The Online Photographer

Oh, gawd, how right you are. A friend of mine posted a candid picture of me on Facebook sitting slouched on a ferry boat to Toronto Island with my pack and camera gear. What a wake up call about posture for a picture! I was depressed for days: is that really how I look, old and slumped over?

"pull your head back a bit"

I was under the impression you need to do the opposite. I pull it forward. Turtle head as they say, extremely. It must look strange as a profile, but for a front photo Im never bad. It eliminates the double chin always. Besides obviously the posture, and trying to elongate the spine and neck as much as possible.
Also, as Im a bit (hehehe, a bit more than a bit) fat, and depending on the people around me, y try to pull my shoulders forward a bit (I have big shoulders too) so in proportion, the shoulders look bigger than the rest of the body, giving me a better V shape.
Finally, depending on where I am, if Im at a club, or Im dressed up to go out at night, I do a bit of the squinch, but thats only on special occasions.

[On second thought I removed that bit. I think you're right, it's just a bit confusing when written. I could show you what I mean but easier done than said. --Mike]

I'll add a second corollary: don't think about what to do with your hands. Don't do anything with your hands. The more you think about it, the weirder your hands will feel, and the weirder your hands feel the weirder they will look in the picture. No one ever looked weird with their hands straight down their sides, or resting comfortably in their lap.

Another tip I learned the hard way is when photographing 2 or more people make sure there no gap between each person. Shoulder to shoulder if standing. If there is any gap the camera will see it as a mile wide Grand Canyon.

And never hold a glass when being photographed,

Smile when you say that!

My advice would be to just find yourself something to lean on to, grab a smoke and just generally look cool. Works like a charm ;-)

http://imageshack.com/a/img921/4130/9vblOv.jpg

BIGGEST tip -- know which is your best side. Very few of us are symmetrical beauties (and very few beauties are not symmetrical). Now -- stand with your feet and shoulders at 45 degrees (if no protractor is available, your best guess will do) to the camera, then turn your head more or less directly to the camera. You generally want the wider side of your face towards the camera. Smile with teeth with your eyes looking directly into the camera. CLICK.

In PP, transplant a tooth into the gap at the front you have had to 53 years and filled with a false tooth for the first 40+ of those years 9having now decided that for all except high level photographic portraits, you are old enough and ugly enough not to bother further with the expensive prosthesis). Then lift yourself out of a nondescript background and paste yourself in front of the best performing volcano in uour vicinity, in my case, Tavurvur in Rabaul, that you photographed in 2014. Distribute. All your own work! LOL.

I would like to insert a photograph but I don't know how. :(

I was chatting to an award-winning film and TV director here in Australia on the sidelines of our sons' soccer game recently, and we were laughing about how terrible his red carpet photos look.

He said the best bit of advice a famous actor gave him was to "peer over the fence" – stand on the balls of your feet, and push your chin up and a bit forwards – when being photographed.

Something to try to remember the next time I'm on the wrong side of the camera.

Point your ear lobes at the camera