Take a Paparazzi Picture

I blog I adore, ICiNG, recently posted an article on how to take a good “paparazzi photo.” Or rather, how not to have a mini-panic attack everytime someone points a camera at you when you’re out and about. Yeah, okay, not very many of us skip along red carpets, but even group photos at the beach can be a bit stressful if you weren’t born photogenic. Here are some of Gala Darling’s suggestions:

Work out your best angle. Most photographers will take photos at eye-level, meaning you’re going to get a straight-on kind of shot. (If they try to take it from below, either tell them to take it higher up or not to bother — no one looks good from that angle.) Don’t just look straight at the camera. You’ll end up with a mugshot, & even Frank Sinatra couldn’t make that look good. This may mean a bit of bedroom practicing. How much do you need to twist your neck to make the most of those lovely cheekbones?

Put down anything you’re holding. Take off bags, put down cellphones/drinks/chihuahuas, & if a coat is slung over your arm, give it to someone else to hold for the time being. The reason for this is that all these accoutrements are a distraction from what should be a glorious photograph of YOU! Not Skyy vodka or Nokia or Tinkerbell. The other thing to keep in mind is that when you looked in the mirror before leaving the house, you didn’t have any of this junk. It was just you in a daringly stylish outfit.

Have a schtick. Seriously. My schtick used to be a shocked face a few years ago. When faced with a photographer on Thursday night, I went with my old schtick. Nice in theory, except my face has changed since then & now it makes me look like Skeletor, as you can see in the photograph above. Hot! Except not really. For this reason, I suggest coming up with something which works & then regularly CHECK that it still looks okay, before randomly terrifying photographers & guests alike.

Please read the rest of the tips at iCiNG and bookmark her blog, it’s fabulous!