How to Take Good Photos of Yourself when You Are Overweight

Co-authored by Paul Julch, MA

Last Updated: April 8, 2024 Fact Checked

Everyone has trouble being photogenic. Some heavier people feel as if they can’t ever take a good picture. Fortunately, you can look amazing in photos no matter what your size is. If you understand camera angles and practice a few poses, you’ll look fantastic in any photo you take!

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Posing in Photos

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1
Turn your body away from the camera. Don't stand facing directly at the camera—turn so your hips and shoulders are angled slightly away, instead. ^{[1]
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Expert Source

Paul Julch, MA
Personal Wardrobe Stylist & Speaker

Expert Interview. 17 September 2020.} Stand with your back straight, shoulders down, and chest out. Finally, flex your stomach to bring in your waist. ^{[2]
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- Standing at an angle will make you look more narrow in the photo. ^{[3]
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  Expert Source
  
  Paul Julch, MA
  Personal Wardrobe Stylist & Speaker
  
  Expert Interview. 17 September 2020.}
- Don’t stand flat-footed. Instead, balance your weight on the ball of your feet. ^{[4]
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- If you're feminine, you could cross your feet while you stand. This will slim your hips and can also make a photo more interesting.
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Pose your arms. Keep your arms away from your body to make them look slimmer. For a feminine pose, put the hand closest to the camera on your hip and point your elbow behind you. This will elongate your arm and help it look toned. You could also put a hand in their pocket, holding the arm away from their body. Next, hide your other arm behind your body or gently rest it on a chest-high surface.
- If you have to face the camera directly and want your waist to look smaller, put both of your hands on your hips.
- Hold purses or bags slightly away from your body or over a self-conscious area.
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3
Accentuate your jaw. A well-defined jaw will make you look slimmer in photographs. Bring your head towards the camera by extending your neck. However, don’t simply point your chin at the camera as this looks unnatural. Angle your head slightly as you pose by tilting it to the left or right. ^{[5]
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- Remember to keep your back straight while you pose. Otherwise, you may look like a turtle with your head stretched out.
4
Pose with a partner. Turn your body away from the camera towards your picture partner. Balance your weight on your back foot and drop your hips, relaxing your front leg. Put the other hand around or on your partner’s shoulder. If you want to look extra slim stand slightly behind your partner. Remember, never flatten your arm against your body. ^{[6]
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- You can put the hand closest to the camera on their lowered hip and push their elbows back, or put a hand in their pocket and push the elbow out.
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Pose with a group. Never be the closest person to the camera. This will make you appear larger than anyone else in the photo. ^{[7]
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Research source} Next, either put your hands on your hips or around the shoulders of your picture partners. If you can choose who you stand between, choose people with similar body types to your own. This will reduce a contrast between body types in photos.
- If you’re especially self-conscious about your arms simply put them around your picture partners’ waists. They won’t be seen in the picture at all.
- If you want to, you can cross their legs one in front of the other to appear slimmer.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Taking a Flattering Selfie

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Take an overhead photo. Photos taken at this angle generally make their subjects look slimmer. Lift the camera so that it’s about a foot taller than eye level. Look at the camera and take a practice photo. Raise and lower the camera while taking practice photos to find your perfect angle. ^{[8]
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- For a masculine look, push your chins out while taking photos from an overhead angle. This will make the jaw appear stronger.
- Keep your chin down and turn your face slightly to the left or right. ^{[9]
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Choose a good selfie location. Find a spot that has light coming in from behind you. The light will filter around you and give you a soft glow. ^{[10]
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Research source} If you’re wearing dark clothing, pose against a light background for a slimming effect. If you’re wearing light clothing, pose against a slightly darker or lighter background. If the background is too dark, it will make you appear bulky.
- Find natural sources of light. Avoid fluorescent lights at all costs. ^{[11]
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- If you’re posting the selfies on the internet don’t use the same location for every selfie. Keep it interesting!
3
Crop your selfie. Once you’ve taken a selfie you like, crop anything unwanted out of the picture. For example, if you like the way your face looks but you feel like your arm looks bulky, crop your arm out. Similarly, if you took your selfie in a bathroom, make sure you crop out the toilet or any beauty product clutter on the sink. ^{[12]
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- Download a selfie app to help you crop photos more easily. These apps will also include filters that you can use on your selfie before you post them.
- If you run out of ideas for selfie locations look at popular selfie posters on Instagram or Twitter for inspiration.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Looking Your Best for Photos

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Dress to flatter a feminine body type. Wear fitted tops that flare around the hips to slim your waist. Similarly, wear shirts that cinch in just below your bust or wear a belt your waist. If you’re wearing a jacket, button a few buttons in the middle. Avoid billowing clothing that will erase your hourglass shape.
- Choose darker shades over lighter shades. Darker shades are generally more slimming in photographs.
- Wear similar shades of clothing on your top and bottom. ^{[13]
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Dress to flatter a masculine body type. Wear clothes that fit well. Your shirt sleeves should come to your wrists and your pants should stop at the top of your heel. Never wear oversized clothing. You should especially avoid clothes that are baggy and wrinkly. Avoid complicated patterns on your clothing and choose darker colors over lighter colors.
- If you have trouble finding clothes that fit, talk to a tailor. Small adjustments on clothing are usually around $10-$20. ^{[14]
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- If you need help picking out clothing talk to an associate at an upscale men’s department store. They will usually have good advice about what to wear.
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Wear darker colors to hide problem areas. When you're dressing for your photos, use darker clothing to camouflage any areas of your body that you're not as comfortable with. However, if there's anything that you like showing off, use lighter colors to draw attention to it. ^{[15]
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Expert Source

Paul Julch, MA
Personal Wardrobe Stylist & Speaker

Expert Interview. 17 September 2020.}
- Think about your proportions, as well. For instance, if you're smaller on the top and bigger on the bottom, wear darker bottoms and a lighter top to balance you out. ^{[16]
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  Expert Source
  
  Paul Julch, MA
  Personal Wardrobe Stylist & Speaker
  
  Expert Interview. 17 September 2020.}
4
Look your best. Take time to style your hair to perfection. If you have longer hair, curl it to give it volume and slim your face. If you have shorter hair, style it with volume on top for a similar effect. Next, apply your favorite makeup. Not only will you look good in photos, you’ll also get a huge confidence boost. ^{[17]
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Research source} Comb their hair neatly and trim their facial hair. Make sure your face is clean as well.
- If you have a masculine haircut and you’re not sure how to style it, go to your local barbershop. They’ll give you a trim and teach you how to style your hair.
- Watch makeup tutorials online to perfect your look.
5
Smile. A genuine smile looks beautiful in pictures. However, some people have trouble finding a genuine smile while waiting to be photographed. If so, laugh quietly and squint your eyes slightly. This will help your smile look genuine even when it isn’t. ^{[18]
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- Think of a happy memory while smiling. This will help your smile reach your eyes.
- Practice your smile in the mirror to see what you’ll look like in pictures.

Expert Q&A

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Question

How do you take good pictures when you're overweight?

Paul Julch, MA
Personal Stylist
Paul Julch is a Personal Wardrobe Stylist, Speaker, and the founder of Urbanite | Suburbanite, a wardrobe styling business in the San Francisco Bay Area. With over 25 years in the fashion industry, Paul works with clients to make getting dressed easier, less time consuming, and more enjoyable. Paul has years of experience in retail visual merchandising - styling windows, displays, and floor sets for Banana Republic, Gap, and Express. He also has experience styling fashion photo shoots and corporate videos. Paul holds a BS Degree in Management from State University of New York at Binghamton, an MA in Clinical Psychology from Long Island University. He also studied Interior Design at the University of California, Berkeley.

Paul Julch, MA

Personal Stylist

Expert Answer

One universally flattering pose is to stand in a three-quarter pose where your hips and shoulders are turned slightly away from the camera. Also, if you're sitting, be sure you're sitting straight with your shoulders up. If you're slumped, you'll look like you have a big stomach even if you don't.

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Question

I am 13 and almost 200 pounds, how do I look better while trying to lose this weight?

Community Answer

Just keep your hair and skin looking healthy, and know your good angles. Keep working towards your goal, and be patient. Nobody loses weight overnight.

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Question

I'm 12, a little overweight, and I like to take selfies. What can I do to take better selfies?

Community Answer

Being a little overweight doesn't make you any less beautiful, just less magazine-beautiful. But if you want to experiment with making yourself look thinner, try taking a selfie from a little above, that will emphasize your jaw line and make you look more angular. You can also play around with dramatic light and shadow by photographing yourself in a room with only one light coming from the side.

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Tips

When posing for a photo, make sure that nothing on you is perfectly horizontal. Tilt your head so that your eyes aren't perfectly horizontal to the ground, your shoulders should be canted, etc. This is applicable, even if you aren't overweight.

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How to Take Good Photos of Yourself when You Are Overweight

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Posing in Photos

Taking a Flattering Selfie

Looking Your Best for Photos

Expert Q&A

Tips

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