Tricks/Tips For Taking A GREAT Picture

[Teacher_91]

The Mr. & I hope to come away with at least a couple of great pictures to commemorate our first ever cruise to Alaska in July of this year. Typically we don't photograph well. Because we know we don't photograph well, we usually freeze up, therefore, we get the lousy results we expected. <sigh>

I know you can't make a 'silk purse out of a sow's ear' but does anyone have any tips/tricks that work for them? We really would love at least one 'frame worthy' pic of us! :D

Thanks!

[klauer]

I owned a Glamout Shots franchise when they were really popular, and I did pick up a few tricks. One is to make sure that you smile with your eyes. Another is to take a look at photos that you don't like -- is your smile too big, crooked, etc., or do you crinkle your nose or forehead or squint your eyes? Try not to pull your chin in, and if possible, extend it a little. If the photographer takes multiple shots, don't just stay frozen in one position. Relax and then vary your expression, tilt your head a little, maybe change your body position or put your outside hand on your hip. Especially for full-length shots, angle your hips away from the camera, then twist your shoulders to face it.

[Happy ks]

They should pose you, the only problem is, the poses are all the same at each station.

 

To smile with your eyes, pull your ears back with your facial muscles. Keep your teeth together instead of a slack jaw, but don't clench. Shoulders back, head forward just a tad, chin slightly down. I know they always tell me to raise my chin, but I don't care for a booger check shot. I do tilt my head ever so slightly. Practise in a mirror, don't try to remember all of it while being photographed.

 

Take a look at how actresses are photographed on the red carpet, the women never raise their chins and never keep their feet together,always one foot at an angle. They also look like they don't want to be photographed head on, keeping thier bodies at a bit of an angle. Study a lot of them, there is a method and I'm sure they are coached quite a bit to make it all look natural.

 

Go light on the makeup, shimmery eye shadow picks up the flash and it can look like day glow eyes. I've also been told by professional photographers to not wear brown eye shadow as it looks "dirty", instead go for gray or purple or taupe. Easy on the blush, too, a little looks great, a lot screams out "blush!". One other tip about makeup is either do a strong eye or lip, not both. If wearing a red dress, go for burgundy lipstick instead of red...I don't know why, but it just works.

[Jsim2011]

Some fo the best pics of H and I were taken on our first cruise a couple of years ago by RCI photographers.

 

They were not taken on formal nights _ though thy were pretty good too (and usually I hate pics of me).

 

These were taken wearing casual clothes, sitting on the floor but in various poses, me leaning on H etc. find a time when the photographer are not quite as busy and tell them you what you have told us.

[JeanfromBNA]

Here in Nashville, there's always an awards show, and plenty of pictures from the red carpet. I have noticed what the other have said above: Women stand foot at an angle, hand on one hip, and are not photographed head on.

 

Once you start to look for that pose, you find it everywhere.

 

Cowboy hats do make men look more masculine, and hide the receding hairline. Other than that, I got nothin'.:)

[Happy ks]

 

These were taken wearing casual clothes, sitting on the floor but in various poses, me leaning on H etc. find a time when the photographer are not quite as busy and tell them you what you have told us.

 

I love those photos on the floor with the white background! Some of those shots (formal and casual) have made it into frames in my home office. Most formal night shots are in a photo album, but those are more fun!

[Sinppu]

We always take photos with our own camera. We put it on tripod and then it takes 10 pictures in a row. We usually try to avoid posing formally, instead we look at each other, chat and do funny things. It relaxes us and makes the photos natural. At least two or three are always good snaps.

 

People often ask if they can help us and take the photos for us, but that's exactly the problem! They wait for us to pose formal before they snap the photo and then we end up looking stiff and silly :o

So we say "Thank you, but we're fine!" :D

 

If you want the photo to be taken by a ships photog, tell them what you want. They'll accommodate you since it IS in their interest to to have you also buying the photos ;)

[sherilyn70]

I think another thing to remember for good photos is eyemakeup for women. Even if you don't normally wear it, in a photograph it will make your eyes stand out and eyes are a large part of what make portraits good. I tend to tilt my head to the left and back too much, a good photographers knows this and fixes it every time. The bad ones... well there's a reason I never buy their photos. :) I also like to make sure that we (the couple) are color coordinated to some extent for maximum effectiveness. Snapshots of me always look horrible (IMO), however proffesionally done pictures seem to always get me tons of compliments.

[Teacher_91]

Thanks Y'all! Some of the tips I've tried, you've also provided me with some new ideas. "Head-on shots" are a DISASTER for me. I just had to have my driver's license renewed and the lady took THREE pics of me. I know she hated to 'saddle me' with that awful photo for the next 4 plus years. In the end she had no choice and had to move me along. :eek:

I'll defintely be studying the 'glamour red carpet shots' in the coming months and working on my 'pose'. I also like the ideas for taking 'candid' shots.

Oh, how I envy those who are naturally photogenic!

[kleo30]

I watched youtube videos before our trip for this very reason.

 

[Teacher_91]

I watched youtube videos before our trip for this very reason.

 

 

 

Ooooh...what a clever idea. I can't wait to check this out. Were you pleased with the results after your tutorial?

[kleo30]

Ooooh...what a clever idea. I can't wait to check this out. Were you pleased with the results after your tutorial?

I liked most of our pictures. There are a lot of them in the review in my siggy if you are interested. I need to remember all of that when having my picture taken. I'm trying to get a good after picture for work. I'd just use one from the cruise, but they don't want my husband in it, and the ones they took of just me aren't really what I want...formal dress mostly.

[michelle1836]

I watched youtube videos before our trip for this very reason.

 

 

thanks for posting!

 

perhaps as someone mentioned above, try the 'unposed' pictures

[MJC]

These are all excellent tips!

 

I would add two things: first, know your good side (everyone has one) and move to it no matter where the photographer tries to place you; and second, look through the camera's lense to an imaginary person you like, rather than at the camera in general. It will give your face a friendly look.

[Teacher_91]

I liked most of our pictures. There are a lot of them in the review in my siggy if you are interested. I need to remember all of that when having my picture taken. I'm trying to get a good after picture for work. I'd just use one from the cruise, but they don't want my husband in it, and the ones they took of just me aren't really what I want...formal dress mostly.

I'm loving your pictures and blog. Girl, IF you needed a tutorial to learn to take pictues that YouTube video must be some teacher! Your pictures are GREAT! Thanks for sharing! :)

[Teacher_91]

These are all excellent tips!

I would add two things: first, know your good side (everyone has one) and move to it no matter where the photographer tries to place you; and second, look through the camera's lense to an imaginary person you like, rather than at the camera in general. It will give your face a friendly look.

More great suggestions. Today my co-workers/friends surprised me with a 50th birthday party. I was absolutely delighted by the decorations, food, and their thoughtfulness, but the minute someone gets out the camera I feel all 'fidgity' & 'uncomfortable'. I'm sure it showed on the pictures! :eek:

[DivasDare]

I think another thing to remember for good photos is eyemakeup for women. Even if you don't normally wear it, in a photograph it will make your eyes stand out and eyes are a large part of what make portraits good. I tend to tilt my head to the left and back too much, a good photographers knows this and fixes it every time. The bad ones... well there's a reason I never buy their photos. :) I also like to make sure that we (the couple) are color coordinated to some extent for maximum effectiveness. Snapshots of me always look horrible (IMO), however proffesionally done pictures seem to always get me tons of compliments.

 

Great thread and suggestions. I would also suggest that you be careful of metallic shadows. Too light of a color or too much don't translate we'll.

[LEXIpoo]

I think another thing to remember for good photos is eyemakeup for women. Even if you don't normally wear it, in a photograph it will make your eyes stand out and eyes are a large part of what make portraits good.

 

I second this.

I'm not a huge make-up fan but a little mascara and eye-liner goes a long way!

I used to hate taking pictures but that helped a lot.

[magandab]

I read this a while back and have used it ever since. To get a natural looking smile, press your tongue behind and just above your front teeth. That tightens up the muscles just enough to give a great expression. Try it in the mirror. I was really surprised at the difference. This makes it almost impossible to stiffen up and get a "deer-in-the-headlights" look.

[energizer7]

I watched youtube videos before our trip for this very reason.

 

super tips...thanks for sharing the link :0)

[kkdleon]

My younger BIL calls his best pose "the turtle."

 

Drop your shoulders and pull them back a little

Turn your chin slightly away from the camera

Jut your chin out and down slightly

And smile, or don't - depends on the kind of picture you are going for

 

Seems really awkward but it does stretch your extra chin skin a little tighter

 

For choosing backgrounds on the ship- avoid the ones with the most going on

Look at everyone's pictures in the gallery on the 2nd or 3rd night to see which backdrops look the best for the most people

Usually there is one photographer who works to make it look natural, follow them around night after night

The piano is not terrible, but if they put it in front of a staircase and some pillars- avoid

The ones with the ship rail never turn out great

The ones at twilight with the whole ship behind you aren't great either

 

Best back drops are black or white, the gray marbled fabric, the stair case if it is not lit up with neon (but watch out for people standing too close-not photo bombing exactly but a stray arm is just as bad), sometimes the ones on the little bridge on the promenade are good, but that might be a RCI thing

 

We always just go from one station to the next. Let them take the photos all week. Gather them up each day and put them together on the rack. At the end of the week, sort them first by background, then weed out the ones where someone is blinking or looking the wrong direction, narrow it down to your favorites, then pick only one or two memorable shots. This method will give you the most opportunity for good pictures, and will save you a ton of money.

 

We usually end up with one family and one couple. Formal or casual makes no difference. How many of them are you actually going to frame and display long term? Out of 9 cruises, only one is in a frame at our house. The rest are in an album. All of our absolute best cruise pictures are in rotation as a screensaver on my desktop.

 

Have fun and you'll get great pictures!

[Alrana Eris]

another photo question how to not have my eyes closed in photos. I wear glasses. Any tips to prevent my eyes from closing? or just don't look directly at the flash? just curious

[cocontom]

One huge, easy thing that helped me- practice! I used the tutorials at Smashbox and Makeupgeek.com to get an idea of how to do my makeup. I photographed the colors as I went, then once I figured out which colors photographed best, I used the mirror to see the screen of my camera to find just the right height for the camera, best side, best expression, etc, until I could get a consistently good photo.

[Jsim2011]

I often have my eyes closed in photos. One thing that my brother has had me do and it seems to work, is to look down until the last minute, then look up when the phtographer says too. I think this works for red eye too.

[Teacher_91]

It's kind of a CrAzY thought, but I've considered hiring a photographer to take pictures of me and help me critique them as we go (digital cameras are great for just that purpose) until we find the 'perfect' formula. I know I could use the Mr. or a friend to help me, but I'm afraid that if I do, I'll be self-conscience so I'm thinking I might do better with a 'stranger'. :eek: