To look good in pictures, find soft light, ask for the camera at eye level or a little above, turn your body slightly away from the lens, and relax into a real smile. Most people who seem photogenic have just learned these few habits. To see how a camera reads your face, try our free age guesser.
Why you look different in pictures
Before the tips, it helps to know why photos can feel unfair. It is usually not your face.
- Photos are not flipped. You know your face from the mirror, which shows it left to right reversed. A photo shows the other version, which can look slightly off to you even though everyone else sees it every day. Our guide to mirror vs camera explains the research.
- Photos freeze a moment. In a mirror you see a moving face. A camera can catch a half blink or a half smile that nobody notices in real life.
- Lenses distort. Wide lenses up close stretch the middle of the face. A selfie taken about 12 inches away can make the nose look around 30 percent wider than a photo taken from 5 feet.
- Photos are flat. You lose the depth your eyes see in person, so light and shadow do more of the work.
Find good light first
Good light fixes more photos than any pose.
- Face a window or stand in open shade outdoors.
- Avoid light from straight above, which casts shadows under the eyes and nose.
- If the sun is strong, turn your back to it and let the photographer expose for your face, or move into the shade.
- Avoid on camera flash when you can. It is small and harsh and flattens features.
Our selfie guide has a simple diagram for setting up light at home.
Ask for the right camera height
Camera height quietly changes the shape of your face.
Eye level gives the most honest view. A little above eye level shows the eyes and softens the jaw. Below the chin is the least flattering for most people, because the camera looks up at the jaw and neck. When a friend takes your photo, it is fine to ask them to raise the phone a little.
Pose without looking posed
You do not need model poses. A few small changes are enough.
- Turn slightly. Stand at an angle to the camera rather than square on, then turn your face back toward the lens.
- Shift your weight. Put most of your weight on your back foot and relax the front knee.
- Make a little space. Keep a small gap between your arms and your body, or rest a hand on your hip or in a pocket.
- Lead with your face. Push your face slightly forward from the neck and keep your chin level. It defines the jaw line without looking stiff.
- Do something. Walk, laugh, adjust a sleeve or look away and back. A tiny movement relaxes the whole body.
Get a natural smile
A held smile fades fast and starts to look strained. Instead, laugh or think of something funny just before the shot, and ask the photographer to take a burst. Somewhere in the middle of those frames is a smile that reaches your eyes. If you prefer not to smile, soften your eyes slightly as if you are about to, which keeps the face warm.
Find your good side
Almost every face is a little different on each side. Take a few photos turned slightly left and a few turned slightly right in the same light, then compare them. Many people find they like one side more. Use it, but do not stress about it, because the difference is usually small.
Wear clothes that photograph well
- Well fitting clothes look better than very loose or very tight ones.
- Solid colors and simple patterns photograph better than small busy prints, which can shimmer on screens.
- A neckline that shows a little neck, such as a V or open collar, makes the upper body look longer.
When someone else takes the photo
It is fine to give the photographer a little direction. Most people are happy to help.
- Ask them to hold the camera at your eye level or slightly above.
- Ask them to step back and zoom in a little rather than standing close. A bit of zoom flattens the face more naturally than a wide lens up close.
- Ask for a burst or a short video, then pick a still from it.
- Check the first shot together and adjust before taking the rest.
Group photos
Group photos are where most people end up disliking how they look, usually because they are at the edge of the frame or in poor light.
- Avoid the very edge. Wide lenses stretch faces near the edges of the frame, so the middle is safer.
- Stand a little behind the front row if you prefer. Faces closer to the camera look larger than faces further back.
- Find the light together. Turn the whole group toward a window or into open shade instead of having half the faces in shadow.
- Take several frames. In a group, someone always blinks. More shots means more chances everyone looks relaxed.
Glasses and reflections
If you wear glasses, tilt the frames very slightly down at the top or turn your head a touch away from a window or lamp. That moves the reflection off the lenses so your eyes show clearly. Anti glare lenses help too.
Take more pictures
People who look relaxed on camera have usually been photographed a lot. The more photos you take, the less the camera feels like an event. Take ten instead of one, delete freely, and you will learn your angles fast.
What a camera notices about age
Out of curiosity we checked how simple photo changes affect how old an AI thinks someone looks. We edited 60 photos of people with known ages in one way at a time. Flipping a photo like a mirror barely mattered, while black and white and heavy softening changed the guess most often. You can read the full results in our guide on how to look younger.