While Kim Kardashian may be the reigning queen of selfies, the average girl knows the art of the perfect selfie can be hard to conquer. Take a look at our top tips to nailing your next shot!
What we may not know is that a lot of factors depend on a what makes a photo a ‘keeper’, and even if you’re not blessed with photogenic genetics, you can trick people into thinking you are with a few simple camera tips.
Photographer and Director, Nicholas Samartis’ knows how to make a woman look and feel her best and is known for both his fashion image and celebrity portraits in high-end fashion magazines. He has shot some of the world’s biggest stars including Keira Knightley, Katie Holmes and Naomi Watts. Here we reveal Nicholas’ insider tips for looking perfect in a photograph:
Makeup and facial expression
Nicholas suggests that the 3 essential products to creating a minimalist makeup look include:
- A smear of lip gloss mixed with a little bit of lipstick colour
- A very good mascara
- Eyeliner to suit your mood and personality.
“Wear a warm smile. It may sound counter intuitive, but smile through the eyes, more than the mouth. How? Recall a favourite memory,” says Nicholas. “It is essential that there is no pouting. It looks forced and unnatural and is overused.”
Clothing
“Some say the best colour clothing to wear is black as it’s simple and flattering, however be aware of your background,” says Nicholas. “A black outfit would work best with a busy background and likewise a simple background would complement a colourful outfit that is striped or patterned.”
Certain colour complement certain skin tones, while others can accentuate flaws. You may already know which colours you look best in, but if not, grab your camera and work it out through experimenting.
Background and lighting
You may not have elaborate studio lighting set up so please remember timing is everything. Avoid the midday sun – the best time to take a portrait is in the morning or afternoon light, so aim for an hour or two after sunrise or an hour or two before sunset. Sunlight is all forgiving if your timing is right!
“A crisp, clear background will always make a better image, especially if you are wearing strong graphics,” says Nicholas. “Alternatively choose a wall with an interesting texture and wear plain clothing.”
Camera elements
Deciding whether to have a little zoom with flash, or a wider angle and back lit is hard to determine as everyone is different and so is everyone’s facial features. A good photographer is a combination of a few key factors and you will need to play around with what works and enhances your best features.
Flash or no flash?
If you are using hard flash, a little more dramatic makeup is needed, such as evening eye makeup.
Don’t forget to matt your T-Zone, forehead, nose and chin – the flash will hit the tip of your nose first and hardest, so matt down that spot the most.
Another secret that the masters know is that the closer you are with light, the softer it is, so push that camera flash to you as close as you can and you will marvel at the results.
“Holding the camera too low will enhance your chin and holding the camera too high will make you look like a lollipop and top heavy,” says Nicholas. “When it comes to the best camera and arm angle, I believe holding the camera 90 to 100 degrees away from you is the optimum angle.”
