December 23, 2024
Chicago 12, Melborne City, USA
Fashion & Beauty Vintage

Perfect Pinup Poise – for the Poseurs amongst you…

Retro Chick is taking a well earned holiday, but never fear, she has arranged some fabulous guest bloggers to keep you entertained.

Today’s post comes to you courtesy of Ruby DeMuir, Pin Up photographer

________________________________________________________

When La Retrochick decided that enough was enough and that a holiday was necessary, who could blame her? All her vintage blogging antics would exhaust any a less hardy soul. So what was a fellow Vintage Gal to do but offer her services?

I am delighted to be able to step unto the breach, Dear Friends, to facilitate Miss Seager’s escape.

I hereby present my personal contribution to her flight facility:

Now… the first part of this thoroughly useful article appeared on my own blog last month – you can read it here. What follows are more – yes, even more! – tried and tested tips to make the camera want to make love to you! I have personally used these upon Miss Seager herself (see below!) and she will vouch for their incredible Starlet-enhancing power. So, without further ado, I present… yet more tips for maintaining perfect poise before the paparazzi:

1. Make sure any ‘hands on hips’ point downward, toward the floor and not inward toward your waist. This lengthens (and coincidentally(!) slims) you. Keep your fingers together, and not splayed, for extra elegant trimming power. By pointing down you are emphasising the length of your incredible legs – by pointing across, the girth of your waist and hips. No contest, really, is there?

2. Stand a little offside (3/4) to the camera and get into the showgirl pose to flatter yourself. Never keep both feet entirely on the floor. The one on which you are not weight-bearing should have the knee prettily bent, with toes on the ground and the heel lifted off.

3. Either raise your chin up or lower it down BUT either way incline the very top of your head toward the camera.This minimises – and in many cases, completely hides – any sagging of the under-jawline. You need this – a sagging jawline afflicts 99% of population above age of 14.

4. Open your eyes just a little wider than normal – upper lids on anyone past puberty tend to look hooded in pictures.

5. Raise your vision slightly above the camera lens (and either slightly left or slightly right) and then unfocus it ever so slightly. This one simple trick helps avoids red-eye and stops you looking aggressive.

6. Be exaggerated. The camera underestimates, Ladies. It is truly not the place for subtlety. You may think you are bent like a contortionist but you are almost certainly not and could do with emphasising your shape even further. And yes, it is hard work and it does sometimes hurt! Whoever said it was easy to be a femme fatale?


7. BE YOU AND SMILE ABOUT IT! šŸ™‚
You have an amazing smile. How do I know this? Because everybody, without exception, does. If you don’t think you have, you simply haven’t flashed it widely enough at yourself yet, so go get a mirror and try it! There is no photographic subject on this Earth who does not look healthier, more radiant and just all round better for a gorgeous grin. So what on Earth are you waiting for? Get those gums out and use them!

If you liked this, Ladies and Gents, and you are gagging for more – I shall be covering, in the coming months, the most famous ‘Pin-up Poses’ of the Stars and how to achieve them – subscribe or miss out. You have been warned!

In the meantime, of course, see my own blog piece ‘Faking Photogenia’ which should tell you everything (else) you might need to know about looking luscious for the lens. Suffice it to say, the tongue trick (whilst sounding decidedly dodgy to the casual observer of this blog entry!) is vitally useful. It very subtly alters jawline shape – not enough so that you notice in the mirror but the camera will notice it alright šŸ™‚

See you soon! Subscribed to my blog, I sincerely hope, which will entitle you to 10% off all my products and the chance to WIN a free photoshoot…!

Best

Ruby
x

7 Comments

  • Fashion Limbo June 13, 2011

    FANTASTIC post!!! loved this, basically because I’m super awkward and weird in front of a camera lens, I never know how to pose or what to do to look relatively normal, but there are some seriously good tips here. As for smiling, I have the Victoria Beckham syndrome and hate smiling as it minimises my lips, makes the width of my nose double and my eyes end up looking like someone stabbed a tomato šŸ™‚

  • Paperdoll June 13, 2011

    Oooh!! Thank you for the top tips, hopefully will improve the pics on my own little blog!!! Lol.

  • Roisin June 13, 2011

    I loved this post, what fabulous tips and beautiful photographs!

  • MissRayne June 13, 2011

    Totally agree the more uncomforatble the pose the better the outcome: ‘someone’s’ law.

  • You have made me feel so much better that I have a sagging jawline. Know I know how to get rid of it, well in photos anyway!

  • Jamie Rose June 14, 2011

    I really loved this post! So many great tips. I get red eye in nearly every indoor picture due to my light eyes, but perhaps looking above the camera will help! I’m going to try it next time, definitely!

  • Terrific useful tips for taking flattering photos. Thanks!

Comments are closed.