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Photography Major Shares 30 Easy Tips That Make Anyone Look Way Better In Photos
Bonnie Rodríguez Krzywicki is trying to show people that being photogenic is not something you are; it's something you become. And she's doing one hell of a job. Bonnie has been sharing easy tips, explaining how to feel and look more comfortable in front of the camera on her Instagram for quite some time now, and they have already earned her over 621,000 followers.
She presents the tips in a 'Don't' and 'Do' kind of way which really highlights what big differences subtle changes in good body language and use of props can make. They come in a variety of locations and other different circumstances, so everyone can apply them from beach to classy late-night photo shoots too!
More info: Instagram
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#1
Photo One: my legs are tucked and close to my body. The effect is a less-than-flattering one that tends to make me look timid and dumpy. .
Photo Two: I look slimmer and exude more confidence. By elongating my legs and arms away from my body, I also come across as more elegant
NanZ 5 years ago
How can it be higher than No.1? I'm just kidding!! It struck me funny when I saw it! Lol
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Euphoria 2 years ago
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Matthew Smith 5 years ago
The real reason photo 2 is better because you can see her chest, that's what it's REALLY about.
Sandy Feuerbacher 5 years ago
Try using COMMON SENSE - no pointers needed for that, (for MOST people, anyway!!)
If you're wondering what else you can do to make your pictures better, Gigi Hadid, for example, has also attributed good lighting to some of her most popular selfies. "When you’re outside, it's always good to be in a sunny place, but in the shade facing the light so you’re not overexposed,” she told Vogue.
Grasie Mercedes of Style Me Grasie says a great selfie is all about confidence—but light and angles definitely help, too. "I have to be in the mood to take a selfie for it to come out well. If I force it just to post an Instagram, I end up taking a hundred photos and none of them will look good! If I'm feeling pretty and ready to party; that's usually when my selfies are their best," she explained. "How you hold your phone is also very important, so move it around until you find your good side."
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#2
Create levels by placing one leg ahead of the other
NAS 5 years ago
Guys, these are technical pointers, not a regular photo shoot, so commenting on whether the subject is smiling is a moot point unless this professional photographer references it. Leave it to the professionals to instruct what is to be looked at in this 'class'.
Podunkus 5 years ago
You can’t circumvent human nature. People always look at the face first. It is hard-wired into a certain region of the human brain so as to immediately judge “friend or foe.” Thus, all the numerous and perfectly human comments about the model’s face.
Load More Replies... Euphoria 2 years ago
Our Affordable timeless fashion for women revolves around offering classic women's clothing on a budget, empowering sustainable choices in fashion. Explore chic and budget-friendly wardrobe options that reflect your style while prioritizing sustainability. Our commitment to quality fashion without a high cost ensures you can embrace sustainable style for her without breaking the bank. Choose from a range of stylish silhouettes on a budget stylish silhouettes that embody the essence of enduring elegance in clothing, allowing you to make affordable and sustainable style a part of your everyday life
Cheryl Kaukonen 5 years ago
In photo 1, her shoulders are rounded towards her hands clasped in her lap. In photo 2, she relaxes her shoulders against the back of the chair making her look more laid back.
Patrick Larson 5 years ago
Okay, about those buildings. Don't use a wide-angle lens for this shot.
What's In Your Head? 5 years ago
Okay, but when you're fat, like me, the pose on the left is definitely better. The pose on the right will definitely make me look like a sagged bag of potatoes. XD
Deborah 5 years ago
She’s not addressing facial expressions. She’s showing you how to arrange your body.
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It's very easy to allow that quiet negative voice in your head to take over when you're having your photo taken. Whether you're in a street full of people or in the middle of nowhere with just you and the photographer, it can start to creep in any place, any time. You may feel concerned what other people will think of you, or but at the end of the day it's your picture. Try to ignore the rest of the world and silence that voice by having fun.
#3
When we don’t feel 100% comfortable in front of the camera, we tend to generate pressure in our arms. Whether by sticking them to our body or placing them in an uncomfortable position. The solution? Just relax. By eliminating the pressures we will look more elegant and secure, would you try it?
Cheryl Kaukonen 5 years ago
Photo 1 looks like she's ready to sprint off her chair. Photo 2 she's looking more natural and more relaxed in herself.
Patrick Larson 5 years ago
But then there's that tree coming out of her head. You're killing me.
#4
Step back to add rhythm. Remember to show your beautiful bag.
Podunkus 5 years ago
No, I don’t care for this type of staging because too many elements are competing for attention. Which one is the subject of the photo?
NAS 5 years ago
I can tell you are an amateur. Please just concentrate on what she saying about the form, not what she carries.
Load More Replies... Cheryl Kaukonen 5 years ago
She looks bigger in photo 2 against the backdrop of the large building behind her. In photo 1, she's swallowed up by the back ground.
#5
SirPatTheCat 5 years ago
This one should be higher. Even though she doesn't explain with a caption, it's very nice use of leading lines and interesting angles.
sharron lynn parsons 5 years ago
Very good pose, when I want a nice shot, I try for a candid shot, I prefer it, when possible, I have some, that actually look candid, my granddaughter at about four, she took direction well, I was fortunate, she could have been a model !!!
#6
Avoid covering your body. Although I have a triangle in this pose, my body language is insecure. Create a double triangle, and lift the torso for a more powerful look
Sabse 5 years ago
The poses may be better, but why does everyone today make that serious, sublime expression? I like the smile much better - makes them more sympathetic.
NAS 5 years ago
Guys, these are technical pointers, not a regular photo shoot, so commenting on whether the subject is smiling is a moot point unless this professional photographer references it. Leave it to the professionals to instruct what is to be looked at in this 'class'.
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sharron lynn parsons 5 years ago
Very good, she looks deep in thought, but also looks, as a candid shot !!!
Fieke Engelen 5 years ago
If it was my daughter, it would be the left side one in my photo album
Fieke Engelen 5 years ago
the right side would be ahead if only there was a bit of a smile. A happy face will do it every time
#7
One of the main goals of camera posing is to make curves with your body that give your photo a more attractive and dynamic appeal.
Octavia Hansen 5 years ago
I would have hung the purse over my shoulder . . . dangling between the legs looks awkward
Marit Von Pigeon 5 years ago
She was posing pretty much like the first photo here in #4, so???
#8
Pose without curves.
sharron lynn parsons 5 years ago
On the right it is good, although it is a pose, it looks candid !!!
#9
Jomo 5 years ago
I think in most of these pictures she looks much happier in the "don't" pictures.
Stille20 5 years ago
Apparently joy makes a bad photo... these tips seem to be about posing for a clothing company or instagram more than a nice photo pf yourself.
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Lieve Egger 1 year ago
Vielleicht ist die professionelle Pose eleganter aber sie sieht auf dem anderen Bild wesentlich sympathischer aus !
sharron lynn parsons 5 years ago
The second looks better, however, I miss the lovely smile !!!
Bluebird11 5 years ago
Sorry, this "after" looks Entirely unnatural. Nobody sits? squats? like that. That's why there isn't even a word for it.
#10
Placing your elbow incorrectly can cause distortion in how you look in front of the camera. If you put your arm on the side, you create a triangle, and that encourages the composition of your photo.
Mild Anxiety! At The Disco 5 years ago
Um...anyone notice how on the left there’s a hand above her head but also near her waist??
#11
Fact Perils 5 years ago
since when is showing your teeth a "proper smile"? In my opinion, the second one looks more forced.
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Kimberlie Margerum Elliott 3 years ago
Both pictures are pretty and they both look like a natural smile.
Vaida Kuodytė 5 years ago
Doesn't work quite as well with natural and not bleached-until-blue Hollywood teeth.
#12
Bambi pose is my favorite for this season. Disclaimer: It's not comfortable. If you are at home add some accessories around you to give it a summer touch
Sue Parry 5 years ago
So looking sexy is more important than being comfortable or being yourself. What a novel advice to give women. Where are all the men being taught how to pose?
Mal 5 years ago
Right! kind of annoyed with all the photo posing and makeup/hair stuff when it's all women. It just feeds the "How you should look" monster. Don't be yourself- be calculated and carefully crafted.
Load More Replies... Frankenfrog 5 years ago
Who the f**k sits like that. We all know how fake this is. Get your head out of Instagram's a*s
Demongrrrrl 5 years ago
I think it's the crossed arms in #1 that are the problem. They make her look te
Marit Von Pigeon 5 years ago
I guess I'll just continue to look awkward in photos, and pass on the Kardashian look.
#13
Sardonic Scribe 5 years ago
All of these look like a genuine person on the left, and someone I'd never want to meet on the right.
Debra Timah 5 years ago
I don't see it so much as real life do's and don't's; as it is about seeing past the picture perfect images online - knowing it's not that *you* don't measure up, it's a trick of the camera here and there.
Load More Replies... #14
If you feel bloated. Avoid frontal photos. When positioned on your side, you look less bloated, and create lines with your body
#15
Touch something around. In this case the balcony. If you want to show more curves, exaggerate the curve in your back
Fieke Engelen 5 years ago
What's the issue about 'smiling'?? Right hand side, lovely photo but totally cold
#16
RitaGG 5 years ago
Apparently hairstyle has a lot to do with the correctly staged photo as well.
#17
#18
#19
#20
#21
#22
#23
Create lines and rhythm
Onion rings like to make your breath smelly 5 years ago
Nice facial expression ;)
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#24
Kerri-ann Woolward 5 years ago
Picking something better to sit on would have been good as she looks like she is on the toilet
Bonnie Edwards 5 years ago
well.... duh! that swimsuit is not designed for someone who slouches.
#25
Merlyn Emrys 5 years ago
Clearly the other lady is doing this to get our approval? I doubt she cares what we think either.
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Tara Hannah 3 years ago
Yall are some negative Nancy's. No one cares that you don't like the suggested poses. This lady put this together in order to help those who want it, and yell sound like a class full of kids who just got assigned a butt load of homework complaing. Like you are required to pose her way from now on. Guess what? You don't! Just keep on doing it your way and looking like a frog, and leave this lady's comment section open for some positivity.
#26
SirPatTheCat 5 years ago
Is this referring to the pose or the different shoes, jacket, and glasses?
Dawn Murin 5 years ago
Why yes! If you only had different shoes, hair, clothes and body type, you too could be an Instagram influencer! : P
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Jordan Westall 5 years ago
Can we enjoy something w/o people talking about the f*****g carona virus?
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Sardonic Scribe 5 years ago
Who takes a pic in bed unless it's for "exposure"??
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Kate 5 years ago
They look cute in both but that 'reaching hand toward the camera' pose has become so overused on Instagram.
Octavia Hansen 5 years ago
Anything coming out of your head, even your arm, is awkward. And I tell people NEVER put your hand/arm where it cuts into your face. With the hand closest to the camera, everything else looks secondary. The X photo, if they were leaning together (and possibly heads tilted together) along with camera closer (using the railing as the bottom of the shot) it could be so much cuter . . .
#29
#30
Heather Gray 5 years ago
Nope, neck extension, relaxing the shoulders more
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Rhonda Carrillo 2 years ago
Thank you for all of these. They are super helpful and thank you for the time you took to do this for us. I can't believe the number of smart-a*s comments. Whatever happened to, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."? If anyone didn't find this helpful, they simply don't need to look.
Marlene Ricker 5 years ago
In the first picture she looks like a dwarf where in the second photo, she looks tall.
#31
#38
#39
🍿WhErE iS mY pOpCoRn🍿 5 years ago
The one wearing the leggings in the left pic looks like she gotta go to the bathroom 😂
#44
Ayra 5 years ago
You can see the hands, she sits straighter, the lighter jacket makes her body more visible against the dark background.
Load More Replies... LottieH 5 years ago
Sorry to say but I agree that the left one is nicer, you look more approachable and natural in it, the right just looks fake and gives the same fake impression of you as a person. Not hating, I promise I have really liked all the other advice just this one isn't sitting well with me 😊
#49
#54
#55
#65
Add New Image
What do you think ?
Martha Meyer 5 years ago
I like the person in those left pictures much better. She feels relatable and open. The one on the right feels distant and staged.
Daria B 5 years ago
I, for once, think these are pretty useful, there's no "real" for the camera lenses anyway, so show them your best self. Now, bring on the downies! ♡
Lil Bare 5 years ago
"How to look more alive in pictures": stop posing for pictures and always be in motion. The only definition of life is movement
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Kimberly Kasper 5 years ago
We all look like the left pictures everyday all day long. I get wanting a nice photo but dang that's an awful lot of time spent posing for fake fun rather than just having fun and taking pictures. Instead of all this posing let's try to be happy with our bodies. I personally have spent too much time hiding mine. I'm tired of it and I'm just gonna be me. Sorry if I f-up your photo in the process.
Podunkus 5 years ago (edited)
You bring up a good point. When we take photos of friends or family members, like at a party or vacation, we just want to capture loved ones just the way they are/were. For a professional photo shoot, the photographer is there to help sell products and make money, not memories.
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Julia Daxenbichler 5 years ago
To be honest, I don't think any of the pictures look particularly good. The left pictures at least look like a warm and honest person, not like a pseudo-influencer trying to sell stuff.
Lindsay Ameye 5 years ago
Why are all the after pictures without a smile? Since when did smiling become unflattering??
Hans 5 years ago
In other words: pose and stage pictures rather than showing what really happened. Everyone to their own aspirations, but I think life is too short for paying so much attention to what others may perceive.
What's In Your Head? 5 years ago
Agree! I think the "correct" poses all look unnecessarily dramatic and pretentious...
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Loki’s Lil Butter Knife 5 years ago
I will pose however I damn well please...thank you! Honestly, can somebody please explain to me this Influencer craze? I'm a Millennial and it still baffles me. I guess I'm just not hip enough.
devi L. 5 years ago
Eh this article is ridiculous in my opinion. I'm so tired of everyone posting pics of themselves all in the same poses and similar backgrounds. No ones different anymore. All want to be like the newer generation.
songdrop _ 2 years ago
I think it's helpful, the article gives great tips in posing which is something I struggle alot when drawing. And there's more photographers outside of Instagram. And as part of the newer gen, looking at one place will get you one result. There's a lot of scenes out there to explore if you look a little harder, it's not that monotoned
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Martha Meyer 5 years ago
I like the person in those left pictures much better. She feels relatable and open. The one on the right feels distant and staged.
Daria B 5 years ago
I, for once, think these are pretty useful, there's no "real" for the camera lenses anyway, so show them your best self. Now, bring on the downies! ♡
Lil Bare 5 years ago
"How to look more alive in pictures": stop posing for pictures and always be in motion. The only definition of life is movement
Load More Replies... Kimberly Kasper 5 years ago
We all look like the left pictures everyday all day long. I get wanting a nice photo but dang that's an awful lot of time spent posing for fake fun rather than just having fun and taking pictures. Instead of all this posing let's try to be happy with our bodies. I personally have spent too much time hiding mine. I'm tired of it and I'm just gonna be me. Sorry if I f-up your photo in the process.
Podunkus 5 years ago (edited)
You bring up a good point. When we take photos of friends or family members, like at a party or vacation, we just want to capture loved ones just the way they are/were. For a professional photo shoot, the photographer is there to help sell products and make money, not memories.
Load More Replies... Julia Daxenbichler 5 years ago
To be honest, I don't think any of the pictures look particularly good. The left pictures at least look like a warm and honest person, not like a pseudo-influencer trying to sell stuff.
Lindsay Ameye 5 years ago
Why are all the after pictures without a smile? Since when did smiling become unflattering??
Hans 5 years ago
In other words: pose and stage pictures rather than showing what really happened. Everyone to their own aspirations, but I think life is too short for paying so much attention to what others may perceive.
What's In Your Head? 5 years ago
Agree! I think the "correct" poses all look unnecessarily dramatic and pretentious...
Load More Replies... Loki’s Lil Butter Knife 5 years ago
I will pose however I damn well please...thank you! Honestly, can somebody please explain to me this Influencer craze? I'm a Millennial and it still baffles me. I guess I'm just not hip enough.
devi L. 5 years ago
Eh this article is ridiculous in my opinion. I'm so tired of everyone posting pics of themselves all in the same poses and similar backgrounds. No ones different anymore. All want to be like the newer generation.
songdrop _ 2 years ago
I think it's helpful, the article gives great tips in posing which is something I struggle alot when drawing. And there's more photographers outside of Instagram. And as part of the newer gen, looking at one place will get you one result. There's a lot of scenes out there to explore if you look a little harder, it's not that monotoned
Load More Replies... 
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