My entire family hates me for my Instagram photos, but they’re my favorite thing.
I know they aren’t always the best photos, and the majority of them don’t get posted anywhere. Instead, I use them as views of myself I can’t see in a mirror, to see the outfits I’ve picked, the view, and as an overall confidence booster.
I have taught my parents and brother that when they take my photos, they stand still and click quickly. With that technique, I still may only get three to five good photos.
My photos started in around late 6th grade when I finally started to get Instagram and other social media, and since then I’d like to believe that my photos have gradually improved. I started to improve them after I saw a TikTok about poses to improve photos. With that, and techniques of teaching my family and brother, I have effectively changed how my photos come out.
Firstly, with teaching how to take photos. The worst is when one of my parents would take one photo, and it’s zoomed in as well. It was a recurring situation with them. After this situation multiple times, and not proof checking before moving on, I came up with guidelines for how to TAKE a good photo. Firstly, live photos must always be on, and take an extreme amount of photos. By having these two, you will have more than enough photos to choose from, and you can always delete bad ones and save your storage. With having live on, you can see if you were moving and able to capture a better picture than it shows. Another point for setting up the photo is to take the photo yourself first. A majority of the time, if my brother is taking the picture, I make him stand in a position so I can find the angle and distance I like best. Then, I have him trade positions with me and do the constant clicking. I then have the prior knowledge that the angle will be just how I want it.
The main part of photos is obviously how you look in them. It is integral to find poses that fit you best. One pose that is one of my favorites is very simple: you stand facing the camera and slightly swing your arms so one is swung across your stomach and the other is flowing on your side. It sounds very awkward, but it creates a simple and aesthetic photo—in most cases.
Another classic simple pose is standing with one leg slightly bent out in front of you. It is very similar to the previous pose by creating a subtle and clean pose, especially if you have an outfit you want to showcase.
There are an infinite amount of poses to choose from. I always love to take a photo looking away or fixing my hair. Sometimes the key to the perfect photo is being natural. I have heard a lot of people say they struggle with seeming natural, but the true key is just to pretend you’re not taking a photo. This is also where the live photo comes in handy. By doing that, you aren’t even posing, just moving in front of a camera. It is how I get almost all of my best photos.
Your photo will look good as long as you are confident in it. No matter what pose, view, angle, or outfit, as long as you are yourself, the photo will come out stunning. That is unless your parents zoom in. Zoom-ins are an immediate no.
