Below you will find a few tips (out of many out there!) on how to best pose to take great portraits!
1) Good Posture - this one is pretty straightforward. Stand tall and you automatically look thinner.
2) Create space between the arms and the body by lifting the arms. This can be as simple as an inch or so space away from the sides, hands on hips, or other various other positions such as the one below. This does a couple things... First, hands straight down by your side in a portrait can look awkward. Second, lifting your arms a bit makes them appear thinner. Win-win!
3) Turn the shoulders - don't stand straight on. You will look larger if you stand straight on to the camera. Turn 2/3 or so angled away from the camera. Angling your body slightly so your shoulders are turned a bit will help you look your best!
4) Lift the chin slightly. Everyone tends to tilt their head down when relaxed, but this can mean a bit of flab under the chin (no matter your size - everyone has it!). Lift the chin up a bit and fabulous! PS, this does not mean lift your head way up like you are looking at the sky! Think of it in terms of posture...when you stand tall like you have a string lifting you up from the top of you head your chin goes up a bit in height from your neck (not smooshed into your neck!).
5) Shift your weight to your back foot and point your other toe forward.
Thank you for taking the time to check out this post! Do you have any tips that help you pose great for the camera? Post in the comments!