Take Good Photos of Yourself when You Are Overweight

Everyone has trouble being photogenic. Some heavier people feel as if they can’t ever take a good picture. Fortunately, you can look amazing in photos no matter what your size is. If you understand camera angles and practice a few poses, you’ll look fantastic in any photo you take!

Steps

Posing in Photos

1. Turn your body away from the camera. This angle will help you look longer and thinner in photos. First, turn your body so that your side is closer to the camera than your front. Stand with your back straight, shoulders down, and chest out. Finally, flex your stomach to bring in your waist..
   • Don’t stand flat-footed. Instead, balance your weight on the ball of your feet.
   • Ladies should cross their feet while they stand. This will slim their hips and can also make a photo more interesting.
2. Pose your arms. Keep your arms away from your body to make them look slimmer. If you’re a woman, put the hand closest to the camera on your hip and point your elbow behind you. This will elongate your arm and help it look toned. Men can put a hand in their pocket, holding the arm away from their body. Next, hide your other arm behind your body or gently rest it on a chest-high surface.
   • If you have to face the camera directly and want your waist to look smaller, put both of your hands on your hips.
   • Hold purses or bags slightly away from your body or over a self-conscious area.
3. Accentuate your jaw. A well-defined jaw will make you look slimmer in photographs. Bring your head towards the camera by extending your neck. However, don’t simply point your chin at the camera as this looks unnatural. Angle your head slightly as you pose by tilting it to the left or right.
   • Remember to keep your back straight while you pose. Otherwise, you may look like a turtle with your head stretched out.
   • Men should consider growing a beard that will help accentuate the jawline.
4. Pose with a partner. Turn your body away from the camera towards your picture partner. Balance your weight on your back foot and drop your hips, relaxing your front leg. Put the other hand around or on your partner’s shoulder. If you want to look extra slim stand slightly behind your partner. Remember, never flatten your arm against your body.
   • Women can put the hand closest to the camera on their lowered hip and push their elbows back.
   • Men can put a hand in their pocket and push the elbow out.
5. Pose with a group. Never be the closest person to the camera. This will make you appear larger than anyone else in the photo. Next, either put your hands on your hips or around the shoulders of your picture partners. If you can choose who you stand between, choose people with similar body types to your own. This will reduce a contrast between body types in photos.
   • If you’re especially self-conscious about your arms simply put them around your picture partners’ waists. They won’t be seen in the picture at all.
   • Women can cross their legs one in front of the other to appear slimmer.

Taking a Flattering Selfie

1. Take an overhead photo. Photos taken at this angle generally make their subjects look slimmer. Lift the camera so that it’s about a foot taller than eye level. Look at the camera and take a practice photo. Raise and lower the camera while taking practice photos to find your perfect angle.
   • Men should push their chins out while taking photos from an overhead angle. This will make the jaw appear stronger.
   • Keep your chin down and turn your face slightly to the left or right.
2. Choose a good selfie location. Find a spot that has light coming in from behind you. The light will filter around you and give you a soft glow. If you’re wearing dark clothing, pose against a light background for a slimming effect. If you’re wearing light clothing, pose against a slightly darker or lighter background. If the background is too dark, it will make you appear bulky.
   • Find natural sources of light. Avoid fluorescent lights at all costs.
   • If you’re posting the selfies on the internet don’t use the same location for every selfie. Keep it interesting!
3. Crop your selfie. Once you’ve taken a selfie you like, crop anything unwanted out of the picture. For example, if you like the way your face looks but you feel like your arm looks bulky, crop your arm out. Similarly, if you took your selfie in a bathroom, make sure you crop out the toilet or any beauty product clutter on the sink.
   • Download a selfie app to help you crop photos more easily. These apps will also include filters that you can use on your selfie before you post them.
   • If you run out of ideas for selfie locations look at popular selfie posters on Instagram or Twitter for inspiration.

Looking Your Best for Photos

1. Dress to flatter a feminine body type. Wear fitted tops that flare around the hips to slim your waist. Similarly, wear shirts that cinch in just below your bust or wear a belt your waist. If you’re wearing a jacket, button a few buttons in the middle. Avoid billowing clothing that will erase your hourglass shape.
   • Choose darker shades over lighter shades. Darker shades are generally more slimming in photographs.
   • Wear similar shades of clothing on your top and bottom.
2. Dress to flatter a masculine body type. Wear clothes that fit well. Your shirt sleeves should come to your wrists and your pants should stop at the top of your heel. Never wear oversized clothing. You should especially avoid clothes that are baggy and wrinkly. Avoid complicated patterns on your clothing and choose darker colors over lighter colors.
   • If you have trouble finding clothes that fit, talk to a tailor. Small adjustments on clothing are usually around $10-$20.
   • If you need help picking out clothing talk to an associate at a upscale men’s department store. They will usually have good advice about what to wear.
3. Look your best. Take time to style your hair to perfection. If you’re a woman with longer hair, curl it to give it volume and slim your face. If you’re a woman have shorter hair, style it with volume on top for a similar effect. Next, apply your favorite makeup. Not only will you look good in photos, you’ll also get a huge confidence boost.Men should comb their hair neatly and trim their facial hair. Make sure your face is clean as well.
   • If you have a masculine haircut and you’re not sure how to style it, go to your local barbershop. They’ll give you a trim and teach you how to style your hair.
   • Watch makeup tutorials online to perfect your look.
4. Smile. A genuine smile looks beautiful in pictures. However, some people have trouble finding a genuine smile while waiting to be photographed. If so, laugh quietly and squint your eyes slightly. This will help your smile look genuine even when it isn’t.
   • Think of a happy memory while smiling. This will help your smile reach your eyes.
   • Practice your smile in the mirror to see what you’ll look like in pictures.

Tips

• When posing for a photo, make sure that nothing on you is perfectly horizontal. Tilt your head so that your eyes aren't perfectly horizontal to the ground, your shoulders should be canted, etc. This is applicable, even if you aren't overweight.

Related Articles

• Photograph an Overweight Person

Sources and Citations

See also

• Photograph a Baby or Infant
• Fix Your Makeup for Great Looking Photos
• Take Good Selfies
• Take Erotic Photos of Yourself
• Make Digital Art
• Smile for Pictures
• Pose for Pictures
• Look Good in Pictures
• Photograph the Female Nude
• Take Good Mirror Photos and Poses

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