Improving Your Photography - For Flattering Edited Photos, Profile Pictures and Selfies

Dear Friends

One of my correspondents has sent me two photos. He looks very different in the two photos, the bow tie pic being the best.

The latest one is rather off-putting and you would not think it was the same person. I suspect that the first one was taken from one to five years ago at a wedding or 50th birthday party. On these occasions it is natural to smile, especially if a professional photographer uses their skill in saying smile please, waving a puppet or taking several snaps. 

Maybe my correspondent chose this picture simply because he had it handy in a frame on his desk. 

The other recent picture he sent is up-to-date. It might have been taken by a passer-by or amateur photographer not familiar with the subject's camera. Or he could have set it to take automatically. Not knowing when it would take, he stood looking worried, instead of standing with a fixed grin.

One problem is that when you pose for strangers you look anxious. Especially when muttering instruction telling somebody else how to operate the camera. You smile only after the picture is taken. 

Let's go back to my friend, at least he might be a friend. 

What's the difference between his two photos?

1 Picture one has the subject facing the camera and viewer.

2 Picture one is smiling.

3 Picture one dressed smarter, tuxedo and bow tie. Picture two is an outdoors on a boat, a sporty scene with sou'wester and cap.

4 Picture one happier.

5 Picture one younger, partly because a smile gives a face-lift.

6 Picture one is face on, looks less hunched.The bow tie picture suggested to me that he was debonair, rich, and cultured, outgoing, chatty. More my type. 

The next picture suggests that he is sporty, walking through the woods but not saying much. Not my type.

If a man shows a picture like the second picture I described, I suggest he revises the second picture, smiling at the camera. Or takes another more like the first, but more recent?

I'm amazed at the number of people who like to present themselves as glum, surly, or evasive (looking out of the picture).

Clutter

A lot of men think they look good on an unmade bed or in an untidy kitchen or bathroom. If you are going to sit on a sofa, sit up straight. Stand straight too. Some are standing diagonally as if they will slip down a plughole to the left.

Naked On Chair 

If you want to hide, hide amusingly. My favourite pose was the man who seems to be naked but is sitting the wrong way round on a dining chair so you don't see anything except his broad shoulders and legs. Very erotic. Stylish. You imagine that everything he does is done with equal care for effect.

Nearly Nude - Nude But Not Rude

You can be nearly nude on a beach. Standing in the water showing your top half. Sitting or lying under a towel. Lying on your front with only top half showing. Buried in sand with shoulders showing. Looking out from behind a surf board.

Back to the photos.

Dogs

Don't sit hidden behind a large dog. 

Clutter

Remove all distracting bits and pieces. Your camera case or handbag should not be half in the picture, half out of it, unless you have a very attractive bag and want to show it.

Level

Keep horizontals horizontal. If you can crop the picture on your little magic computer screen, do so. If you have a camera phone and can play back the picture immediately, look at it critically. Take another picture, or two, to be on the safe side and so you later have a choice. Make the second picture landscape view. Cut out trees growing out of your head and anything confusing your silhouette or making the picture dark and blotchy. 

Natural Frame

Frame the picture with a sideways or overhead arch. Stand in a doorway. Or move towards and away from a tree until it makes a t-shape around you.Poses can be interesting too. Slouching. Aggressive. Sultry. Sexy. Coy. Casual. Debonair. 

Props

A prop should say something about you. Tennis racket or golf club - sporty. Music CDs and rows of books - academic, educated or cultured. 

Clothes

So should the clothes. Jeans or shorts, casual. Suit and bow tie - smart, show-off.Bloggers' pictures generally look far more attractive than the average. 

Back View

Ladies are more inventive when it comes to looking erotic and hiding most of themselves. Some show only back view in a bikini. Or just the back of their head with long hair cascading down their back. 

Personal - Feet & Flowers

Shylena shows shoes, on her feet, on a windowsill, with a background of plant life. Or bare feet - amid flowers.Hidden FaceTo hide your identity, whilst showing part of your face, you have many options. Dark glasses. A hat with a brim. Your hand over your face will show your hands as well, so a girl might show her nails whilst hiding her nose and mouth.

Eyes Only

One blogger is looking up at the viewer, with her glasses down her nose, in half-undressed, suggestive fashion. Her eyes look fetchingly over the top.

Frame

Another blogger has used a diamond shape frame to make her portrait different.

Hiding

You can hide yourself in all sorts of ways: peeping around a door; looking over a newspaper; over a book; drinking a cup of coffee; holding a microphone over your mouth.

Mirror

I've tried photographing myself in a mirror. It's hard to position yourself so that you don't get the camera covering your face. You also get flash in the mirror.I must admit I've spent a lot of time trying to take good photos. 

Help Wanted 

Have you seen any really bad or good pictures? Or learned any tips about composing, photographing or cropping pictures?Your comments welcome.