digital photographs

Say Cheese: How to Look Great in Photos

Mikey Rox — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 11:24:45 +0000

Before the invention of the digital camera, we had to deal with whatever picture developed. Nowadays, as soon as someone snaps a shot, we’re all like, "Can I see it?" We want to make sure we look acceptable in the picture that will inevitably make its way onto Facebook where it will forever be judged — whether we like it or not.

To make sure you look your best in photos — since you have no control over it after it’s taken — here are a few tips you can institute before the flash goes off.

Get a Haircut Beforehand

Everybody looks great after a session at the salon or barber. It gives your face an air of freshness and your mood a boost of confidence. If you know you’ll be someplace where photos will be taken — a wedding, reunion, holiday dinner — get a haircut or new style before the event. I recommend going to the parlor a week in advance for two reasons: 1) So you don’t look like you just stepped out of the chair, and 2) if your stylists messes up, you have time to fix it.

Don’t Forget to Smile

I’m a smiler. There’s not a picture hanging in my house in which I don’t have a smile. My driver’s license, passport, and bank-card photos all have cheeky grins, too. I look happy when I smile, and other people comment on that aspect of my photos all the time. Why do I smile so much? Because nobody wants to look at a picture with someone who has a stone-cold stare — it’s depressing. That’s not to say that you have to show a full face of teeth — some people are self-conscious about their teeth, and that’s OK — but you should at least try to move your lips in an upward direction.

Also, try to smile naturally. It’s hard sometimes, and I’m guilty of feigning smiles here and there. But my husband has a great trick that always makes his smile look natural — he makes himself laugh before the photo is taken, and it always turns out great.

Iron Your Clothes

If you’re a schlub in your daily life, it’ll show up in the photos. Personally, I don’t think there’s any acceptable reason why anyone shouldn’t be ironing their clothes — or at least making sure they’re wrinkle-free somehow — before they leave the house. You never know when someone might want to take a photo of you, so it’s best to be prepared. It’s not that difficult to heat up the iron and run it across your pants and shirt in the morning or evening. In fact, I would go as far to say that if anyone wanted to be in a photo with me and they looked a hot mess, I would say no. I don’t want their poor grooming habits reflecting poorly on me.

Choose a Good Setting

A good background can make or break a photo op. Look around before the group gets into its pose. Is there something interesting that will give the photo more depth and excitement? Greenery, a mural, the cityscape? Be conscious of what’s behind you to enhance the chance of taking a keeper.

Know Which Side Is Your Best Side

No matter which way some people are photographed, they look amazing. I’m not one of those people. After analyzing many years’ worth of photographs, I’ve decided that I look best having my right side photographed. That’s the side I choose whenever somebody wants to take a picture. You don’t have to make a big deal about it when it’s picture time; just quietly position yourself the way you want so you have the best chance of taking a great photo.

Avoid Close-Ups

Models look great in close-ups; regular people do not. I try to avoid having close-ups taken at all costs. If I feel the photographer is too close for comfort, I kindly ask the person to back up a bit. They usually oblige. If they don’t, they will after they see what you look like close up.

Use a Decent Camera

If a camera isn’t quality, it’s not going to take quality pictures. If you’re someone who likes to snap photos, invest in a good camera. Decent digital cameras are inexpensive these days.

Opt Out

If you’re not feeling the photo op for whatever reason — you’re not confident about your outfit or hair or the photographer doesn’t have a good camera — politely decline the invitation to have your picture taken. I’d rather say no when I know the photo isn’t going to turn out well because I don’t look my best rather than let someone take a photo that I'll regret for the rest of my life.

Have other tips on how to look great in photos? Let me know in the comments section below.

This article is from Mikey Rox of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

How to Save Your Family Memories With Cloud Computing

Amy Lu — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 13:00:07 +0000

When I had dinner with some friends recently, I told them about a trip I will be taking next year to attend a cousin's wedding. One friend made this observation: "Wow," she said, "everyone in your family is getting married." It was an exaggeration (not everyone is getting married), but her point was valid: many in my generation are coming into the family-making phase of our lives. We're getting married. We're having kids. You know what that means?

Pictures. And Videos. Lots of them.

I always liked the idea of scrapbooking to organize pictures, and making home videos to watch together when the extended family gathers for big events. But that limits the sharing to certain times of the year only, and only to the folks who can actually make it. Unfortunately, family who live across the country — or in different countries — will inevitably miss out on the memories. Sure, you can send physical copies, but that can get expensive, fast.

Oh, who am I kidding? In this day and age, most family photos and videos are distributed online. And with the help of cloud computing, your family can even create a scrapbook or newsletter together, so everyone can keep everyone else up to date on family goings-on.

You may ask, what is cloud computing, anyway? It's simply a fancy term for Internet-based computing, where applications, files, and resources are stored in distant servers away from your computer. You can access these resources on demand, from any computer. Any time you're using Flickr, Yahoo Mail, Google Docs, Office Live, or MobileMe, you are "on the cloud."

Here's the kicker: You can grant other people access to the applications, files, and resources that you use on the cloud, making collaboration on a family scrapbook or newsletter easy as pie. Usually, all it takes is signing up for whatever service you decide to use — and there are many to choose from. Here are just a few.

LetterPop

With almost 300 templates to choose from, LetterPop makes it easy to create newsletters perfect for any occasion, season, or theme. While you can't share your work on LetterPop with other users, you can make it a family project with your kids. Give the older ones a section to write their own blurbs and let the younger ones help you choose your favorite photos to share. You can upload image files from your computer, or drag-and-drop directly from Flickr. Since everything you need is stored on your LetterPop account, you can work on your newsletter anywhere, anytime.

Chattertree

Most of my family (the computer-using ones, at least) are on Facebook — but not all of them. So when someone shares wedding photos or baby videos, those who didn't want to deal with Facebook's ever-changing privacy issues also don't get to Oooh and Awww with the rest of us. Chattertree is a solution to this problem. In a way, Chattertree very much like Facebook: You can message people, set birthday alerts, share photos and videos. But unlike Facebook, you get to do video chats with up to six people (or families), and it's a private family network — so anyone concerned about embarrassing photos of you wearing a Snuggie on Christmas morning can rest easy knowing that none of my friends will accidentally stumble on it. Um, I mean 'none of your friends.' Hypothetically, of course.

Google Docs and Microsoft Office

LetterPop and Chattertree are helpful services to sign up for, and they're super easy to use, but you do have some resources that you and other members of your family are probably already familiar with: Google Docs and Microsoft Office.

When you sign up for Gmail — or any other Google service — you gain access to their entire suite of applications. With Google Documents, you can create a scrapbook using one of their templates — simply type in 'scrapbook' in the search field of Google's templates page, and choose one that you like. While the selection is somewhat limited right now, it's fairly easy to upload your own backgrounds and graphics for a personal touch. As with most of Google's other applications, you can share your work-in-progress with other people and let them edit the scrapbook to add their own memories and highlights.

On the newsletter front, Microsoft Office has your back. Just choose a newsletter template when you open a new document, and fill in text boxes and insert photos like you would with any Office template. Rearranging body text, photos, captions, and titles is easy — anyone who has worked with Office probably already knows how to do it. And with Windows Live SkyDrive, you can upload and save your newsletter in the cloud and work on it later. When you're done, simply email it out to the family, either directly in the message or as an attachment.

Thanks to Windows 7 and Windows Live for sponsoring this post about how technology makes parenting so much easier. Visit Windows to learn more about the power of the Cloud and what it can do for you.

This article is from Amy Lu of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Google pays you $10 per business referral

Andrea Karim — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 22:04:17 +0000

Google is launching a business referral program, which means that you can earn $10 for every verified business listing that you send Google. You basically go to local businesses, tell them a bit about Google, take down some info, take some digital photos, and submit the information to Google.

Kind of like Yelp, only you don't get to give much of an opinion, and you actually get cash in return.

As a Google Business Referral Representative, you'll visit local businesses to collect information (such as hours of operation, types of payment accepted, etc.) for Google Maps, and tell them about Google Maps and Google AdWords. You'll also take a few digital photos of the business that will appear on the Google Maps listing along with the business information. After the visit, you submit the business' info and photo(s) to Google through your Local Business Referrals Center, and we'll pay you up to $10 for each listing that is approved by Google and verified by the business.

Want to make some extra cash? You have to be a U.S. citizen, over 18 years of age, and able to fill out a W-9 form. As long as you make more than $25 per month, Google will send you a monthly check. Keep in mind that you will eventually have to declare the income on your taxes.

I've always been slightly wary of stuff that Google does, but seeing as how they pay me to blog, I guess I can't turn my nose up at TOO many of their offers. But don't take this as an endorsement per se. Just an FYI.

*Update* Dumb Little Man beat me to this post. Drat! I thought I was the first one to find out about it.

This article is from Andrea Karim of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread: