Are you concerned about how your weight looks in photos? Is there a certain part of your body would rather not have emphasized? Is it important to you to not have a bra or panty line showing?
These are important things to most women. I think that women photographers are better able to see and understand these sensitive issues and this is one of the best reasons I think that women end up liking their photos better when it’s done by a woman photographer instead of a male (sorry men!). Not trying to be sexist or anything, but honestly most men just don’t scan a women the same way a woman would in terms of fixing the tiny details that make us love, or hate, a photo of ourselves. Except for some gay men, most men are just not accustomed to seeing what women see when they look at themselves critically (this is actually a good thing in other areas of life).
So in choosing the best photographer for you, you just need to know what things should you request your photographer to do? Some people don’t think to request anything of their photographer, and that’s fine in some cases if you’re not picky. After all, a great photographer, in my opinion, should be doing everything listed here without being asked to anyway. I know I sure do whether I’m doing a family photo shoot somewhere on Kauai, a wedding or even a pregnancy photo shoot.
As a professional photographer I’ve often had women ask me after the photos are taken to remove panty lines, bras that slipped out from under their clothes, wrinkles even … you name it, I’ve been asked to take it out. From one point of view I understand, as a woman it’s sometimes challenging to find a picture yourself that you just LOVE. But of course the truth is always that us women are often lacking a broader perspective that allows us to see the genuine beauty the way the rest of the people who look at our photos see us, and honestly that tiny little thing only matters to us.
The honest truth is that the best way to love your professional photography is to get it right before the photo is taken, not afterwards.
Here are my top 5 things for women to ask their photographers to check during a photo shoot:
· Check the position of women who are concerned with their weight. Put them into a position that makes them look slimmer naturally, e.g. twisting the torso forward slims the tummy area.
· Scan your body for any things you don’t want showing, whether that’s a part of your body, clothing or any other thing.
· Look out for squinting, uncomfortable or stressed eyes. I use a fabulous trick for this myself since so much of the photography I do is on the beach. I ask my clients to close their eyes and relax all the muscles around them, then open them and smile only when I count to 3.
· Make sure each person looks relaxed. Sometimes people start to look really fake after too many smiles, especially if they are saying “cheese” (how cheesy!). Don’t squint, don’t grit your teeth together, just relax. A good photographer should be reminding you of this and checking your facial features throughout the shoot.
· Make sure that hair (and clothing) are not blowing into some weird place or in your face (you’d be surprised how few people notice this when they are taking the photo!)
The bottom line is this: you pay enough for the photography no matter what the event is, so make sure you hire a photographer who works hard at all the details. You may find a woman photographer is the best at this!
These are important things to most women. I think that women photographers are better able to see and understand these sensitive issues and this is one of the best reasons I think that women end up liking their photos better when it’s done by a woman photographer instead of a male (sorry men!). Not trying to be sexist or anything, but honestly most men just don’t scan a women the same way a woman would in terms of fixing the tiny details that make us love, or hate, a photo of ourselves. Except for some gay men, most men are just not accustomed to seeing what women see when they look at themselves critically (this is actually a good thing in other areas of life).
So in choosing the best photographer for you, you just need to know what things should you request your photographer to do? Some people don’t think to request anything of their photographer, and that’s fine in some cases if you’re not picky. After all, a great photographer, in my opinion, should be doing everything listed here without being asked to anyway. I know I sure do whether I’m doing a family photo shoot somewhere on Kauai, a wedding or even a pregnancy photo shoot.
As a professional photographer I’ve often had women ask me after the photos are taken to remove panty lines, bras that slipped out from under their clothes, wrinkles even … you name it, I’ve been asked to take it out. From one point of view I understand, as a woman it’s sometimes challenging to find a picture yourself that you just LOVE. But of course the truth is always that us women are often lacking a broader perspective that allows us to see the genuine beauty the way the rest of the people who look at our photos see us, and honestly that tiny little thing only matters to us.
The honest truth is that the best way to love your professional photography is to get it right before the photo is taken, not afterwards.
Here are my top 5 things for women to ask their photographers to check during a photo shoot:
· Check the position of women who are concerned with their weight. Put them into a position that makes them look slimmer naturally, e.g. twisting the torso forward slims the tummy area.
· Scan your body for any things you don’t want showing, whether that’s a part of your body, clothing or any other thing.
· Look out for squinting, uncomfortable or stressed eyes. I use a fabulous trick for this myself since so much of the photography I do is on the beach. I ask my clients to close their eyes and relax all the muscles around them, then open them and smile only when I count to 3.
· Make sure each person looks relaxed. Sometimes people start to look really fake after too many smiles, especially if they are saying “cheese” (how cheesy!). Don’t squint, don’t grit your teeth together, just relax. A good photographer should be reminding you of this and checking your facial features throughout the shoot.
· Make sure that hair (and clothing) are not blowing into some weird place or in your face (you’d be surprised how few people notice this when they are taking the photo!)
The bottom line is this: you pay enough for the photography no matter what the event is, so make sure you hire a photographer who works hard at all the details. You may find a woman photographer is the best at this!