Hello, beautiful people. Is there any feeling worse than getting all done up, having a fabulous night out and wanting a photo to capture the memory . . . only to have your friend take literally the most awful photo of you that you have ever seen? (Which is saying something because you’ve seen yourself in all kinds of states. I’m talking 3-day-deep-binge-watch states. That’s not a good look on anyone.)
Well, today I’m helping you to fix that problem by showing you how to teach your friends how to take good photos of you! To test this theory, I took my friend Luke to some lavender fields and made him take photos. Here’s the before – and the after.
Now, I know that you’re thinking “wow, Mia, that’s so vain” and it most definitely is – but as a blogger a lot of my content is photographic. And a lot of my growth/brand depends on my social media – which means that I have a lot riding on being able to get decent photos . . . and I’m not interested in ditching all my friends in favour of photographers to achieve those dreams.
Tips For Taking Better Photos Of People
1. Rule Of Spacing
The rule of spacing is so freaking important – and, thankfully, it’s one of the easiest things to explain to people. All they need to know? You want an equal amount of space on any side of you. Let’s look an example.
2. Look. At. The. Freaking. Photo.
I don’t know why this needs to be on this list, I really don’t, but the amount of people that approach photos as “point in your vague direction and shoot” is just confusing. Seriously, I’m not joking – tell people to look at the photo they’re taking while they’re taking it and they’ll end up taking a far better photo.
They’ll also end up telling you “oh, look down – that angle is awful for you. Can you tilt your head?”. Which is solid advice we all need at least once per photoshoot.
3. Have a reference photo
This is a massive help for you too, especially if you’re anything like me and a truly awful model. It allows the person you’re asking to take a photo (who, let’s face it, is probably not a photographer and has no idea what to do) to actually have a clue what they’re supposed to do . . . and it helps you to be like “oh, okay, I should be doing that.”
4. Just take loads.
Can we bold this? Highlight it? Underline? People that take one photo of you when you ask for a photo are what I like to call saboteurs. Okay? That’s not a real friend, that’s not someone who wants you to get a good pic for the ‘gram.
Tell the people taking your photo to take loads. Hundreds. Thousands. Okay, so clearly not literally – but you get my point. You want them to take loads, so that you may possibly get one that’s usable.
5. Make it fun!
Look, let’s face it: your friends have better things to be doing than taking photos of you. Don’t be ungrateful or rude if you don’t come out of photos looking like Beyonce – and don’t moan at them if they aren’t into it. Make sure you’re keeping it fun and upbeat; they’ll be willing to take more photos for you and the photos will probably come out better because you’re both having a laugh!
6. Give them a bit of direction
Again, your poor innocent friend probably has no idea what they’re doing – and you might need to give them a bit of direction. What lighting you’re looking for, how to use your phone/camera, how many photos you want etc.
Okay, my friends, those are my top tips for getting people to take good photos of you! As a blogger, this is a skill you’re probably going to need at some point, so I hope these tips were helpful. What did you think? Do you find these tips helpful? Let me know your thoughts down below!
Peace,
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This was super helpful! The amount of times family and friends took like the worst pictures of me at events I wanted to remember is not even funny 😭 Taking loads is so important. And omg ikr like how do people not look at the camera or viewfinder when taking pictures? Please. 😂 Love this post! And girl you look stunning (I love lavenders!!)
Thank you lovely! And omg RIGHT? Like I want a memory, not to bloody hate myself xD Yes, yes, yes! It’s one of those things that’s like “how are you even confused about this, it should just be standard!”. Thanks lovely xx
I should send this post to my best friend! Hahaha! Thank you for the tips!! I love your photos!
https://medeeaslife.wordpress.com/
Girlll, I have this bookmarked on my phone to whip out whenever I need to ask someone to take photos lool. Thank you 🙂 xx
I am showing this to my boyfriend! Thank you <3
Thanks for reading, girly, I hope these tops work for you! <3
I’m going to share this link with so many friends RIGHT NOW!!
I hope it helps girl! 😀 x
the most necessary blog post I have ever come across, thanks for putting this together some great tips! xxx
Thanks for reading girly, I hope these tips work for you xxx
Thank you, these are great tips! I need to get some photos for a brand soon and need my friend to get some photos of me in the clothes and I don’t always look good in photos!
Aww I’m glad you found them helpful 🙂 Honestly same here, I have like set friends that I know I can get OOTD posts with xD
Okay, I need to share this with my friends – like, right now! xx
I hope these tips work for them!xx
oh my gosh i need to share this to everyone i know, haha! you look stunning by the way, mia x
I hope these tips work for them girly! And thank you 🙂 x
These are excellent tips! I am so uncomfortable modelling (literally hate it, I can’t stand still and squirm a lot) so i need someone to take photos of me efficiently or it’s not gonna happen. Luckily for me, my boyfriend is into photography haha xx
Alys
https://alysjournals.com
Ahahaha omg literally me – I actually have a post drafted about to be more comfortable camera and I’m stuck because…. I haven’t figured it out yet LOL. And ahhhh very convenient 😉 xx
Hahaha well when you figure it out let me know xxx
I needed this! Somehow I have always been the photographer of my friendship group, so having GOOD photos taken of me is a freaking challenge. Most of the time, I end up shooting self-portraits because I can’t be bothered to give so much direction hahaha. Might actually send the link to this post to a few friends. xxx
Oh god, when I tell you this resonated in my soul LOL! Massively relate to that girly, I hope this helps xxx
Love this post! So helpful!
Thank you girly 🙂 x
Great post! If you have time,check out my blog,I would really appreciate it! Thank you ! Have a blessed day! https://fashionbydeborah.wordpress.com/
Thank you girly! Will take a look x
Okay that’s it, I’m officially sharing this link with all of my friends 😩♥️♥️♥️ I used to get really frustrated with my friends who suck at taking pictures. Especially because I’m really good at taking them! These tips are so helpful, and I can’t wait to try them during my next photo shoot ☺️
Thanks girlll <3 And omg yes! Like I'm that friend who will get you album-cover worthy shots but my friends are useless looool x
SUCH good tips! the amount of times i know exactly what i want out of a picture, but just don’t really explain myself, UGH! taking a million pics helps & i like that you suggested a reference photo 🙂
Thank you! And ugh I completely understand that feeling – and it’s so damn frustrating!!
Very nice post and useful tips cause I always have to ask my friends or boyfriend to take photos of me and they don’t always end up nice so thanks for sharing 😛
Thank you lovely! I hope these tips help 🙂
Great tips Mia (once again <3). Letting others take my blog photos has sometimes ended up disastrous – however, the next time I'll know which instructions to give them. So thanks a lot for sharing these great and amazing tips! <3 I hope you enjoy what's rest of this week xx
Thank you so much Karen, you’re always bringing a smile to my face 🙂 And hope you enjoy next week!xx
I’m not the most photogenic person and I hate most pictures that other people take of me but these tips are definitely quite handy, haha! Great post. Xx
Literally me lool my mum gets so frustrated that I never take family photos but i always hate how they turn out xx
Thank you!!!! I hate most pictures of myself that other people take and I’m way too shy to ever take a selfie so I have almost no pictures of me Now I know what to tell them to do and I know what to do when I take pictures of others. Great info and huge help!!!
I’m so glad you found this helpful 🙂
I need to get Dan to read this – he takes the most hideous photos of me. Like hid. Makes me want to cry x
Yep, I have friends like that and I’m left like “do I actually look like that??? eughhh” xx
Every time my friend every time xxx
My boyfriend is notorious for catching me with half-closed eyes or a weird half-talking face on! I’m still trying to teach him not to cut off my feet in photos haha almost 3 years in…
Ahaha hopefully some of these tips will help him!
Photoshop me out of the picture or just photoshop me haha I’m joking but I’m not sure 🤔
Haha I get that!
That awkward moment when you can’t even take good pictures of yourself…😝
Really I’m just nervous about asking someone to take my photo, worried about sounding vain (even though it’s not)
I totally get that LOL – and THIS THIS THIS!! I always worry people will be like “uh…who do you think you are?”
Girl YASSS!!! My friends take a lot of my pictures and I have had to “train” them. It is amazing how many people don’t take decent photos, or have that creative eye. These are such great tips! Thanks for sharing sweets! ALSO these are gorgeous pictures. YOU are stunning! <3
Aha omg I relate to that – certain friends of mine have been “trained” too! And right? Sometimes it’s like “I mean, you’re …. you’re just not trying, right?” Aww thank you so much lovely <3
About all you could really do to help them do this is put a limit on how long they can cry for, in joy, having frozen your image in time and space. Perhaps they should write testimonials for having photographed you
Of course Slash would say….. fuck off 🤡😈
Ahaha you do make me laugh!
On my way to get this last bit of dental work done. Will be a pleasure to be alone with my discomfort and no morons hassling me.
I feel like I were in that band Still waters from Almost Famous, and I saw from day dot that their attitude was as bout as rocknroll as Edward Woodward in the Wicker Man… sometimes I am well ahead of the curve.
I feel dirty because some Christian just attacked me because I deterred him from tackling me and giving me a Ned Flanders.
Nothing funny about this 😝
Yayyy thanks for the tips! I’m the only one in the group who takes the photos because my friends ‘dont know’ how to! And YOU ARE RIGHT! Just look at the screen when taking a pic and the battle is already half won! JEEZ. Its not that hard!
OH MY GOD YES RIGHT??? That’s literally me and sometimes it’s bloody annoying because, like you said, dude it’s just not that hard to take a decent photo if you LOOK AT THE FREAKING SCREEN!
EXACTLY. they are just not even trying! 🤣
I feel like I need to stick this entire post on my forehead whenever I ask someone to take photos of me. That said, my friends and I probably look like we’re on crack whenever we take photos, especially me, because I tend to talk throughout the entire thing, walk people through the whole process of what I’m doing next and WHY i’m suddenly popping a squat on the floor or flipping my hair like an idiot and basically be a fool, simply because we’ve kinda nailed the whole ‘candid’ photo… just yet to master the ‘professional, everyone look at the camera at the same time, with the same genre of vogue pls’ photo, but i’m sure we’ll get there eventually. xx
OH MY GOD YES. Like it’s like “Oh I’m meant to be posing for a photo? Let me inner idiot come out and be FREEEEE!” ahaha I have in you all xx
*faith, i have faith in you all x_x
This was an amazing post! ❤️ One of my brothers is a wedding photographer and always know how to make the right pictures and knows everything about photography. My other brother can also make great pictures. My mother takes a lot of pictures of me too but sometimes they are really bad haha so I ask her to make many more as there must be one that’s okay and not messed up lol 😂 The rule of spacing is so important too. These are really great tips. You look awesome ❤️
Thank you so much lovely <3 Oh my god, you're so lucky – they must take such great photos for you! And awww I think that's a mum thing lool because mine is the exact same! Thank you <3 <3
These are all super helpful tips Mia,super helpful ,definitely bookmarking this for future use 😄
Aww thank you so much!
I absolutely love your blog and I feel like I learn how to be a better blogger every time I read one of your posts. This was also really good because currently I just take me photos in a self timer and they don’t always turn out the best.
Gosh I really needed this!Whenever I take my friends’ photos they end up liking them, but whenever they take pictures of me, I end up disappointed.I love the rule of thirds too, I recently found out about it and it’s sooo helpful.Totally gonna show this to my best friends!Great post xx
Aww I’m so glad this was helpful! I totally get you on that – hopefully, these tips will change that 😀 xx
You look so freaking gorgeous 😍🎶
I’m gonna need to send this link to my friends asap. thx for the tips!
Aww thank you girly! Also, what is your blog URL now? I always try to view your posts but it’s not linked to your WP name ;-; xx
welcome girly! it’s omgryry.wordpress.com
Aaaah you remember me!! 😂 I’m really fangirling rn 😂
These are all such helpful tips! I think a tip similar to asking someone to actually look at the photo would be to ask them to check you are in focus – the number of times the picture has been out-of-focus or the focus has been on someone/something behind me!!! xx
Thanks Hannah! And that’s actually a really good tip – same thing happens to me all the time x_x xx
I’m def not photogenic and always have to end up taking like 50 just to get like 1 good pic haha. These are really helpful tips, great post girl <3
Same here girl, same here! And thank you <3
This was such a unique article that gave really practice tips! I always find having a reference photo helps the most 😊
Thank you for this post it was soooo helpful!! The amount of times my poor mum has to take pictures of me is too much sometimes so I’ve just mastered a go to pose so she only has to take a few. It was particularly bad when we were on holiday in Canada because I was asking her to get pictures of me basically every day 😂 at least now with the help of this post I can direct her to take better photos of me xx
Super helpful tips!! It’s frustrating when you have a picture in mind and a friend that is incapable of taking a decent picture 😂
Wow this speaks to me..I already sent a screen shot of our blog to me friend because we always seem to bump into this issue!! Although fortunately she never has any shame with asking complete strangers to take another if their first try is awful 😂
Omg this needs to be read by my boyfriend. He is pretty good bless but he’s my main camera man so this is fab😍😅😅xxxx
Thank you!!! My husband just doesn’t get it sometimes and he always has me checking and I’m always giving him directions lmao. Would be nice if he knew how haha