‘Member how the pro photographer made Magdelena feel all warm and comfortable about posing by detailing how he was going to have to work around all her flaws? Just so you know, here’s part of the process of assessing someone’s flaws so they can look… (I’ve added a bit of emphasis)

Before you begin to work, study your model and decide on the strenghts and weaknesses you intend to show off or disguise. You want to portray the ideal, but you are very unlikely to find a model who is perfect in every respect. Some of the features to look out for are [listed in the book.] Good skin and ahir are particularly important. In general models should be slender — the camera always exaggerates the proportions and slim thighs and waist look best. Above all, it is the model’s ability to look natural that counts.

The author and the book shall remain anonymous. Just remember that while you want to portray the ideal you’re going to have to be deceptive. Great!

For a bit more of the same, from Veronica’s Do it yourself Glamour Photography a site that’s actually pretty sympathetic, here are some nuts and bolts suggestions:

Poses to Correct Face or Figure Problems

The following poses are grouped according to the face or figure problems that are hidden or minimized. All models have face or figure problems of various degrees so this list of poses should be useful in most situations. Keep in mind that you can also make up your own poses: this is by no means an exhaustive list.

Face

In general, the model should not cover parts of her face with her hands. Keep the neck relaxed and if the model is leaning toward the camera, have her lean from the waist.

Wrinkles or Poor Complexion – light the face evenly with soft diffused light and have the camera on the same level as the model’s face. She should face directly into the camera. One method popular with fashion photographers is to seat the model at a table, place a white card flat on the table and bounce light off the card upward on the model’s face. This lightens the underside ofthe nose, lips and eyes. If you’re shooting with black-and-white film, reddish discolorations (acne, pimples etc.) can be subdued with a red filter over the lens.

Prominant Nose – photograph the model straight on with your camera slightly above the model’s eye level. Use soft lighting to reduce shadows around the nose.

Double Chin – the model should tilt her head slightly downward and the camera should be above the model’s eye level. Also try a pose with the model resting her chin on her hand (she can also hold a hat or flower) The model should NOT put any weight on her hand since this would distort the face. When posing like this keep the thumb side of the hand AWAY from the camera; the little finger side of the hand should be toward the camera. Lingerie with a high collar or a towel can be put around the neck to hide a double chin. In some cases tilting the head back and putting the neck under tension will help. Finally, if you are shooting a profile of the model’s body, have her turn her head toward the camera. Use her forward shoulder to hide her chin. If she has long hair, bring some down across her face in front of her chin.

Strong Chin – keep the chin straight on to the camera or have the model tilt her head down slightly.

Wide Face – photograph the model with the face at a three-quarters view (slightly turned away from the camera). You can also increase the lighting contrast and allow the side of the face away from the camera to become darker. If the model has long hair, try bringing some around in front to cover part of the face.

Narrow Face – have the model tilt her head forward and shoot from above eye level. the face should be lighted evenly without shadow. Shadows can cause a narrow face to look gaunt.

Small Mouth or Thin Lips – have the model open her mouth slightly. This is one case in which the hands may be used in front of the face. Have the model put her finger on her lip or her hand across her mouth (as though she is giggling). This will help to hide a small mouth.

Poor Teeth – instead of smiling, have the model open her mouth SLIGHTLY, just enough to show the smallest amount of teeth. Try smiling with the mouth closed.

Arms and Hands

Don’t photograph the model with her armpit turned toward the camera or with one arm too near the camera. An arm too near the camera can cause it to look large in relation the the rest of the body. The model should keep her fingers extended and together (it looks more graceful), with the side of the hand toward the camera.

Sagging Upper Arms – try draping a piece of material across the shoulders and down over the upper arms. A shirt open at the front and down in the back will also hide the upper arms.

Unattractive Hands – hold hands under a piece of chiffon (see-through) material. Remove jewelery which can attract attention to the hands. Long gloves can also disguise hands while giving an elegant appearance.

Breasts

Large or Sagging Breasts – support the breasts with folded arms or a cushion or pillow held under them. The hands and arms can be raised over the head to raise a large bust line. An open mesh top or teddy can help support the beasts while still showing them off. The model can also use her hands to support the breasts. If the model is in a seated or reclining position, she should try squeezing her arms together. Finally, she can lean over so that the breasts hang downward at a pleasing angle.

Small Breasts – try making the lighting slightly contrasty, overhead and to one side. Also, have the model squeeze her arms together to force a bit of cleavage.

Uneven Breasts – pose the model in a three-quarters position (slightly away from the camera) and hide one breast with a scarf or shawl draped over one shoulder.

If you encounter any real problems with breasts, try draping a see-through piece of fabric over the model’s chest. Backlight or frontlight to give definition to the body without showing detail. You might need to experiment with this technique a little to achieve the proper lighting and fabric placement.

Stomach

Protruding Stomach – try holding a pillow or a piece of lingerie in front of the stomach. If the model bends (arches) backwards, it will sometimes correct a slightly protruding stomach by putting the abdominal muscles under tension. Sometimes lying on the back will solve the problem (try a pillow or cushion under the small of the back for this pose). Try pulling a towel or blanket tightly around the body at waist level to keep body fat under control.

Stomach Scars – drape a piece of see-through material over any scar area. This will help to diffuse the light and hide the scar.

Legs and Hips

Have the model angle her legs and hips away from the camera. To add interest to the pose, one leg should be bent at the knee. A small box can be used under one foot to raise it.

Heavy Legs or Thighs – try wrapping a towel or piece of lingerie around the waist and let it drape over the thighs. For a seated pose, cover the thighs with a cushion or pillow. In cases where the thighs cannot be covered, have the model cross one leg over in front of the other. In lying down poses, shoot the model at a low angle from her head looking toward her feet. The low angle makes tha waist, thighs and legs smaller in comparison to the upper body.

Buttocks

Sagging Buttocks – try draping with a scarf or lingerie. The model can also use her hands to shape and raise her buttocks. In a seated position, use a cushion or pillow to hide any sagging.

Discolored or Pockmarked Buttocks – drape with sheer fabric from the waist and back or side light. This will allow the shape to show through but not the color or texture. Experiment a bit with this method to achieve the proper effect. If only slightly discolored or pockmarked, use soft light and try using a warm filter over the camera lens (light amber or orange)

Body

Too Heavy – determine which part of the body is best. Wrap body in sheer fabric and expose the part that you or the model considers the best.

Too Thin – pose the model in a “folded-up” postion (i.e. legs drawn up, arms folded, head down on knees) and shoot close in. The idea is to downplay the thinness by reducing the space around the model.

Consider other possiblities also. For example, if the model has a good face with dark hair and good features, try overexposing the photo with slight diffusion over the lens. This technique will help to eliminate uneven skin colors. Also bright backlighting on the figure with light mainly on the face. This has the effect of preserving a good figure but subduing detail.

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Tips for Male Models

Males can be photographed in more directional, contrasty lighting to show off muscles. When you use directional light you will most likely need to pose a bit more carefully since even a slight change in position can alter how the light plays across the skin and muscles. You may need to use a bit of talc powder on the skin to cut any shine and prevent glare. Look in body building magazines for examples of this type of lighting. As with women, you can hide unphotogenic areas with carefully placed clothing. Try using sports equipment, weights, tools etc. as props. Rough surfaces such as tree bark, stone and concrete make excellent backdrops for the male figure. Haircuts should be done a day or two before you shoot so that it has time to lose that “just cut” look.

Want to make your penis look larger? Of course you do, it can never be too large, can it? Try shaving the pubic hair directly above the shaft and carefully trimming the rest (of the pubic hair, that is). This will make you appear slightly larger in the photos.

If you’re shooting photos with a female partner, have her hold your penis; women usually have smaller hands than men and you’ll look larger. BTW A trick to use when you have trouble finding a female to do a shoot with is find a female willing to provide a hand only. Have her wear a latex glove covered with lace glove (you can get black or white lace gloves at most bridal shops fairly cheaply). It looks good and only her gloved hand need appear in the photo.

Another method, used years ago when censorship laws prevented showing erections, is to pull the erect penis into its normal flaccid position making it appear larger. You tie a thin, flesh-colored thread or string just behind the head of the penis and run the string between your legs. Get an erection, how you do that is up to you, then pull on the string until your erect penis assumes its non-erect position. In the photograph it will look like you have a very large, flaccid penis. The only downside to this is that if you want to shoot some photos with an obvious erection, it won’t look like it gets very large compared to your normal size.

Need a “cum” shot? Try using egg whites as a substitute if you run out of the real thing.

Read the whole article here.

The point being that we tend to compare ourselves not to real people but to photographs. If we recognize the contrivances then our comparisons can be fair. If not, then once again we’re setting ourselves up for failure. And since we’re talking about our images of ourselves, failure isn’t a very useful starting point.

Reminder: When taking our own photos we can take advantage of these same tips.

Consider the following two photos, one of which uses lots of tricks, the other… uses a lot of tricks too but in reverse to make everything look not good but, well, pretty awful.

In a way these photos are awfully similar. Just a little shift of my hips, a small change in my shoulders, exhaling all the way instead of inhaling, catching a lot of shadows from the light overhead instead of relying on light from the side. Letting the curves of my arm exaggerate the stoop of my chest vs letting the angle of books in the background exaggerate the narrowness of my waist. The cold background of bathroom tile vs. the warmth of books and furniture.

Neither photograph is really telling the truth. In real life I look like neither sharp and dapper nor stoop-shouldered and dumpy. Instead I look normal. Not glamourous but darn nice. And so do you.