Listen Up: Models and Photographers Teach You How to Take Awesome Profile Pics

Prepare to”like” this narrative. In the end, you might not ever have a poor Facebook profile pic again.
Having a terrific profile pic is nearly as important as 1) watching well-versed (or not so well-versed) political debates and 2) for me personally, scoring some cute skirts. And heels. Can’t forget the heels.

I love to consider my profile pic as finally having the reverse those awkward tier school pics I had no control over (you know… crooked bangs with teeth to match eye roll*). Finally, I can strike a pose that says,”Damn girl, you’re searching –as my grandma would say–spiffy.” Well, at least I’d like to think. I admit to being a cam ham and a perfectionist. Translation: I spend WAY too much time pondering which among the 25 (or 57) photos I’ll choose for my Facebook profile pic. And just when I think I have discovered that the one, yup, you guessed it. . .there are more luggage under my eyes.

Sigh. There has to be an easier way to just get my grin on, post that sucker on Facebook and be finished with that. Right?

Proper .

I achieved to a professional photographers as well as the stunning Shelley Goodstein, Ford model and author of”Face This: Real Advice from Real Models, Photographers and Makeup Artists on How to Become Picture-Perfect” Here are a few tips for making sure all your profile pics are 100 percent glam, 100 percent of their time.

Have Yourself a Good Facebook Profile Photo

You’re Not Lindsay Lohan (Amen to That), Thus Stop Pretending to Be

Don’t be like Corey Hart (I offer no apologies for the’80s song reference) and wear your sunglasses at night… or on your Facebook profile pic. Tommy Mendes, testing photographer for modeling services like Ford, Next and Elite (who’s recently covered backstage fashion shows with the likes of Naomi Campbell and former Victoria’s Secret angel Karolina Kurkova), advises,”DO NOT wear sunglasses unless you’re well-recognized, like Taylor Swift or Madonna.”

Chances are you’re not that famous (yet), so resist the urge to get all incognito on your wannabe celebrity , no matter how good you look on your wine-colored cocktail dress.
The appearance may also send the incorrect message (listen up, ladies looking for love). Mendes warns that it can be”a cue to only men that you might be hiding something.”

Amazing Eyes and Face at a Flash (and Even Without a Flash)

The eyes have it. Olivia Wilde.

It has been said that the eyes are the windows to the soul and also a excellent way to get more FB friends. (I made up that last part ). Although show’em off in your profile pic, but go easy from the makeup department. Goodstein told me,”Prevent glittery eye shadow because it’ll glow unnaturally when the flash strikes. Plus, the glitter will drop on different places of your face.”

We TBF think you glow by being your beautiful self and completely concur with Goodstein’s sparkle-less pic suggestion. To get that just-right glimmer, she suggests heading outdoors, positioning yourself so your eyes catch the sunlight in what she calls that”magic place” (when it’s only a little hard to keep your eyes wide open).

Debi Gomez of Life’s Images Photography adds,”Light could be your friend or your own frenemy. If you’ve got a huge window, then sit so that it is facing you and slightly to the side of you.” She, like Goodstein, states to stay out of direct sunlight , when it comes to shots. Gomez mentioned that when the sunlight’s directly overhead, it can create the appearance of dark weathered circles (yucko).

The Skinny on Skin

Clean & Clear Oil Absorbing Sheets, $5.49 from Drugstore.com

“No one wants to look like their face is part of a oil slick, so for your finest photos, don’t overlook powder,” says Goodstein. “Even if your skin isn’t oily, it can seem that way, particularly with a flash” She suggests using a translucent powder and mattifying products like OC8 or blotting paper. She is our kind of lady; we dig the ease of petroleum blotters.

Don’t forget to drink up. No, wine does not count: ) Lisa M. Zunzanyika of Simply Zee Imagery is a big believer in good ol’ H2O. “Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate,” she states. “Hydration and remainder help make your skin and eyes look their best.”

Be Yourself

A Facebook profile pic”don’t.”

Obtaining your glam on is 1 thing. But when it comes to submitting your FB profile pic, don’t overdo it. “Your profile picture should actually look like you,” states Zunzanyika. “Prevent dramatic makeovers that render you “

I must add my 2 cents: This”unrecognizable” concept should also incorporate pets. Sure, your cat, bird or iguana Louie is cute, but I wish to see YOU, not a closeup of all cutie-patootie-Louie. You and one which shows ONLY your friend WITH your pet is fine, but pass up.

As Mendes confidently reassured me,”You are the director of your show.” I loved this! Point is, be your self. “We were not supposed to pose in front of a camera,” he says. “And we certainly don’t walk around all day with a huge smile.” He recommends doing what comes naturally. Smile if you would like, remain impartial if you would like, but remain in your comfort zone.

Be mindful of becoming overzealous from the molar section. “Do not use a profile photo with a massive smile showing every single tooth,” says Goodstein. “That’ll expose your teeth and turn your eyes into slits.

Show Some Character

Alicia Silverstone presents with character.

Love to read? Workout? Incorporate other elements that state”you” as long as they still manage to focus on, yup, you guessed itYOU. As Mendes says,”if you are a Zen-like individual, locate the willow tree in a lake. If you like to cook, reach the farmers’ market and find some brilliant veggies at the shot.”

Keep it minimal.

I mean, I love heels, cobalt blue (and variants of this colour ), love the outdoors and used to perform the cello that a bazillion years back. However, will you find a FB profile pic of a cello straddling, sporting blue platform booties, a can of bug spray compass at another, in 1 hand. Overkill.

Think Little, Get High

Shelley Goodstein, Ford version and author, in flattering upward pic.

Remember, that your FB pic is modest. Add to the fact that people are assessing status upgrades and you go from small to teeny-tiny. To get an perfect pic, Debi Gomez (enthusiast of window light) suggests shoulder and head shots. “They will be more flexible than full-body ones AND allow your entire friends–and would-be friends–to actually SEE you,” she states.

She warns not to confront squarely to the camera (I hear where she is coming from; once I do so, I feel like my face is a mile wide). Instead, Gomez advises turning shoulders”roughly 45 degrees from the camera, then turning your head slightly back towards camera”

She also proposes placing the camera higher than eye level so as you start looking into the lens, that you have to tilt your head slightly. “You don’t want to tilt your head comically far backward, just a slight tilt upwards,” she says. This elongates the facial skin for a more flattering appearance.

I’m with her. I do not care who you are, up-the-nostril nose hair shots ai not alluring on anybody.

Peek-a-Boo, I Don’t See You

This is your head. This is your cell phone blocking your face. Yeah, I’m ripping off that”brain on drugs” egg-in-frying-pan campaign from the late’80s to beg you: Do not go there. Pleeeeaaase. Cameras on your Facebook profile pic are rather cute if you’re under 18. Otherwise, it’s hokey.

“Position yourself in front of a mirror, then subtly move your shoulders and head to learn what’s best for you,” clarifies Zunzanyika. “Rehearsing allows you to find out your angles, but in addition can help take natural photographs.”

FYI, chances are you’ll enjoy your left side better. A recent article talks up a research indicating there is such a thing as a side. So cue up Beyonce’s”Irreplaceable” (“to the left, to the left”) and rehearse away.

Picture-Perfect Examples
So, what do some great profile pics look like? I wanted to share and immediately thought of a couple of my FB friends.

Hey, Romeo (*Eyelashes Batting*)

Francine T., in her own “eat your heart out” FB profile pic.

So here’s my FB friend Francine T., a New Jersey resident who operates in the corporate communications department of a global nonprofit organization. I believe her pic is awesome since it does all of the right things in the manners of framing, angles and light AND reveals a fun, come-hither character.

Francine explains the film was shot the day in February, when she moved outside with her sisters and a few friends. People were giving out red carnations, because it was near Valentine’s Day. “We started taking random pictures with the flower and had a little fun with it,” she informed me. “I loved the way the photo came out; it seems playful and also the angle is a little mysterious. The fact that I had gone through a separation may have affected my decision to use it like a profile photograph as well, if someone came across it. I believe that it says,’Eat your heart out. ”’

Sexy & Sophisticated

Jenna D. pose that combines sexy with sophisticated

Meet another FB friend of mineJenna D. She is an assistant account executive at an NYC ad agency who still finds time to shake it into the beat as a Zumba group exercise instructor. She loves her profile pic for its sentimental AND alluring facets.

It was snapped in a restaurant after her friend’s wake, therefore she clarifies that the pic as a bittersweet moment where”We’re all able to be together to celebrate her life.” Plus,”I think my hair looks nice and the pic is a great combination of sexy and sophisticated, I think all women ought to be.”
We adore her black blazer, hair-complementing peach tank along with also the well-framed shot. Additionally, it meshes with Goodstein’s advice to”wear clothes that fit” and”do not be scared to allow a tiny skin “

These ladies have got it going on, and they adhere to another valuable tip from Zunzanyika:”Stay away from active clothing when picking your wardrobe for the shot. Patterned clothing, especially if the colors are vibrant, attracts attention away from your face,” she states, including a final idea:”Polka dots, colours and stripes. . .oh, my”

Which are some of the tips for taking excellent FB profile pics?