The Case of the Uninvited Chin

Dilemma:   Ever seen a photo of yourself where an undesired extra chin showed up without being invited?  How do you minimize it without contemplating plastic surgery?  Click below to find out.

Adobe Stock

PHOTO TIPS FOR DIMINISHING A DOUBLE OR EXTRA “CHIN”

What’s Going On?

When we stand for a photo, we often automatically shift our weight onto our back foot and lean back a little.  This shifts our head angle and buries our chin into our neck which adds thickness to our chin/neck area - thus the double or extra “chin.”   

2 Simple Steps When Standing

First, simply shift your weight forward onto your front foot.  

Second, gently point your chin towards the camera.  (Gently is key. Don’t shove it out there.  That will just look…ahem… awkward.)  

Seated for the Photo?  

The same concept applies.  Don’t sit back into the chair where your chin will collapse into your neck and create extra chins,  Instead, sit on the front edge of the seat cushion, lean slightly forward and point your chin towards the camera. 

A Couple Extras for You 

Add a twist to it!  Whether seated or standing, slightly rotate your body away from the camera and turn your head toward the camera while you have your weight shifted forward.  

Chin up.  Lift your chin slightly, but not too much because again, that can look kind of awkward.  Remember, you want to come across relaxed and natural, not straining.

Voila! You have minimized the double or extra chin!

Now how about you?  Would you like an updated headshot or family/office portrait?  Call or email me to set up a portrait session today!   I can come to your location to save you and your staff time … all within Covid guidelines. 

Serving you through portraits, headshots, product photography, commercial and editorial photography, 360-virtual tours, fine art images, and 1-on-1 lessons. 

info@danaphotography.com     626-374-3638         danaphotography.com

Over & Above! - Creative problem-solving to bring a client’s idea to life! Part 2 - The final image

Dilemma:  How do you do this?  

Your camera is up in the air 11 feet where you can’t reach it.  Your subject is lying on props on the floor and cannot move, yet needs to see photos as they are being taken.  You need to make adjustments to the camera, the lighting, the props, and show your client the photos … all without touching your camera.  How do you do this?

Just recently, I had the great opportunity to photograph singer/songwriter, Janet Blair, for her second album.  She wanted a look that required me to place the camera directly above her about 11 feet in the air. She also needed to see the photos as they were being taken to ensure they were what she was envisioning.  If I were to have raised and lowered the camera so she could see the photos on the back of the camera, it would have wasted time and jeopardized the focus each time.  It also would have added a lot of extra work to the project.

Solution: 

I was able to remotely trigger and adjust my camera settings by using CamRanger and my iPad. CamRanger plugs into a camera and creates its own WiFi signal that connects to an iPad. Using the CamRanger app, the technology enabled the transferring of photos to my iPad in real time as well. This allowed me the freedom to show her the images via the iPad, and also make adjustments, as needed, to the camera settings, lighting and props without physically touching the camera.  Today, most camera manufacturers have their own app and WiFi built into their cameras, but I have found the CamRanger to be very reliable, and the new version has more features that are really helpful!

And this is the image Janet chose for the cover of her second album, “Over Under.”

Have something you need photographed, but don’t know how you are going to do it? Send me an email and let’s get it solved!

Dana Attebery Photography - serving you through portraits, headshots, product photography, commercial and editorial photography, 360-virtual tours, fine art images, and 1-on-1 lessons.

info@danaphotography.com 626-374-3638 www.danaphotography.com

Over & Above! - Creative problem-solving to bring a client’s idea to life!

Dilemma:  How would you solve this?

Your client is lying flat on the ground … surrounded by bicycle parts.  A musician, they want a creative indoor photo that will require you to have your camera placed at least 11 feet directly above them. You have no balcony, scaffolding, or Shaquille O’Neil standing by … and a ladder isn’t going to work (because the ladder will show up in the shot).  What do you do?

I had the great opportunity to photograph singer/songwriter, Janet Blair, for her second album. I photographed Janet in her home and the area to be photographed was about 9 feet in diameter.  As a result of this width and needing to photograph directly above the scene, I had to place the camera high enough so that everything would be included and there would be no distortion (which would happen with a wide-angle lens up close).   

There was no loft or scaffolding (and Shaquille was busy that day).  If using a ladder, it would have shown up in the photo because I would have to be right in the middle of the shot - not good.  With some creative problem solving, I used a C-stand, raised it up high, and attached my camera to its extending arm. This extension allowed the camera to be directly over Janet while the stand itself remained out of view.  

(Stay tuned … next week for the final image and special technology used to capture it)

Have something you need photographed, but don’t know how you are going to do it? Send me an email and let’s get it solved!

Dana Attebery Photography - serving you through portraits, headshots, product photography, commercial and editorial photography, 360-virtual tours, fine art images, and 1-on-1 lessons.

info@danaphotography.com 626-374-3638 www.danaphotography.com

Head too big, feet too small? - Smart Phone Camera Tip

So I came across these images of an AP News story about what a news anchor’s fashion line-up. Most likely it was taken with a smart phone camera, but I doubt her head is as big as it is. 

Before the advent of the dual-lens cameras on cell phones (one wide-angle, one telephoto - means zoomed in) and now Apple’s three lens set up (hubba-hubba!), most cell phone cameras have just a wide-angle lens. When you use that wide-angle lens up close, or tilted down or up, you will get lens distortions that can really warp a face and body. So, to avoid that while using a wide angle lens, back up some and lower your phone so its not pointing down toward your subject, but more on level with your chest pointing at your subject. Next, stretch the image of your screen to zoom in (not really zooming in, but I will share that another time) so your model fills more of the frame. Or, if you have a dual lens, use the telephoto lens (you will have to step back for this) and lower your camera phone a little and take your shot. Following these tips will prevent image distortion like on the images below.

#iphonecamera #smartphonecamera #cameratips #imagedistortion #photography #portraits #danaatteberyphotography

https://apnews.com/85502971ae9045c68a62a3e1f2805b73