eyes just a bit for a more flattering smile or pretend like you just saw something funny, or you were just told a joke!. Don’t be shy of what the photographer will think. Just don’t care. Professional photographers will like that.

 

Three Please don't try to hide your teeth while smiling. This is one of the common mistake every one does. I hate that too. Be confident. When you laugh with all your teeth, people will find you much more appealing.  It may take a while to get used to but once you see that you are genuinely happy in pictures etc. and you will understand how much nicer you look. Just try it next time!

 

Four When you standing in extreme left or the right side of a group shot, don’t  bend inside the frame, as if your head going to get chopped off. Stand straight.

Five This is another one I heard from many photographers saying this always just before the shutter clicks, ‘keep your head down… that’s it  ... thats it…’ and then ‘slowly bring it up… hey, don't jerk your head, you #^%#@*... that’s it… that’s it.. good’ click.

 

Here is another cheap trick I remember.

An old colleague of mine had the habit of standing always on the higher part of the surface while posing the group photos to look taller. Sometime he even shamelessly collects a stone or someone else shoes nearby, place it underneath his feet and stand on it.

 

File shot: High angle

 

I took this picture outside the ‘Thillai Natarajar Temple’, Chidambaram (Tamil Nadu) in 2010.