[2Bthinagain]

Okay big T-giving for us. My brothers, their families, us and my parents rarely ever get together, due to living way too far apart. This year we were all at my parents for the holidays. Lots of digital cameras going around. Since I am the photoshop queen in the family, everyone emailed their photo edit requests along with of course all the snapshots from the day. I saw a nasty one of myself and thought "Oh man, do I REALLY SERIOUSLY LOOK LIKE THAT?", or was it just a "bad photo" ???? I saw some of my tiny sisters-inlaws, and yeah some of them were bad shots, but truthfully they still looked thin. LORD my chest looked so huge...like a heart attack waiting to happen. I don't know which part is worse, my boobs or my chin(s).


Well I know the answer to my question. The photo does not lie. Guess I can use that a year from now as my BEFORE?

[sh3l5]

Thats a good idea. I took my graduation picture, cos I was thinking the same thing when I saw that one.

I think in some cases mirrors lie, I look thinner in some than in others - and it really throws me. There are some new pictures of me from last weekend. There is one below...

Is this a bad picture? I think the angle is awful.

http://www.herefordflyfishingclub.co...lay.php?id=275

[juliebee]

2bethinagain, I had the exact same experience. I'm in Canada so it was about a month and a half ago. My brother's girlfriend just got a new digital camera and was taking all kinds of pictures at Thanksgiving. When I saw the ones of me I could have died!!! I looked so unhealthy.
That was the inspiration for me to get back on track with my health. Since that day I have been eating right and exercising and I've lost 12 pounds. If looking at that photo makes you as unhappy as it made me, take advantage of the fact that it will be a huge motivation to get back on track.
We've always got Christmas (or whatever December holiday you celebrate) to provide us with better photos, right

[Misti in Seattle]

Well, photos don't really "lie" but I think they CAN be either very flattering or very unflattering. I had some this summer which were taken of me which I was very happy with and could see how much weight I had lost. Another which was taken at a work picnic absolutely horrified me at how fat and awful I still looked! The camera angle can make a big difference, especially if it "catches" our worst parts at their most unflattering light.

But either way yah, just gotta keep pounding away at this stuff!

[HappyHousewife]

The trick is to stand beside someone slightly large. <i>(if you're beside a skinny person you're going to look huge no matter if you're a healthy weight or overweight).</i>
--The trick is to stand "slightly sideways" hiding a bit of your hips or chest area behind them. It'll give the illusion of being thinner. You'll have a curve in the waist, but you won't see the bulging hips (in my case).
..That's my quick fix for photos. And I always look slightly better!

[HappyHousewife]

..Oh L00py,
You look great! (I only *wish* I were as thin as you)!
The photo is a bit dark, but it's probably because the room was. :-)

[2Bthinagain]

Happy: They actually got a photo of me sitting at the table and I had no idea that she was taking my photo , I was turned slightly to feed my 2 yr old. However, your tip is one that I know well, Luckily at 5'6 I am taller than all of my sistersinlaws (5'2 or so)....all tiny girls...and I do exactly what you said when I'm ordered to sit in a photo, I hide half my body behind them
For the most part I try to avoid photos all together. But I will keep that one as my BEFORE. Don't know when I'll hit the "mini goal" post site, maybe after my first ten?
Didn't gain or lose over the holiday, I'm at the same as I was one week ago though

[DayByDay]

I feel your pain because I just had my daughter take a "before" photo of me last weekend for a new blog (and diet) I started. Look beyond the pain of now to the time when you will be so glad you have that photo to show where you started from. Onward!

[tracteso]

I just had photos taken at Wal-mart and I made them place me in the back behind my son. It hid my waist, but the double chin wasn't flattering. I also got our yearbook back from our trip to Dominican in Feb. and I had on a cute top(or so I thought) Tank with a plastic ornament in between the breast. Wow. I looked like I was 9 months pregnant. It was a straight on shot. It really makes a difference when the angle is a certain way. My goal is to lose some weight before our cruise in January to the carribean. Did I spell that right? I want to at least look 4 months pregnant, not 9. I can do it. come on girls, cheer me on.

[wedded]

Okay, I have to chime in here. Photos can be a great motivator and a wake-up call and if that's what it does for you- great. But if you see a photo of yourself and it just bums you out- don't worry because Photos Do Lie.!!!! Absolutely.

I've been a full-time photographer for about 7 years and trust me, I've made 6' 120 pound models look absolutely ginourmous on accident by using the wrong lens (or maybe that's the right lens). Lenses, angle, lighting, and simply the fact of taking a 3 dimensional object and turning it into 2 dimensions distorts reality. And you know, some perfectly good looking people, no matter what you do, look horrible on camera. And some very average plain janes and joes can look fantastic on camera if they have the right facial structure or know how to pose. It's interesting really. And the photographer matters too, if it didn't I would be out of a job!

LOL about standing sideways beside someone larger! The turning sideways tip is great though. And that actually works because it provides some dimension and curve to the body. Not just to hide parts. Being shot from straight on, without your shoulders twisted or body a bit twisted. yikes! It would make anyone look like she's gained 50 pounds. And notice you will hardly every see a professional model shot with shoulders and waist straight on. I would never shoot anyone like that.

A few other tips:
those point and shoot flashes make everyone's complexions look awful, so don't worry about it. Light doesn't even exist like that in reality except for in a thunderstorm.

If you do have to get your photo taken with tiny sisters-in-law, stand slightly behind them, not to hide behind them, but you will looks smaller in the frame, and twist your body in a quarter turn. And stay in the center of the frame. People on the edges of the frame look bigger than the ones in the center.

Getting shot from above is more flattering at times, than being shot from below.

People who look great on camera are often just confident and happy in their own skin or can exude that in front of the lens. Have good posture and look at the camera like it's your favorite person.

Exxageration can read really well in a photo. So it may feel like you're puffing out cocking your hips and vamping it up, but on camera it might look great. But be careful with that one and maybe practice looks in the mirror

A telephoto lens does wonders to make someone look thinner, a wide angle spreads things out. So stand across the room and let them zoom in!