Get My 3 Secrets For a Killer iPhone Photo

We’ve all been there- hoping to grab a great image of you and your honey on your date night, or of the kids in their new outfits, and the photo is dark, unflattering and awkward. by the time you read through this guide, you will be able take a photo with your iphone knowing how to pose in a flattering way, position yourself correctly with the lighting outside, and how to dress so the photo is flattering for you!

Top 3 Secrets To Getting a Great Shot

With these 3 Secrets you will be able to take your cell phone or camera shots to the next level.

#1 POSING

The trick to posing is to be able to flatter a female and male figure.

Female: My female “base stance” pose is structured in a way to flatter a woman’s figure. Stand with feet 45 degrees away from camera, hands on smallest point of waist, pop front knee, twist at torso toward camera (this cinches waist in!), and lean in slightly toward camera while laughing. Leaning your head and body toward camera makes the body appear smaller. Same goes if people are laughing and leaning backwards…this make the body look much larger than it actually is in proportion to the head (don’t do this)! If paired with a partner, make sure she is turned toward the man. This universal pose can be varied quite a bit with changing up hand placements, head tilts/gazes, holding hands or one handed waist hug of a partner etc.

Male: My male “base stance” pose is intended to create a masculine, powerful look to flatter the male body. Stand straight on to camera. Feet hip distance apart with one foot slightly in front of the other. Sink a tad more weight into that back leg (this should be the leg next to another person if there is more than one). One or both hands in pockets and then lean whole body slightly toward the camera.

Young children: The key for “posing” young kids, if they can follow direction, is to have them “do” something. I will usually have them sit on their bottoms and “hug their knees as hard as they can.” when they have something to do like this that seems so silly, it will usually create a natural smile as well. For little boys, my favorite is actually the male base stance pose mentioned above! Their hands in their pockets gives them something to do without having those awkward hands. For little girls, my favorite pose is them to kneel and sit on their feet facing away from the camera and look up and back at me. I make sure to make some strange sound or make them laugh as they look back! Another great one for a girl is to hold the fabric on her dress and swish it back and forth “as if she was a princess.” They love that one! Be sure to snap these shots in the first 5 seconds! Those beautiful natural smiles fade quickly!

#2: Lighting

The time of day makes a huge difference in the quality of any image! Make sure the sun is behind them. Taking a photo an hour or two before sunset will give the most even lighting on your subject’s face (ie: no harsh shadowing on faces and under the eyes). This will also help with any squinting. With the sunset behind your subject, it will cast a beautiful dreamy glow around the rim of your subject. We call this “Rim Lighting.” If time of day is non negotiable, try to find a large shady area, preferably open shade. This means when you look up, you see sky, not trees or ceiling above you! Added bonus….Try to find a shady place that also has shade in the background of your framed shot. By doing this, there will be even lighting (No sun/shade splotches on the ground) in the whole shot. What this does is keeps keeps the eye from being distracted from your gorgeous subject!

#3: Style

If anyone has ever told you that what your wear doesn’t matter for your pictures, let me ask you this When you go to a wedding and snap a quick family photo, are you drawn to framing this type of photo more than others? When a couple, or family is coordinating each other with colors and textures, the individuals look as if they belong to one another. In addition, when a subject is dressed up, it brings more of an editorial, wall worthy feel to the image. By wearing a printed screened shirt or something that is a bit “loud,” it distracts the eye and makes the image look too busy. Layer, layer, layer! Instead of wearing a busy floral dress, try a mono-colored dress that has textures such as buttons or lace and then layer it with a cute lace tank underneath or pops on interest. Layer once again with necklaces, a shawl, or jean jacket/cardigan. Have one big statement piece in your outfit

Try these three tips and share on your insta stories, tagging @_saralawence_ so I can see your hard work and fun!