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Are you someone that hates getting your picture taken? Do you avoid the camera like the plague? If this sounds like you, I’m going to guess that you’re also supercritical and think you look bad in every photo or maybe you clam up and feel awkward because you don’t know what to do! Thankfully, this post is here to help you with little tips and tricks you can do to take all that pressure away when you’re in front of a camera! I’m using my years of experience as a photographer, professional model, and blogger to give you 12 posing tips to make you look thinner in pictures instantly!
12 Posing Tips to Make You Look Thinner in Pictures INSTANTLY!
Disclaimer: This is not to say you aren’t beautiful the way you are and that we shouldn’t accept the body we see in the mirror – every body type is beautiful! These are intended to be posing tips to flatter your body, bring out your best angles, mask what we’re not so confident about, and reverse the unfortunate things that the camera can do!
1. Watch your posture
One of the most important posing tips is to always have good posture. Move those shoulders back! In the first photo, I’m standing how I normally would (which I can now see is not great), and in the second photo, I have my shoulders pulled back. I look taller which makes me look leaner!


2. Tilt your hips back
Whatever your feelings on whether people should try to have a thigh gap or not, it’s really easy to fake it. All you have to do is tilt your hips back to create space between your legs. This may seem like such a small change, but it will make a big difference in front of the camera.


3. Show your neck
Tyra knows what she’s talking about. Avoid the double chin and try to show and elongate your neck for the appearance of a thinner face! If you don’t, you look squished. And who wants to look squished? Related: 15 Top Tips to Pose Like a Fashion Blogger


4. Stand at an angle, put one leg in front of the other
This is a posing trick you can spot a lot on the red carpet. Your legs can look uber long when you put one leg in front of the other at a 45-degree angle. It creates the perfect leading line to your entire body! You’ll also see the common theme of creating different angles with your body a lot in this post!


5. Lean away from the camera
If you’re getting family pictures taken, your photographer might tell you to lean towards the camera because it creates a connection with the camera. Which you should totally do. Listen to your photographer. But you can see that when I’m leaning forward it’s pulling my mommy tummy out, and when I’m leaning away it gives more of a slimming effect.


6. Don’t put arms flat against your body
I don’t care how tiny your arms are, if your arms are flat against your body and facing the camera, the camera is just going to make them look bigger than they are! The best way to avoid this is by turning your arms away from the camera and bending them to create a little space.




7. Bend your limbs
Don’t stand totally straight, especially if leaning up against the wall. It kinda makes me look dumpy. Use the wall as a prop to create angles and interest in your body! This is an easy way to make your photos more dynamic and natural.


*BONUS* Want to fake curves? Arch that back!

I was never a curvy person, but I’m especially not now haha. Breastfeeding sucked out my fat in places I would have rather it didn’t (umm hello fat, you can go back to my butt and boobs now, take my thighs in exchange, please and thank you.)
Though it’s coming back with my workouts I’ve started, arching that back and popping that booty out gives the illusion of curves while also creating a smaller waist!
8. Tuck your legs when sitting down
Sitting down and just plopping your legs wherever doesn’t look the greatest. If you can stretch them out and tuck them under, you create great curves and add length to your body.


9. Bend your arm when sitting down
It’s most people’s go-to position to just keep your arm straight when you’re sitting down. That can make your arm look a little unflattering. Instead, bend it, even though it feels awkward. When I bend my arm and lean into it, it looks way more toned than the first picture!


10. Stand with one leg in front of the other, get on tiptoes
I like to call this the “fashion blogger pose” because after a quick scroll through the ‘gram you’ll see that everyone is doing it! There’s a reason why though – this pose is an easy trick for looking taller and skinnier! Related: 7 Fashion Blogger Poses That Don’t Make Sense


11. Sit at the edge of your seat
Resist the urge to “just sit” when you sit. It definitely takes more effort, but sitting at the edge, bending your legs, and getting those shoulders back looks a lot better!


12. Have your photographer shoot from above
Shooting low is generally not a flattering angle on anyone. Unless you had a wide angle lens, good lighting, and your photographer was shooting low while aiming up, that can look editorial. But for those not shooting a magazine spread, having your photographer shoot higher and aiming down can slim you out!


Don’t go away yet, I’ve still got some more tips for you!
In this post, I’m wearing minimal clothing so you can get the best look at these posing tips, but that brings me to my next set of tips that aren’t about posing, but other things you can do!
- Speaking of minimal clothing, shoes with height can make your legs look leaner and longer, especially when paired with shorter bottoms
- Resist the urge to “hide” your body, wear fitted clothing!
- There’s a reason everyone says to wear black. It’s slimming and can hide any extra bulges!
- Slather on a faux tan before pictures. It can make you appear thinner plus generally people always feel better being tan! I’ve been using this lately and I put it on my body before pictures. I really like it because it gives you the immediate glow, but the tan will darken over time too!
- Finding the right makeup is a must before taking photos. Make sure your foundation is a perfect match and don’t forget a bit of translucent powder! Depending on the light source, you could end up looking greasy without it.
Even models don’t look like themselves in the pictures we see blown up in stores in real life, and even then, they can have an unflattering photo from time to time. But it’s all about hacking the camera and putting your best foot forward, sometimes literally! With these 12 different poses and simple tricks, you’re sure to make a huge difference in your photos and snag the perfect picture. If you’re still unsure, try practicing these poses in front of a mirror to prep for the next time you’re in front of the lens.
Up Next: Wondering What Colors Make You Look Skinny? Read This Post!
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these are such clever hacks babe! you really know all the right angles for the best photos! 🙂
It’s a learning experience!
Absolutely beautiful!!! Thanks so much for the tips.
I love this post! You have such great tips, especially the one about creating a waist. That’s something I am always trying to do since I carry most of my weight there.
It’s all about camera hacking! 🙂
I love this illustrative post! It’s kinda hard to follow when there’s no examples. I like that those poses create that “legs for days” effect. Definitely using these tips on my next photoshoot. Thanks for sharing!
Candace Hampton
http://www.thebeautybeau.com
Yay, glad you liked them, Candace!
I absolutely love all of these tips. You are adorable and I love your pictures!
Thanks so much, Erin 🙂
I never know how to pose for pictures, so this helped a ton!!
I’m happy to hear that! 🙂
This guide is SO helpful! I’m always looking to try new poses and definitely want to get those best angles. Thanks for sharing this!
I’m happy it was so helpful!
Great tips and super helpful for finding new poses to try out!
Glad you found it helpful!
This article and your examples would be much better visually if your beautiful stick thin modle was actually a heavy lady.
That would be so much more helpful.
Noted!
These are such excellent tips from the absolute PRO at gorgeous, flattering photos and angles. I feel like I’ve grown a lot over the past four years, but I still have tons to learn!
Oh, I’m hardly the pro, but like you are saying, there’s always much to learn!
to be honest the language is a little triggering for me, someone who has suffered from malicious eating disorders. I know this is advice people are looking for and as a former ballerina I always tell people posture is key!
My apologies for any words that didn’t sit the right way. Thank you for being brave and sharing your experience. But yes, posture is a big part of it!
I was totally nodding along to this post because I definitely do all of these! Great tips!
Glad you liked it 🙂
Hello Carolyn. I never knew any of this and rarely have a photo of myself that I like, thank you for teaching this!
Hi, Amy! I’m so glad this was helpful!
Oh my goodness, so many great tips! I loved that you shared the “before and after” type poses. I need to work on my arms away from my body and posture, for sure!
This was soooo helpful! I knew a few of the hacks, but learned so much. Thank you so much for putting this together!!
Great tips! Thanks for sharing! I also often use applications that allow you to edit the shape and face. PerfectMe is my favorite! With it I can reshape my body as I want. My figure looks ideal, I can thin my waist, long legs, abs, and retouch my face to skinny face. Cool!
I’ve also found a great article on this theme: https://apppearl.com/apps-that-make-you-look-skinny/
omgggg this is sooo helpful, thank you so much, now i won’t be so frustrated looking at pictures
So happy this is helpful for you!
Thank you for this! I’ve been looking for some tips for when I do my head shot photos and I wish I had seen this last week. I always tend to squish my arms up against my side and that makes them look bigger. If that is you in the picture, you are gorgeous. If its a model…well, then she is gorgeous too. However I don’t think it’s a possibility that the girl in your pictures could possibly ever look heavy or clunky no matter how she stood. If only you had used a bit bigger girl with maybe 10 or 20 extra pounds I could have seen the real difference posing could make, however, I get the idea! Great tips!
I’m glad this helped, Katie! I’m the person in the photographs so I just used myself as examples, but I appreciate the feedback of using different body shapes. Thanks so much for sharing!
– Excellent article! It looks so beautiful. Thanks for sharing!!
So glad you liked it. Thanks!
Awesome post and nice tips. Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome!
First of all you looking very beautiful . I am waiting for a long time to get like of those information. All of your tips are really good . I must be follow them. Thanks a lot for your advice.
These are amazing tips! Thanks for sharing!
xoxo
Lovely
http://www.mynameislovely.com
You’re welcome 🙂
Hi, Carolyn!
Very useful article. However, I would like to make some clarifications and corrections to some poses.
1. When you lean away from the camera, your proportions change, and your bottom and thighs will look bigger than your bust, and therefore you will look fatter.
2. When you bend your back leg, you place your weight on the leg closest to the camera, and therefore it will tense your thigh muscles and look fuller and bigger than in reality.
So my advice, as a posing teacher, is to put your weight on your back leg, bend your front knee, move your butt back, and lean with your chest toward the camera. This way you will put your shapes in better value, you will appear thinner and, obviously, sexier.
Thank you for your insight!
Carolyn thank you so much for these amazing tips. Some I knew &&& you’ve critiqued things for me in many ways. One thing though, IF I wear a cute summer dress NOT fitting, how do i make it work. My only problem is a muffin top. .. Cheryl
Hello, Cheryl! I’d recommend finding a dress that flatters your body and one you feel confident in. You may find dresses that aren’t clingy, emphasize the top half and not the lower half, and/or have an empire waist style may suit you best.
It’s hard to get an idea without seeing a plus size model doing these poses
100% sorry girl but you look thin and tone exactly the same in your side by sides. Even tho i am actually complementing you…I’m thick..this…well it just ain’t it
Love this article !
These are amazing tips! Thanks for sharing!
xoxo
Lovely
That’s an amazing pose — and the photography looks absolutely top-notch.