Many of us are constantly surprised at how badly photographs of us turn out. We know we looked ok on the occasion in question, but when the photos or video are shown, we look anything but glamorous. Check out these suggestions and see if you can spot any areas to improve on.

Choose your colors:

Some colors are not good on film. Flat black, pure with and bright red are all known culprits, making you look drained and odd. (This is why wedding make-up is so hard to get right). The colors that have been proven to work best on TV are strong pastels, shades or rose, blue, aqua and teal all work better than pale naturals for example. Choose a color over beige any day, but make sure it is solid. Patterns don’t photograph well and do little for ones figure. In particular avoid tight stripes, they can cause optical illusions in film particularly.

Choose the right cut of clothing:

On camera, women look best in v-necks which elongate the neck and balance the waist, and fitted, nipped in waists (though not a belt if you are less than slim). Ensure your clothes are large enough to fit well, but have no surplus fabric, this instantly adds pounds to your perceived weight.

Men need to ensure they wear tops that create the right width through the shoulders for their body type, if wearing a jacket, keep double breasted typed done up, but single breasted can photograph open as long as they don’t gape. Use a tie clip to secure a tie if worn, nothing looks worse than a tie flying. Better go without than wear it badly. Consider what your socks will look like if caught on film.

Use clever make-up

Use a lighter foundation and powder than usual for the best effect on camera, but use a good natural pink blush to add contours to the face. Make sure brows are cleanly defined, and don’t use shimmer eye shadow. Use clear, pale colors on the lids but shade the eye socket. Camera created harsh shadow, so this compensates.

Lipstick for a natural effect should match the color of your tongue or the inside of your mouth. Bright red does not flatter lip shapes on camera, neither does too flat a ‘nude’ shade.

Men should consider a touch of powder if they know an important photo is to be taken, especially on areas that may reflect the light.

Accessorize carefully

Avoid excessive, jingly jewelry on moving camera, it’s usually in the wrong place when that all important still appears. If you wear glasses, raise the arms a little higher over your ears to tip the frames down a fraction, this avoids harsh glare off them when the flash goes off.

Posture perfect

Cross your legs away from the camera. Sit slightly forward on your chair to force a straighter posture, hold your hands naturally on your lap and relax your shoulders. Smile. If staging a photo women photograph best from slightly high viewpoints, men from slightly low.