Unflattering photos are an everyday mosquito, causing irritation and grief. They lower confidence and cause awkwardness across social media. Even if we take excellent selfies, that still doesn’t stop the dreaded snaps from loved ones, making us appear bloated, complete with a fuller face. Many describe these as “fat pictures,” but it is possible to look great in photos regardless of weight.
People think they look fat in pictures due to distortion: a 3D object (you) being flattened into 2D. Both the subject (you) and the photographer can create flattering images by:
- Improving posture
- Using flattering poses
- Subject positioning
- Correct camera angle
- Correct lens
- Good lighting
“Fat pictures” are not a weight issue. The term is outdated, and anyone can look flattering in a photograph regardless of body size. Pictures are an illusion of reality, creating depth and definition where there is none. They are flat, devoid of curves. Thus, creating excellent pictures of people, including yourself, requires learning to feed photography’s illusion rather than work against it.
Improving Posture Creates Flattering Photographs
In the 80s, it was common for people to give backhanded compliments to larger women who appeared confident by saying, “She carries her weight well.”
What they really meant was that she had excellent posture. Maybe she was confident, perhaps she wasn’t, but she acted like she knew her worth, making her look fabulous in person and in photographs.
Correct posture lengthens the line and displays the body in proper proportions. By hunching and slouching, the body isn’t “hidden” or “made smaller” but distorted, which is amplified by the camera, creating an image that appears heavier.
Thus, sometimes when a person says, “I look fat in pictures,” the real issue is posture, which is associated with a lack of confidence. Science backs this up with studies showing posture impacts your mental state.
According to the Mayo Clinic, there are physical health benefits to improving your posture, too. So, you won’t just look more striking in photographs, but you’ll feel better too.
Use Camera-Friendly Poses To Look Leaner In Pictures
Photographs, like paintings and drawings, and an optical illusion. The background images are as close to you as the foreground because they are all part of the same flat surface. The less definition, the “fatter” the shape. But we can highlight our curves, lines, and angles by shifting our weight and changing our position.
Here are some things to consider when posing for a photograph.
1. Put Your Best Foot Forward To Look Good In Shots
Position one foot ahead of the other to create a clean, long line that gives you “height” in a picture. Planted side by side presents a “flat” shape to a camera, which can be further distorted by the camera’s lens and angle and even poor lighting. Thus, these images look “shorter” and “wider,” which some people interpret as “fat.”
Placing a foot forward also creates a 45-degree angle with the hips, adding depth and reducing the surface of your body in the image. The narrower look adds height and reduces girth.
2. Don’t Face The Camera Head On
Facing the camera head-on creates a broader surface, even if you have a foot forward. Most of us are familiar with “before” and “after” fitness, wellness, and weight-loss photos. In these pictures, the “before” is almost always taken head-on, and the “after” is slightly angled.
The seemingly minor adjustment of the angle of your stance has a dramatic impact. So much so that you could do a weight-loss “before” and “after” photoshoot on the same day. In addition to shifting the angle of the pose in the “after” shot, wear better fitting clothes, skillfully apply the make-up, and style the hair. Ta-da, instant results, and you didn’t even have to diet.
The other problem with facing a camera head-on is that it lacks humanity. Sure, pro-wrestlers do it, but their faces are full of expression, meant to project dominance and doom. But your average human is standing there like an American Girl Doll, smiling awkwardly in all her stiff, plastic glory. It’s a pose associated with a lifeless toy, not the living.
3. Tilt Hips Back (Bum Out)
Good posture is essential, but all rules are made to be broken. If you tilt your hips back, away from the camera, it does two things:
- Pushes the chest slightly forward and up
- Pulls some of the thighs back, creating a leaner line
The movement is subtle; you’re not trying to twerk. A slight shift of the weight.
4. Be A Giraffe, Not A Tortoise, When Being Snapped
Necks are flattering, so extend yours and keep your shoulders down. Pulling your neck back and into your collarbone, like a shy tortoise climbing into the shell, creates a double chin and shortens the line.
Beware of the temptation to lift the chin to gain extension; then, it looks like you are stretching. Instead, push it forward and slightly down, using your head, not scrunching the neck.
5. Lean Back From The Camera
As with the hips, lean your body slightly away from the camera. To create distance, a picture has to extend the line, which makes you look longer and leaner.
6. Leave Some Air Between Your Body And Arms
Holding your arms close to your body may feel safer, but it smooshes the tissue, losing its shape and creating a more expansive and “fatter” look. Even people not trying to hide away accidentally do this because they’ve extended their arms straight down. Some do it because they don’t know what else to do. Others mistakenly think it creates a nice line, not realizing they’ve widened the limbs.
Instead, lightly bring the fingers together so the forearms go past the pelvic bones, allowing your elbows a little air. The movement pulls the biceps slightly away from your ribs without appearing as if you’re doing the funky chicken.
7. Lift Your Heel
High heels are sexy in public perception because they add length and accentuate the calf. But you don’t need to wear them to lift a heel. Nor does it need to be done with both feet; a slight lift with the front can be just enough.
8. Don’t Compress Your Legs When Sitting
Legs, like arms, look wider when pressed against a firm surface. Drawing our legs too close to our bodies when we sit, kneel, or the unfortunate squat will push flesh outwards, making our legs look shorter and chunkier.
Instead, extending them out at an angle (not directly towards the camera) creates a more pleasing line. Even better, give a slight bend to the knee and casually cross at the ankles. Yes, this typically takes practice to pull it off as casual rather than, “I’m trying to find my legs’ good side.”
Choose Clothing That Works With The Camera
Cameras are not kind to clothing that hides your shape. Loose and baggy may feel fabulous but often appears bulky in pictures. Consider your best features, and ensure your clothing emphasis them. It doesn’t have to be tight but avoid shapelessness. Accessories that give an illusion to a waist are also a flattering touch.
Position Yourself In The Middle In Group Shots
Photos become distorted the further away it is from the center. Some lenses are more prone to distortion than others. Regardless, the closer to the center of the photograph you are in a group shot, the less your image is broadened.
Is it fair to your friends to take the best spot? Well, consider why they were always “allowing” you to “hide” at the sides of photographs in the first place.
The Wrong Camera Angle Will Add Weight To A Photo
Ever notice that your taller friends and relatives take better pictures of you than your shorter ones? It’s not talent. The tall friend has a genetic advantage, able to hold the camera at a more flattering angle. People do this with selfies all the time, raising it about a foot and tiling it down.
If you are taking photos of another person, have them go slightly down the hill from you or stand on something, such as a step or stool.
Lastly, distance broadens an image. The camera is trying to take more in. Closer shots at an angle narrow the focus, which creates a slimming effect.
Select Camera Lenses That Compress The Subject
A camera set to take in a wide sweeping landscape is many uses. For example, an apartment big enough for a goldfish can be made to appear roomy enough to house a full-grown human being when using a wide-angle lens. Unfortunately, while this camera trickery is fabulous if you are shilling property in New York, its effect is less appreciated when used on people.
Unfortunately, many armature photographers use the wrong lens for taking snaps of their human subjects. As a result, these “fat pictures” don’t simply add the infamous ten pounds; they give people the head of an NFL linebacker, even if, in real life, their face is nowhere near that broad.
To be fair, your 35mm – 70mm is incredibly convenient. But all too often, people pull the lens back and step in rather than extend and step back. The latter reduces distortion and creates a happier subject.
A telephoto lens will take the most flattering portrait. It not only prevents distortion of the person you are photographing; it will also blur the background in a pleasing manner, making the subject pop. In addition, it gives the person a crisper, clearer line associated with slimness.
To put this in photographer-speak, any lens with a focal length of 35mm or below is considered wide-angle. So without buying more lenses, your more human-friendly options will be setting it for a 50mm or a 70mm. 70mm is better for face shots, and 50mm is often easier for full length.
Your telephoto will range from 85mm to 200mm. While these lenses require more skill (and physical strength), they will produce flattering “not fat” pictures.
Prime lenses will also produce some excellent portraits. They are fixed, so they require some ingenuity. But they are lighter to use than lugging a telephoto lens. An 85mm is most flattering for capturing facial features and will fuzz the background, making people pop. However, it isn’t as general-purpose as a 50mm prime lens. Of course, any shutterbug would suggest buying both.
Taking Photos In The Right Light Will Reduce Puffiness
Almost everyone knows that harsh lightning can age a person. But poor lighting can also add the illusion of heaviness, along with looking tired and saggy. Unfortunately, most women’s dressing rooms have embraced this concept with aplomb, and no amount of dieting and exercise will fix it.
Whether taking selfies or posing for a friend, arrange these sessions when the sun is lower. Mid-day is just going to lead to disappointment. The most gorgeous light, known as the magic or golden hour, is found an hour post-sunrise and an hour pre-sunset. The air glows, creating a radiating effect that is associated with health. The hue also has a slimming effect, whereas harsh light flattens a surface, making it appear broader.
Photographers can fix harsh lighting with a diffuser. Typically, an assistant holds it up at an angle near the head of the person being snapped. But people can achieve a similar effect on their own by rigging up a thin, semi-transparent sheet. It’s a lot of work, but if you are taking many selfies for a social media campaign, the extra effort might be worth it.
Automatic Flash Adds Pounds To A Photograph
The automatic flash is not your friend. The head-on burst of light flattens your facial features, just like your harsh dressing rooms, adding weight and age. It can also bleach a person out, so they appear as the living dead with fantastic hair.
Unfortunately, the more flattering options cost money. But they will make you look good. Some cameras have a flash that can be moved around. For example, the swivel head can be aimed at a wall or ceiling, causing the light from the flash to “bounce” into the shot rather than smash directly in your subject’s face. The second option is getting a detachable flash to position the light perfectly.
Conclusion
Your weight isn’t the problem in a poor picture. Photographs are not a perfect reflection of reality. The transition of a 3D world into a 2D image creates distortion and relies on illusion. A person’s posture, pose, and clothing choices can make a dramatic difference in appearance. In addition, the photographer’s skill, understanding of light, and equipment can heavily influence the final result.
