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!
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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
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."
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.
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?
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.
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
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.
I would have hung the purse over my shoulder . . . dangling between the legs looks awkward
Pose without curves.
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.
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
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?
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...Who the f**k sits like that. We all know how fake this is. Get your head out of Instagram's a*s
I think it's the crossed arms in #1 that are the problem. They make her look te
I guess I'll just continue to look awkward in photos, and pass on the Kardashian look.
don't sit on your heels, it's really really bad for your ankles and feet
All of these look like a genuine person on the left, and someone I'd never want to meet on the right.
If you feel bloated. Avoid frontal photos. When positioned on your side, you look less bloated, and create lines with your body
Touch something around. In this case the balcony. If you want to show more curves, exaggerate the curve in your back
Picking something better to sit on would have been good as she looks like she is on the toilet
Is this referring to the pose or the different shoes, jacket, and glasses?
Note: this post originally had 67 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
I like the person in those left pictures much better. She feels relatable and open. The one on the right feels distant and staged.
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! ♡
"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...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.
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...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.
Why are all the after pictures without a smile? Since when did smiling become unflattering??
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.
Agree! I think the "correct" poses all look unnecessarily dramatic and pretentious...
Load More Replies...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.
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.
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...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'.
OK, I'll be quiet & do as I'm told. Us gals have no business expressing opinions, after all.
Load More Replies...all great tips, but the post should be titled "How to Pose for Photos so You Don't Look Dumpy"
Man, I feel like a lot of people posting comments are so negative about posing and it's 'fakeness' and only there to post better insta pics. Photography is a from of art y'all, and posing is a big part of it so yes it helpful to insta peeps but it's helpful to other photo takers. AND it's helpful to artists, like me that struggles with posing alot. I know many of y'all won't see the value of an article like this because it doesn't directly help you but it's purpose is to help those that can take something away from it.
About time someone said something nice, I'm sure she put a lot of time and energy into this and what does she get from us? NEGATIVITY. I mean who doesn't want to look there best in a photo?
Load More Replies...This was a s**t show from start to finish. Regular people don't live their lives through instagram and aren't interested in posing to give people an illusion of perfection. Give it a rest, "photographer"
Thank you so much for being brave enough to share your tips. You are Beautiful!
Thanks for the friendly ideas. I don’t care how hard I try, I always look stumpy and goofy in pictures and they make me cringe when I look at them later. These are some very useful tips that will help me look better in photos. Thanks!
Hey these are great instead of criticizeing your right an left .I found the yes excellent an will use every one of these poses
#26 is the only one she looks better in on the left. All the others great improvement :)
Thank you for the great tips. I always feel so frumpy when I see my pictures and these are all great tips!!!
I actually found this article very helpful. There is nothing wrong with posing to flatter your body. At least you will feel confident that the photos (especially those on other people's phones) aren't absolutely awful! It's annoying when people give you a hard time for taking time to pose in a way that makes you comfortable. It's called pride, people. It's not a bad thing.
Excellent tips. ALways stand sideway not straight on. Like the legs, feet ect.
As someone who is uncomfortable in front of a camera, I really appreciate these tips. I've had so many bad photos taken of me than I can remember and it feels awful. I can smile or figure out my face ok, but posing is super uncomfortable, so now I can practice some poses but figure out how i can make them work for me.
Thank you. I found this really helpful. Maybe I won't absolutely hate all pictures of me in the future.
So we're supposed to pose like professional models for every single picture? No thanks. I think this is the first time I've downvoted a Panda article. But damn, I don't like the shallow message it sends.
The ones on the left have personality, the ones on the right just look like any classic influencer
I like the person in those left pictures much better. She feels relatable and open. The one on the right feels distant and staged.
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! ♡
"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...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.
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...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.
Why are all the after pictures without a smile? Since when did smiling become unflattering??
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.
Agree! I think the "correct" poses all look unnecessarily dramatic and pretentious...
Load More Replies...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.
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.
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...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'.
OK, I'll be quiet & do as I'm told. Us gals have no business expressing opinions, after all.
Load More Replies...all great tips, but the post should be titled "How to Pose for Photos so You Don't Look Dumpy"
Man, I feel like a lot of people posting comments are so negative about posing and it's 'fakeness' and only there to post better insta pics. Photography is a from of art y'all, and posing is a big part of it so yes it helpful to insta peeps but it's helpful to other photo takers. AND it's helpful to artists, like me that struggles with posing alot. I know many of y'all won't see the value of an article like this because it doesn't directly help you but it's purpose is to help those that can take something away from it.
About time someone said something nice, I'm sure she put a lot of time and energy into this and what does she get from us? NEGATIVITY. I mean who doesn't want to look there best in a photo?
Load More Replies...This was a s**t show from start to finish. Regular people don't live their lives through instagram and aren't interested in posing to give people an illusion of perfection. Give it a rest, "photographer"
Thank you so much for being brave enough to share your tips. You are Beautiful!
Thanks for the friendly ideas. I don’t care how hard I try, I always look stumpy and goofy in pictures and they make me cringe when I look at them later. These are some very useful tips that will help me look better in photos. Thanks!
Hey these are great instead of criticizeing your right an left .I found the yes excellent an will use every one of these poses
#26 is the only one she looks better in on the left. All the others great improvement :)
Thank you for the great tips. I always feel so frumpy when I see my pictures and these are all great tips!!!
I actually found this article very helpful. There is nothing wrong with posing to flatter your body. At least you will feel confident that the photos (especially those on other people's phones) aren't absolutely awful! It's annoying when people give you a hard time for taking time to pose in a way that makes you comfortable. It's called pride, people. It's not a bad thing.
Excellent tips. ALways stand sideway not straight on. Like the legs, feet ect.
As someone who is uncomfortable in front of a camera, I really appreciate these tips. I've had so many bad photos taken of me than I can remember and it feels awful. I can smile or figure out my face ok, but posing is super uncomfortable, so now I can practice some poses but figure out how i can make them work for me.
Thank you. I found this really helpful. Maybe I won't absolutely hate all pictures of me in the future.
So we're supposed to pose like professional models for every single picture? No thanks. I think this is the first time I've downvoted a Panda article. But damn, I don't like the shallow message it sends.
The ones on the left have personality, the ones on the right just look like any classic influencer