Do you ever wonder why so many public figures look so unimpressive in front of the camera? I certainly do.

The answer is that they don’t invest any time in improving their camera image.

Those public figures that do put time and effort into their photographic image come over a lot better visually, not because they are beautiful people but, because they’ve learnt how to look good on camera.

You don’t have to have be a beautiful person to look warm, friendly, commanding, trustworthy, seductive, intriguing……

Looking good on video is just an extension of looking good in still photographs. You need to know what works for you and practise in front of the camera.

In order to discover what works for you, you need a photo-shoot with a photo image coach who can show you how to improve your body language, expression and posture.In this way you learn how to influence what the camera sees. 

email bob@lookgoodoncamera.com to find out more

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Why do the paparazzi ambush the famous and beautiful outside night clubs in the early hours of the morning? Because if you want an unflattering picture of someone, wait until they are tired with a skinful of booze and you can’t go wrong.

Sorry but being photogenic and drinking alcohol are not compatible. If you know that you are going to be photographed and you really want to look your best - stick to the mineral water.

“But one or two won’t hurt,” I hear you say. I don’t want to be a spoilsport – I’m very partial to a few drinks myself – but if you want to look your best in those photographs, stay on the wagon.

Alcohol is a very effective relaxant and analgesic (pain killer), but it also reduces reaction time, impairs thinking ability, affects balance, and induces sleep.

Yes there is a dose effect i.e. the more you drink the more pronounced the effects become; and yes people are affected by alcohol to varying degrees; but even if you think you have a high tolerance to alcohol, small amounts will still have an effect. You may not notice them, but the camera will.

Think of the camera as an extremely sensitive breathalyser!

Because alcohol is a muscle relaxant it reduces tone in the facial muscles. Interesting really when you think how much money is spent on cosmetics that claim to increase facial tone. Nobody tells you that a couple of glasses of wine will reduce facial muscle tone far more than any toning lotion will increase it.

Reducing muscle tone makes facial features less sharp and well defined. It leads to a “jowly” almost dopey appearance. It also affects posture making people look more “slumped”, more round shouldered, more “blobby”.

Even small amounts of alcohol mimic the effect of fatigue and sedation, by for example increasing blink duration, thereby greatly increasing the chances of you being photographed with your eyes completely or partially closed.

So if you know you’re going to be photographed at a particular event (a wedding for example) stay off the booze until the photographs have been taken. You may feel better after one or two tipples, but trust me you won’t photograph as well.

email bob@lookgoodoncamera.com to find out more about looking good in photos or telephone 07920 130985

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In a previous post I was extolling the virtue of the still photograph over video: but even the still photograph needs to have a sense of movement.

In early portrait photography the subject had to keep still for a few seconds while the camera recorded their features onto a plate. Any movement would blur the image. 

The resulting rather statuesque appearance in 19th century portraiture perhaps set the fashion with everyone assuming that they were meant to look rather stiff and serious when being photographed.

With continuing improvements to the methods by which photographs were produced it was possible to reduce exposure time to fractions of a second. However even with an exposure of one thirtieth of a second, sudden movement can significantly reduce the sharpness of the picture. 

Popular cameras incapable of shorter exposure times than this were being sold well into the second half of the 20^th century. So, everyone was encouraged to keep quite still and “watch the birdie”. 

Today’s cameras are very different and are capable of very short exposure time, with shutter speeds far faster than is needed for crisp portrait photographs. 

Yet it is surprising how many people still think that they have to freeze for the camera. I like my subjects to keep moving from pose to pose. It helps relax the person being photographed and brings some movement to the still images that we produce. 

So when you’re being photographed keep moving between brief poses albeit relatively slowly i.e. slow foxtrot rather than breakdancing (is that how you spell it?) and your pictures will have movement and meaning.

email bob@lookgoodoncamera.com to find out more about looking good in photos or telephone 07920 130985

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If you want to know how to be photogenic you need to put some effort into having your photographic taken. In order to look better in pictures you must stop being a passive subject. To look better in photos you need to work at it. Think of your photograph that the camera is going to take, as a blank piece of paper. You take that piece of paper and you write or draw on it, and depending on what you write or draw that piece of paper becomes interesting or otherwise.You decide what goes on that piece of paper. When the lens is pointed in your direction, you are in control of what the camera sees: not the photographer. You can laugh, you can cry. You can make silly faces or engage the camera with a meaningful look. Or of course you can be boring and do nothing; and if you do nothing, your picture will look like a lifeless nobody.Rule number 1: Convince yourself that you are going to enjoy having your picture taken. Or better still pay me to convince you! Because if you don’t think  it is going to be enjoyable you will be negative and fearful about it. If you are fearful you will freeze and become a lifeless nobody.So to look better in photographs start working at it. Read some tips. Practise in front of the mirror or better still in front of a camera - preferably mine!

email bob@lookgoodoncamera.com to find out more about looking good in photos or telephone 07920 130985

Go to Home Page www.lookgoodoncamera.com 

Forget about the hand gestures which are so often the hallmark of insincere politicians. Disregard the carefully rehearsed actor’s rhetoric. The most expressive parts of the human body are the eyes. If you really want to send a message to the camera, use your eyes. Sorrow, mystery, anger, joy, compassion, sensuality, fun:- The list is endless. Don’t be camera shy. Engage withe camera. Use your eyes to talk to the camera and change the way you look in photographs. Yes, it takes practice, but it’s great fun. You can use your eyes to scold, to flirt, to question, to disapprove, to chastise……Be they blue, brown, or green they should always be seen. Your eyes are your individuality and using them will greatly improve how you look in photographs. By using your eyes you will add interest to your photos and look better in your pictures.

email bob@lookgoodoncamera.com to find out more about looking good in photos or telephone 07920 130985

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I don’t claim to be an expert on hair styles but I do have an opinion about what suits an individual best. As an interested third party I find it surprising that the vast majority of brides want to wear their hair up on their wedding day (even our cartoon of the camera shy bride depicts her with her hair up).

Now there are women who look very good with their hair up, women who look good with it down and some who look good with it up or down (Alex, the bride on the front page of our website is one such lady). However girls, if you will permit a mere male to give his opinion, many of you look better with your hair down.

Putting your hair up can give you a very severe look and can emphasize your neck and ears.  Hair can provide a frame for the face and have a major softening effect. If you have decided that a certain style suits you best for everyday purposes, why change it so drastically on your wedding day? 

Another problem with wearing your hair up is that the laws of gravity dictate that at some time it is going to start falling down. You therefore run the risk of having your photograph taken when your hair is becoming increasingly untidy. If you have short hair or wear your hair down, it is a lot easier to do a little titivation prior to posing for your photographer.

If you disagree with me, at least have your photograph taken with your hair up beforehand. That way you can judge for yourself and/or show the photos to a few people who you know will give you an honest opinion.

In a look Good on Camera photo-shoot we give you the opportunity to be photographed with your hair up and with it down. 

email bob@lookgoodoncamera.com to find out more about looking good in photos or telephone 07920 130985

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The human body comes in many shapes and sizes but generally we are all wider full frontal than we are side-on. The ratio is about 3:2. So you might expect that being photographed side on will make you look a whole third slimmer - and if you have one of those straight up and down figures it probably will. But if like me you are a little over your ideal weight, you will know that those extra pounds are not evenly distributed and being caught side-on can show the odd bulge in the wrong place. It’s also quite uncomfortable to screw your head round through 90 degrees to look at the camera. 

So the answer is to stand at 45 degrees to the camera (i.e. half way between full frontal and side on). In this way you will reduce your body width by about a sixth without profiling those ever so slightly podgy bits! 

For those of you who feel you are a little on the slim side, then present your body full on to the camera. 

A Look Good on Camera photo-shoot will give you the opportunity to practice this along with many other tips on how to look better and achieve your photogenic best in photos and pictures. Believe me, you really can look better in pictures and photos and become more photogenic. It just needs a little practice. Don’t be camera shy. Give me a call. I’m here to help.

email bob@lookgoodoncamera.com to find out more about looking good in photos or telephone 07920 130985

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A group photo is really only as good as the least photogenic person in it! That makes taking group photos a deal more risky than taking one to one shots. If you want to look good in group photographs then take some time in making yourself more photogenic. Give the photographer some angles. Relate to the camera and make sure you are in a good position to be seen. If you’re worried about your height don’t stand next to a very tall or short person. If you think you’re a little skinny don’t stand next to a tubby, and if you’re overweight avoid being photographed with stick insects! With a little thought and preparation you can look so much better in those photos.

These are the Copycatz, a 4-piece covers band playing danceable, guitar-driven classic pop from The Stones to Green Day … and beyond! They needed some promotional shots for music agencies and their website which they are currently re-building. Good luck lads.

If you would like to have your band or group photographed - get in touch.

email bob@lookgoodoncamera.com to find out more about looking good in photos or telephone 07920 130985

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A friend has just shown me some 50 to 60 photographs that she took at a girlie night out. I hate to say it, but practically all her fellow revellers look like demons from hell.

It’s the old red eye problem. It’s caused by reflected flash. As most point and shoot cameras will automatically use flash indoors (and even outdoors if the light is poor), it is a very common occurrence.If you want to look good in photos and avoid having the centres of your eyes looking like the mouths of a volcano, don’t look straight at the camera lens when flash is being used.  Preferably look just over the top of the camera. This will make you appear to be looking at the camera without the hell fire effect.Simple little tips like this can make you look so much better in those impromptu photographs. This “snap” was taken with flash although it was daylight outside. The ambient light therefore wasn’t too low - so not a red eye in sight.

Red eye is caused by light from the flash bouncing back off the retina, the light sensitive area at the back of the eye. In poor light, when flash is likely to be used, our pupils are relatively dilated (wide) to allow more light in so that we can see better. When the pupils are dilated the retina is more exposed and it reflects more light.

If the eyes are looking directly at the camera then the light reflected from the retina will hit the lens full on and be recorded by the light sensor in the camera. As the retina is red in colour this makes the pupils appear bright red.These days the photographer can use the red eye reduction feature on the camera, or failing that edit the red eye out by means of digital editing software. However not everyone does this, and it is better to avoid looking directly at the lens, rather than risk appearing in subsequent photos as a half-crazed banshee ! (the dictionary definition is a wailing female spirit of Irish folklore origin).

email bob@lookgoodoncamera.com to find out more about looking good in photos or telephone 07920 130985

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Are you one of those people who frequently appear in photographs with their eyes closed? 

Well even the most photogenic model gets caught out that way occasionally, but there is a reason why it happens more to some people than it does to others. It comes down to blink rate. 

Quite simply the more often you blink; the more likely you are to be caught on camera with your eyes shut. Blinking is something that we all need to do. It’s essential for cleaning and lubricating the outer surface of our eyes. 

A minority of individuals are unlucky enough to have neurological or nervous conditions that cause them to blink more often. However the majority of us can exercise a degree of control over how often we blink. Do you remember trying to stare other kids out when you were a child?

Just as the conscious mind has a degree of control over blinking, so the sub-conscious mind effects blink rate as well. Research has apparently shown that we blink more when we are not concentrating, when we are tired and when we are worried or embarrassed. 

Now I’m not suggesting that you consciously try to stop yourself blinking when you are having your photograph taken. That would be far too uncomfortable and having your photograph taken should never be uncomfortable. 

However if you are comfortable and well rested and you concentrate on providing the camera with interesting images, you will significantly reduce your blink rate and the chance of you being photographed with your eyes closed. That way you are going to look a lot better, no matter who is taking the photograph.

One of the things a photo-shoot will do is get you feeling comfortable in front of the camera and thereby significantly reduce the chance of you being photographed with your eyes shut in the future.

email bob@lookgoodoncamera.com to find out more about looking good in photos or telephone 07920 130985

Go to Home Page www.lookgoodoncamera.com