How to Look Good in Photos

We all want better photos of ourselves, right? Britt and I know next to nothing about photography so we decided to call up one of our favorite pros for some tips. If you are in SLC you have most likely heard of Jessica Janae. Jessica is a super talented photographer that has a way of making everyone look their very best. She pointed out six guidelines for taking a good picture, these include in front of the camera and behind. Britt and I volunteered as her good example/bad example in the pics below so that you can see the contrast. Shout out to Britt for looking super awkward in most of these and taking one for the team! 🙂

1. Flattering Face Pose:

As girls, it seems like we all get a weird urge to tilt our heads once a camera is in front of us. In the pics below you can see how much better (and normal) it looks to be straight up and down. Resist the tilt! Jess also recommends keeping your chin down.

2. Flattering Full Body Pose:

Thanks to Jessica having tons of experience shooting fashion she was able to teach us some flattering full length poses. We quickly found out that popping your hip forward makes your whole body look bigger. Jessica encourages clients to do the foot crossover for a universally flattering pose that everyone looks good doing. No more hip popping!

3. The Rule of Thirds:

We had no idea how this worked, but it is amazing to see the difference in the rule of thirds composition! This is what Jessica recommends the next time you are snapping a picture of a specific subject – your dog, baby, etc to try and use the rule of thirds.  Jess put some diagrams on her pics below to show how to align your photos.

4. Switch Up The Light:

Jessica has a GORGEOUS downtown studio with amazing natural light streaming through the windows as you can see in these pics. However, if you aren’t a professional photographer with a perfectly lit studio you can still get good photos. Try to create an atmosphere of natural light that is not too harsh in your natural surroundings. She also recommends taking photographs at dusk and dawn for the perfect outdoor lighting.

5. Movement:

Jessica encourages movement in her photos. Why? Because you automatically feel less awkward when you are moving. It brings out natural smiles and personality a lot better than a static pose. In this one, she had Britt pose with her arms folded standing still and you can see how different it looks. It can feel a little awkward, in the beginning, to be twirling around but you will love the end result. It is human nature to be more relaxed when our minds are focused on doing something instead of staring straight into the camera.

 

6. Different Angles:

Try to move around while taking a photo. Jessica is not scared to lay on the ground or squat to get the right look. Give it a try and see all the different perspectives you can come up with!

We had so much fun at her studio – we wish we could hang out there every day. Jessica truly creates beautiful work and we are so glad she was able to sharpen up our photo skills. Make sure you check out her site!