I don’t know about the rest of you but I hate almost every candid or informal photo taken of me. I am sure that it has to do with self image. Actually, I am a lot better at viewing photos of myself than I used to be. I don’t run & hide anymore when the camera comes out. It is frustrating for the photographer when your desired subject refuses to be photographed. You want their image for lovely, harmless reasons and the subject (often times a female) has a near psychotic episode trying to avoid the camera. The shooter is left feeling like a predator. (You camera shy freaks know who you are!)
I marvel at the reaction of a person who literally shrinks way from what I thought was a decent photograph of themselves. This is especially true of overweight persons and now lately I have noticed – older folks. Nope, the photograph does not lie. I suppose it presents a true image of who we are: gray, old, fat – or rather of who we fear we are… and depending on your acceptance of that – truth. (no longer virile or young and beautiful or just plain fat or old)
Sidebar: I am reminded of a photo taken of my BFF Brenda. Brenda is petite. She always has been petite. One day she showed me a photo that literally made her look forty pounds heavier. We laughed hysterically. That was one of the rare times that I could honestly say: “the camera can lie.”
I will shoot a photo and think: “that’s a nice photo of Sharon at her barbeque” I will send it to her and she will respond with a litany about her “fat arms, double chin and gray roots.” I am aghast. See, Sharon is not what most people would think of as fat. Next time I take a shot of her I am scanning the photo for her chins & arms and running to photo shop to edit. My favorite reaction is immediately after I’ve taken what seems to me as a wonderful photo. I run to show it to the person (aw, the joy of digital photography)
ME: [after shot is taken] “I LOVE THIS PICTURE! LOOK!”
SUBJECT: [takes camera, squints to see image on back – face grimaces] “oh.”
I am deflated.
Which brings me to photographer Steve Starr. See his link under “Lynne’s links” He has taken two photos of me that I have seen. I look wonderful (yep, I said it!) in each one. (See photo of me in sequins & martini in blog entry: “An evening with Lynne Jordan & the Shivers”) Now mind you, he has me turning and posing before each shot:
“Honey, turn your head to the right, now lift your chin up and tilt your face to the side, drop your left shoulder, bring the right one forward, show teeth, now SMILE!”
Now, you can say what you want about “being natural” for a candid shot but after seeing these shots and havin no complaints…I say “instruct away!” Pose me baby!!
In fact, I learned a photo posing trick from Oprah that I have instructed my older and/or slightly over weight female friends (thee of the double chins) to use. Let me tell you the story.
I met Oprah about 18 years ago at the home of one of my past employers. I took several photos with Miss O (see in photo gallery on my website), and I noticed (as she was standing next to me) that she would thrust her chin forward just before each shot was taken. It seemed so unnatural – so posed – at the time. But I often think of that moment and realized that Mizz O would certainly know how to pose herself to the best advantage and she certainly had curves, angles and chins to manipulate. So lately, I tried the technique myself and noticed that I never saw the “double chin horror” in any photographs in which I used the “forward chin thrust.”
So remember: thrust the chin forward – it feels like a jutting motion. It is important that you don’t lift the chin up. It is a forward thrust (kinda like how the Velociraptors would thrust their heads forward in scenes from the movie “Jurassic Park”) My 60 year old plus friends were amazed at the result.
I think of posing for informal photos quite like getting naked with a guy for the first time: just do it, and hope for the best. HAHA!!