How to Be More Photogenic: Tips From a Portrait Photographer

Being Photogenic Is a Skill, Not a Trait

Almost everyone who tells me they're "not photogenic" is wrong — or rather, they're describing a problem with past photographic experience rather than a fixed quality about themselves. Being photogenic, in the sense of regularly producing photographs you actually like, is a learned skill with specific, teachable components. Anyone can develop it.

The biggest factor in most "not photogenic" outcomes isn't the person being photographed — it's being photographed in unflattering light by an inexperienced photographer who didn't know how to direct. Candid holiday snaps in harsh midday sun by whoever happened to be holding the phone aren't a reliable measure of your photogenic potential.

Angle: The Single Biggest Variable

Camera position relative to your face changes how you look dramatically more than most people realise. A lens at or slightly above eye level elongates the appearance of the neck, reduces apparent jaw width, and makes eyes look larger. A lens below eye level does the opposite. Most unflattering phone photos are taken from below — hand outstretched downward, held low — which foreshortens the face and emphasises the jawline.

During a professional session, your photographer controls camera height. During any self-directed photography, hold the camera at or slightly above your eye line and tilt your chin very gently down. This single adjustment eliminates most of the common "I look terrible in photos" complaints.

Posture Changes Everything

Good posture — elongated spine, shoulders rolled back and down, chin slightly forward and down — doesn't just make you look more confident. It creates visible physical benefits: a longer neck, a more defined jaw, a cleaner shoulder line. The elongated neck particularly photographs well because it creates space between face and shoulder that reads as relaxed and elegant rather than tense and hunched.

The single most transformative posture adjustment I ask people to make is to push their chin very slightly forward toward the lens while keeping it angled downward. This feels strange in person but eliminates most of the "double chin" effect that comes from pulling the chin back (which is the instinctive self-conscious response to being photographed).

Eyes: Open, Relaxed, and Directed

Tense, over-wide eyes (the "rabbit in headlights" look) appear in many photos of people who aren't used to being photographed. This typically comes from trying to look alert or presentable combined with anxiety. The solution is paradoxical: slightly squint — narrow your eyes very gently, as if you're looking at something in comfortable bright light. This is sometimes called "smizing" and it produces eyes that look warm and engaged rather than anxious and exposed.

Whether to look directly at the lens or not is a matter of the image's intended emotional register. Direct eye contact creates intimacy and directness; looking slightly away creates a more contemplative, editorial quality. Both work — choosing between them intentionally, rather than doing it by accident, is the professional approach.