Don't Look like an April Fool in your photos!

                                                                    

Oh, for the good 'ole days. The days I thought my hips looked wide in my size 6 pants. The days of carefree photographs not caring if a hair was out of place. If my eyes were open, then the picture became more than acceptable. Looking back, I looked cute in every last one of them.

No worry of whether I should do the skinny arm. Bend one knee. Stand more straight. Lean more forward. Move more back from the camera. Chin up. Chin down. Full grin or less of a smile to show less of my wrinkle collection. If I raise my eyebrows, will I give myself an immediate face lift?  I don't even know exactly where I'm suppose to look when looking at the camera. There's a lot to consider.

I don't recognize myself in the pictures of myself. Who is that? Surely not me. Maybe someone planned my capture and stole the clothes off my back. Why didn't someone tell me my hair was doing that? Why did I stand like that? Why did I make a face like that? 

What was I thinking? Maybe I was thinking too much.

Pictures used to come more naturally when I glowed more naturally. These days, it takes more time and more material to greet my world in my most optimum state. I do try my best to present my best. That becomes harder every day. Pictures at my age have become more a conundrum. Becoming picture-ready is less automatic. How about for you?

Have I lost my glow? A recent makeup sales women asked me why I was using a matt primer. I had no answer. I'm supposed to look more illuminating? Sad to reach this age and have little to no knowledge of how to apply makeup. Well, okay. Ring it up. 

Is this what pictures at my age have come to? 

I recently needed some fresh pictures of myself to use to promote my writing and my books. It seemed simple enough of a goal to achieve. I will schedule this on a wash my hair day. We all understand we need justifiable reason to exert the extra effort! Dry shampoo will not do. 

Dress my best. Add lipstick for a pop of color. 

1...2...3...Cheese 

If my designated photographer takes a series of photos, then at least one is sure to turn out to be acceptable. Right? Wrong! That's evidently too much to ask. I went through 3 different photographers with 3 different backgrounds and 3 different lighting options before I found 1 acceptable photo good enough to use. My standard of what would be acceptable kept lowering as I viewed picture after picture after dumb-looking picture. 

The final winning photo was taken by a fellow PetSmart customer as she left the checkout slightly ahead of me. I kept my eye on her as I paid for my purchase not allowing her to get far from my sight or out of voice range. I had to stop her in her tracks by shouting loudly across the parking lot. "Hey! Hey lady! Could you take a picture of me in front of this random white wall?" I'm sure she was wondering about my mental state. Others wondered too as they turned to glare. This chosen photographer was a cute young thing that would have no concern of how wide her hips looked in pictures. Due to her age, I was certain her technology abilities ranked high. I was also certain she would have zero understanding of the saga and peril I had experienced that day just to obtain one solitary picture. I kept my mouth shut until it was time to smile. Not too big. Not too expressive.

When I view recent pictures of myself, I'm particularly puzzled, perplexed, and not pleasantly pleased. What about you?

Husband, is that what I really look like?

I did ask him that very question. I eagerly took pictures with some colleagues at a recent work event. I didn't share the resulting photos as eagerly. My husband is the only willing participant I would care to ask for honest feedback. I'm braced. I'm ready. I think. He proceeds to tell me it does look exactly like me especially since that's how I look without any makeup! What?!! This was taken with my hair coiffed and my lipstick on! This was to capture my looking best moment after all the preliminary makeup and maintenance was complete. Has my looking best moment stooped to this? Guess my pinnacle point sadly reaches merely to the height of a stoop! 

So, what's a mature girl to do? I know for one thing this girl needs to keep having my picture taken in all my glory or in my lack of it. Today's pictures will be tomorrow's treasures. Today's pictures will document my most youthful self. I will look back fondly on them and wonder why I didn't take more pictures way back then. Today is my most youth-filled day in comparison to all my days ahead. I need to take full advantage of them. We all do. Looking back, we'll think we looked cute in every last one of them!

We tend to be the family photographer. We're good at it. We get a lot of practice. We're the one taking pictures of everyone else. Rarely do we get in many shots. We're eager to capture beautiful sunsets and beautiful grandchildren. What about beautiful you and me? We even capture our beautiful plates of food at our favorite restaurant and our somewhat beautiful feet at the end of a lounge chair on a favorite beach. We see the importance of these pictures as keepsakes but for Pete's sake...it's high time we showed up in our photos a little more often.

The great thing these days is that we can take countless pictures and delete most of them before anyone gains a glance. What if there are some steps we can learn to better present our better side? Are there things we can do to raise our confidence to pose picture perfect? Possibly.

Have you heard the news? Saying "cheese" is now saying the wrong word when smiling for a photo. The new better choice words are "yoga" or "money" or "hey." You are to place the tip of your tongue just inside the top of your teeth after saying these so to give yourself a more relaxed upward-turning smile. Who knew?

Here are a few additional pointers to try:

Place camera just above eye level

Wear solid-colored clothing

Stand tall with shoulders back while also leaning slightly forward (Ha! Have fun with that!)

Never stand directly looking at camera / instead stand at a 45-degree angle

Shift weight to back leg

Bend arms slightly down by your side to add space between your arms and body 

Let the natural bright light be facing you head on

Chin forward and down while elongating your neck (Another Ha!)

Yes, this is a lot. Yes, a degree in photographic arts would help. All the PYT's out there know these tricks of the trade when they don't even need them! It's high time we learned them too!

Let me know which of these techniques you try and if they make any difference. Difference-making or not, you're beautiful and you've made a difference in my life by your love and support of me and by subscribing to my blog! 

Thank you VERY MUCH!  XOXO

Money, Cheese, Yoga, Hey.

Pick one. Pick all. They're all okay.

Pose. Relax to show your best.

Capturing that shot is quite a quest!

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