How can I look better when I’m being photographed? People ask.

Because there is no active verb to express “being photographed”, we use the passive voice. This conveys that something is being done to us as opposed to us doing something ourselves.

Being photographed should not be a passive action.

We don’t say Kate Winslett and Leonardo di Caprio are “being filmed”, we say they are filming or acting. They are performing for the camera.

So let’s stop “being photographed” and start “performing for the camera”. Let’s stop being victims of the camera and take control of the images it sees.

The camera can only photograph what we choose to show it. A Look Good on Camera photo-shoot will give you the skills and techniques to present the camera with images of yourself that you want to see in the photographs that it produces.

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

Go to Home Page www.lookgoodoncamera.com

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

Go to Home Page www.lookgoodoncamera.com 

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

Go to Home Page www.lookgoodoncamera.com 

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

Go to Home Page www.lookgoodoncamera.com 

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

Go to Home Page www.lookgoodoncamera.com 

When I was a lad, cameras were expensive and difficult to use. (Black and white films only, you had to load and unload them in the dark, remember to wind on the film after each shot, take photos with no focusing aids………..). Small wonder then, that it took a camera competent photographer to produce anything approaching a decent photograph.

No matter how photogenic you were, uncle Fred’s photos were going to be pretty naff anyway. There were no computers and no internet. There was therefore no danger of finding photographs of yourself posted on websites or publically accessible photo albums such as Photobox, Pixmania, Kodak etc etc.

Technology has changed all that. Relatively inexpensive point and shoot pocket digital cameras can produce technically good photographs without any know-how being necessary on the part of the photographer. Once taken those photos can be uploaded onto computer and made available to a host of people via email, websites, blogs and commercial album sites.

So if you want to look good in all those photos that your friends and relatives are going to take (and then distribute to all and sundry), maybe you should take some positive action to make yourself more photogenic. It really isn’t difficult to look better in photographs. You just need a little practice.

Email me on bob@lookgoodoncamera.com for more information 

Go to Home Page www.lookgoodoncamera.com 

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 

Being photogenic and looking good on camera have a lot to do with self-esteem. If you feel positive about yourself then you will present yourself in a positive way with naturally out-going body language and confident posture. As a consequence you will look better in photos taken of you.

Psychiatrists and psychologists have recognised the importance of raising self-esteem in the treatment and prevention of many cases of mental ill-health. As a physician myself, I am surprised that techniques to raise self-esteem are not used more widely to help mentally well people perform better, feel better about themselves, and thereby derive greater pleasure out of life. 

Our Look Good on Camera photo-shoots are designed to enhance self esteem and give you tips on how you can feed your self esteem whenever you have self doubts. Come on, book yourself in and start feeling good, looking good and enjoying life more than you ever thought possible.

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