How to Look Good in photos

If you are like me, and think that you look horrible in any picture of yourself, then you need this tutorial!

I'll go into how to make yourself photo ready, take good pictures and above all, like the way YOU look in your own photos!

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• See steps for what you need.

1. 
    
   woman trying on clothes - imagine stock photo

   The most critical step, and the hardest is your clothes. Certain colors and certain styles work, and others don't. Find out what works for you. Go to a Walmart, Sears or Kohls. Try on a lot of clothing, and you don't have to buy anything at this point! As you try on the clothes, hold your hands up in a box and try to see yourself in a photo as a camera would see you... or take a picture of yourself in each outfit if you own a camera phone.
   
   When you find something you like, buy it if you want, but the important thing is that you find styles and colors that give YOU the look that YOU want.
   
   Me? I found that I enjoy wearing button ups, either black or blue, and I like darker colors for my pants. You wont find me "Miami Vicing" it with pastels...

2. 
    
   My best picture, my best pose, hey... it's my avatar's donor photo...

   Determine what your best angle is.
   
   My example is this: I am really skinny. I'm 5'10" and 130lbs. My metabolism is through the roof, and I cant gain weight. I hate being beanpole skinny!!!
   
   After taking my Fuji Finepix s5000, and a 1GB memory card, I set the camera up on a tripod.
   
   There were three hights I was working with.
   1. Head level aimed at my chin as center point.
   2. Torso level still aimed at my chin as center point.
   3. Waist level again, aimed at my chin as center point.
   
   I took 50 to 70 photos of each position, getting more comfortable with the idea of seeing myself on camera. This is a great excersise, by the way, to build confidence in yourself!
   
   Of those photos, I picked the three top pictures that I really liked in each position. These are the the ONLY three ways that you will see me in any photo of me. I feel comfortable, I feel natural and relaxed. I know exactly how I'm going to look when others see the picture on facebook or wherever, and I know others won't think I'm being fake or posing.

3. 
    
   Snapping a Photo!

   As crazy as it sounds, if you don't like how the photos come out when you're done with the tests, try looking around for someone who's really good at picture taking.
   
   Let's admit it... There are people who are naturally really good at composing a photo composition, and then there are those who just suck.
   
   When all else fails, or you just want to see what someone else can do with a camera, grab a new friend to help you!

4. 
    
   This is an extreme example of what you can do with the Photoshop program.

   If you are using a digital camera, I would also recommend using a photo editing program such as Picasa (which is free) to edit your photo until you like it!
   
   Try changing the hues and saturation of the colors to accent your look!

5. The last thing I'll say, is that the more you see yourself in pictures or photos, the more comfortable you'll feel. Try framing a couple and putting them by your bed so that you see them every morning and night. Sure, you might be mistaken for a egoist, but you feel more comfortable in a few days... but don't stop here.
   
   Change the photos every couple days. This keeps you seeing yourself in a new way.
   
   Then, when you feel that you are more comfortable, turn the photos upside down. Really... I'm serious. You will notice things when they are upside down that you didn't notice before.
   
   After a couple weeks, you might be more willing to have your photo taken than sit in a dentists chair for a triple root canal.