Don’t Use Photoshop, Use These Practical Photography TIPS

I do have an amazing Photographer who understands why I do not like to be photoshopped. Why? Please read more to find out….

We have so much fun when shooting together and nothing compares to that girl bond we have on set. Even though we have so much fun when shooting, we learn so much as well. She has actually taught me a lot of things I couldn’t have learnt on my own and some of those things I would share with you in this post.

One of the ways I personally pull traffic to the Moj in Touch blog is by using great photographs/images; I take the photo-matter very seriously because it is what appeals to the eyes first before the text of the blog. And of course I ensure that when blog readers pop by they gain valuable information in the contents we create; very important. Thank you for always stopping by.

Also we all know that to sell any products, we need great images especially in Fashion and Food. So photography is key in presenting details and telling great stories.

What is Photoshop?

In simple words, photoshop is an editing software used to alter photos digitally.

Photoshop is used to get that picture perfect images.  High Fashion Photographers use them for professional images .e.g all the photos in those glossy magazines you and I read.

So do not be deceived, those picture perfect models are not necessarily perfect, they have been edited to perfection.

Here are some of the photography TIPS I have learnt so far. Some of which I learnt while modelling. When modelling, if you pay attention to your surroundings and the professionals you work with, you learn a lot. And some of the TIPS I learnt from my current photographer-Claire. Here they are……..

Open & Close

One of the biggest use of photoshop is to remove things like teary or watery eyes and sweat etc in pictures.

It can happen that your eyes get tired and teary when shooting especially in the cold season. For someone like me, I tear up when shooting outside in the cold;that is bad for make up. How to prevent that is to…..

1, Wear sunglasses.

This will prevent teary eyes. If you tear up at all, the sunglasses will conceal that for you and if you have to upload your images immediately after shooting, you won’t need any photoshop to wipe off teary eyes in your photos.

2, Open & Close

Another thing photoshop is used for is to remove or erase creases from squinting, fine lines and wrinkles etc.

With direct sunlight, it is possible for you to be squinting a lot while photographing because of the rays of the sun. In this case when your photographer is preparing or setting up, close / shut your eyes and when they are ready to shoot, open your eyes. This will prevent you from squinting in your photos and will save you the hassle of having to use photoshop to erase squints which can be time consuming.

The other option is obviously for you to wear sunglasses. If you are not sure what sunglasses suit your face, check HERE

Shoot From a Distance

When I first shared my photography TIPS with you a long time ago, I said one of the best ways to look long and lean is to shoot from a low angle .i.e from the bottom to the top. If you are shooting in a place where shooting from a low angle is not an option you can explore………..

1, Shoot from a long distance or from afar

What this will do is that you will look leaner than you really are. This is an effect people use photoshop to achieve. Why bother to photoshop when you can try this easy breezy approach. Let’s see what I mean……..

Aside wearing vertical stripes; lines from top to bottom which made me look taller and the fact that I am tall already, the distance at which the image above was shot made me look longer, leaner or taller if you like. If you want to look long and lean in photos, shot from a distance or shoot from a low angle then you won’t need that elongated effect of photoshop.
 

“Pasta is Bitch”

Another thing people use photoshop to achieve is contoured face. If you have been reading the blog for sometime, you know I always insist that my photos are not photoshopped; the reason is because I like to look the way I look in photos in real life. Well, that is just me and this is a blog not a fashion magazine and secondly to make young women and girls know that they are perfect just the way they are.

When going to take photos, avoid…

1, Pasta:

Pasta will make your face look blown up or puffed and will give you a bulged or bloated tummy. Think I am joking, see this photo……

Look at how chubby my face / cheeks looked in that photo. No I haven’t added weight. It was the effect of pasta 2 consecutive days before photos. I blame it on busy busy☺

Let’s see another……

Look at that picture closely. Even though my waist is tiny and I look long and lean, you will notice that bulge if you look well. That is the effect of Pasta the previous day.

Other food that will make you look bloated in close shoot photos are Rice, Bread and all things Carbonated drink a.k.a Fizzy drinks. So when doing photos, stay clear of all of those things 24hrs before the d-day.  Some lettuce and cucumber will help with a lot of water 🙂

Now Let’s see a photo I took wearing Fitted Dress without that “Pasta effect”

As you can see, I don’t have any bulge in my tummy and NO, I wasn’t wearing body magic. I was wearing just my regular undergarment which I shared HERE

Arms

A friend of mine once told me she doesn’t wear sleeveless because her arms look “yammy”, if you like fat. I hate to use that word, let’s just pretend I didn’t say so. Honestly, it is the first time I was hearing “yammy” myself. Heard it before?

So for your arms not to look yammy / chunky / thick or fat in photos, try….

1, Placing your arms on your hips when taking photos. Something like this………

When you do that, if you have very toned arms, you can show them off. If not, your chunky arms won’t look as bad as you think and then you will not need that photoshop effect.

Of course the other option is to stay safe and wear some blouse / shirt with sleeves.

Please don’t forget that this are just “photography TIPS”. Be proud of your body and embrace who you really are.  Like I always say, we have all been made in God’s image and we are beautiful no matter what size we are.

I want to thank you so much for reading today’s post and I do hope you find the TIPS helpful. Want to hear know what you think, please leave me your comments below.

Wishing you an amazing day today.

Much Love, Mojisola

To learn the Previous Photography TIPS I shared, please check HERE

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