How Can I Feel Better About Having My Picture Taken?

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OK, I figure that there are enough seriously photogenic people and good photographers on ILX that you can give me some hints.

I *hate* having my picture taken. As far as I'm concerned it's up there with going to the dentist in terms of unpleasant activities. And I think that the awkwardness and discomfort usually shows in photos. (Especially when the bloody camera is 6 inches from my nose and I cannot help but glare at it.)

Please don't just say "yeah, you're fat and ugly and middle aged and why would anyone want to take your photo anyway" because unfortunately, because of my band, I do have to have my photo taken more than I'm comfortable with.

Does anyone have any tips about feeling more comfortable and looking better in photos?

― The Damp Is Rising (kate), Thursday, 24 November 2005 09:08 (twenty years ago)

I try not to smile, it always looks forced and shit.

― THIS IS THE SOUND OF ALTERN 8 !!! (noodle vague), Thursday, 24 November 2005 09:12 (twenty years ago)

According to our manager, I look "terrified". Sigh.

― The Damp Is Rising (kate), Thursday, 24 November 2005 09:13 (twenty years ago)

Get the rest of the band to look terrified as well?

― StanM (StanM), Thursday, 24 November 2005 09:14 (twenty years ago)

don't look at the camera

― gem (trisk), Thursday, 24 November 2005 09:15 (twenty years ago)

I try not to look at the camera, but the scary Dieter off Sprockets-alike kept shouting at everyone to look at the camera.

― The Damp Is Rising (kate), Thursday, 24 November 2005 09:16 (twenty years ago)

Just stare the camera out like you hate it. Grrrrrrrrr.

― THIS IS THE SOUND OF ALTERN 8 !!! (noodle vague), Thursday, 24 November 2005 09:17 (twenty years ago)

That's pretty much what I was doing when Dieterdude was doing the individual photo shots and getting RIGHT UP IN MY FACE.

I mean, Piney Gir and Bishi were all professional about it, and looked great in their shoots - but they confessed in the dressing room that it was because they practised in front of mirrors. I kind of did that in the morning, I got dressed up for the shoot, and practised standing in an alpha male sort of way that made my suit look good. But the moment I'm there, under the scary bright lights, with scary Germans shouting at me to put the glass of wine down and not lean on the post and stop talking to my bandmates - I just freeze and have a real hard time feeling comfortable. Bah.

― The Damp Is Rising (kate), Thursday, 24 November 2005 09:21 (twenty years ago)

NORTH
i can't go north

SOUTH
i can't go south

EAST
i can't go east

WEST
i can't go west

― adventuregame, Thursday, 24 November 2005 09:21 (twenty years ago)

Not liking being photographed is the same as not liking cats. if you don't like cats and you tell people that you don't, then cats will seek you out and sit on you. If you say you don't like being photographed, people will try and sneak photos of you when you're not looking and not prepared and it invariably makes things worse.
Don't smile. Don't look into the camera. Think about something else. Get a digital camera and take loads of photos of yourself and look at them a lot so that you get used to looking at photos of yourself and it stops being so weird. Who cares if you're not really good-looking (I don't know what you look like)? You're not in a pop group, you're in a band.
Your other option is to wear a lot of strange makeup and/or ludicrous hats at all times while on band business so that people don't ever really know what you look like.

― accentmonkey (accentmonkey), Thursday, 24 November 2005 09:22 (twenty years ago)

If you're asked to look into the camera, look just above the lens rather than straight at it. And think dirty thoughts.

― Alba (Alba), Thursday, 24 November 2005 09:24 (twenty years ago)

I think the getting a digital camera and practising thing is a really good idea. AMP does that a lot, and she always looks fabulous in photos, because she knows how to sit/stand to make herself look good.

Thinking smutty thoughts? That's also a good idea. It would be better if I looked smutty than looked pissed off or terrified.

― The Damp Is Rising (kate), Thursday, 24 November 2005 09:27 (twenty years ago)

Make love to the camera

― StanM (StanM), Thursday, 24 November 2005 09:31 (twenty years ago)

I can't stress this enough: light reflective foundation. You don't need to turn your face into a moonbeam, but a bit of slap with some microscopic sparkly particles in it works wonders, even in passport photos.

― Mädchen (Madchen), Thursday, 24 November 2005 09:40 (twenty years ago)

Wow - I wear that stuff on stage because it looks great under stagelights, but try not to wear it for photos because I'm scared of the Shine.

― The Damp Is Rising (kate), Thursday, 24 November 2005 09:41 (twenty years ago)

Or you could just join Slipknot.

― Hello Sunshine (Hello Sunshine), Thursday, 24 November 2005 09:44 (twenty years ago)

Can I also point out that a good photographer should observe you for a little bit first to see what facial expression suits you best and from what angle you should be photographed? It's all very well for Dieter to say 'look straight into the camera', but unless he's doing your passport photos, this might not be the best look for you. It's his job to make you look good. If he's not making you look good, maybe you need to have a chat with him about that.

― accentmonkey (accentmonkey), Thursday, 24 November 2005 09:47 (twenty years ago)

I think "Dieter" was more concerned with the more attractive and edgy stylish of the ladies there. I couldn't fault him on that, I was clearly uncomfortable in front of the camera and wanted to get out of it as quickly as possible.

I mean, I think he was trying to make me look good in his composition, with the "stand on a box" and "Don't lean on the pillar" and "put the glass of wine down" directions, but still. It was a composition/group shot. I didn't even really want to be in the individual photos. :-( And I think it showed.

― The Damp Is Rising (kate), Thursday, 24 November 2005 09:51 (twenty years ago)

kate you did look v nervous! i wanted to fill you up with wine so you'd relax a bit more... um someone told me "keep your mouth shut" (wrt to having your photo taken, not as a general rule) and i tried arsing around with someone's digital camera for a bit doing that and it does actually seem to work. you can do a serious look or a pout or a flirty smile and pretty easily make it look natural and good.

― emsk ( emsk), Thursday, 24 November 2005 11:17 (twenty years ago)

OK, so I tried some of these things at the weekend. The "think smutty thoughts" thing definitely helped. It meant I had a nice monalisa smile.

Also, I think we had a much better (more sensitive?) photographer, who was more interested in capturing us and our personalities rather than imposing his artistic vision on the tableau.

― Sophisticated Boom Boom (kate), Monday, 28 November 2005 12:19 (twenty years ago)

David was lovely, but to be fair to whathisface you can't capture the personalities of 20-odd people. It has to be a tableau.

― Anna (Anna), Monday, 28 November 2005 12:25 (twenty years ago)

Twenty?

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 28 November 2005 12:28 (twenty years ago)

Well, fair point. But I enjoyed having my picture taken yesterday, and I didn't enjoy the tableau thing.

x-post

― Sophisticated Boom Boom (kate), Monday, 28 November 2005 12:28 (twenty years ago)

His name was Marius!

― marianna lcl (marianna lcl), Monday, 28 November 2005 13:11 (twenty years ago)

He was a show girl!

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 28 November 2005 13:14 (twenty years ago)

D'oh! I was trying to keep him googleproofed!

Anyway, embargo or no, it's up here now:

http://www.brainloverecords.com/

― Please Snap StressTwig (kate), Monday, 28 November 2005 13:14 (twenty years ago)

Ohmigod, Anna! There is the BEST photo of you on AMP's flickr!

― Please Snap StressTwig (kate), Monday, 28 November 2005 14:15 (twenty years ago)

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