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Look Better in Photos: Sure Fire Posing Tricks for Women

We all know those women who seem to look flawless in every photo. And I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard “I wish I was photogenic like that.” You can be! I’m going to pull back the curtain today and share with you just a few of the posing tips I use with my female clients.

Ladies, get ready!

The two most important things to keep in mind before using these tricks are: you need to experiment a little bit at home first, in front of the mirror and work on trying to get comfortable practicing these different poses. A little practice goes a long way.

 

know your good sideKnow Your Best Side. Most of us do not have perfectly symmetrical faces and we usually prefer one side over the other. If you don’t know which is your “good side,” take a few moments to look in the mirror. Look a little to the left, then to the right. Which side is your favorite? Need help deciding? Try taking a selfie, just remember to do it with your front facing camera, or you will have a flipped mirror image of your face.

 
  Barbie arm posing trickBarbie Arm. If your girlfriends haven’t let you in on this trick it just might change your photo world. ;) To avoid your arms looking larger than life (an oh-so-common complaint), hold your hand on your hip and bend your elbow slightly toward the back. This creates a nice slimming effect which utilizes the white space between your body and arm.
 

push back your assets trickMind Your Assets. Push your assets to the back (ladies, that means booty and hips).  The other leg (the one closest to the camera) should be slightly bent.  You do this by putting your weight on the foot that is farthest from the camera and push your front hip away from the camera.  This causes you to lean a little towards the camera so the eyes are the closest thing to the lens!  It always looks lovely.
  lean in posing trickLean In. If you lean forward a little bit (not too much), with shoulders back, it can define the chin, elongate the neck, highlight the eyes, and allows your hair to fall forward over your shoulders, creating a stunning feminine look.
  natural smile trickWait for it. To get a more authentic, natural smile, wait until just before snapping the picture. Holding a smile fatigues your facial muscles, so take breaks between shots. Even better, when it’s time to smile, if you can think of a favorite thing, something that naturally makes you happy, hold that thought while you show your pearly whites.
  posing hairHair. Try different hair styles ahead of time to determine which look best on you–the ones that really compliment your face and body: hair down, behind one shoulder, all forward, swept up, whichever it is play up your best look, by posing not only your face and body, but your hair as well.
   

 

 

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Happy Birthday to my Fourth of July Baby

I know everyone says it… but I can’t believe how fast 17 years have gone by.  Seventeen years ago today I was just planning a small 4th of July party when I started to get contractions.  Crazy as it sounds to me now, I decided to have a natural child birth…. so I went to the grocery story, while my contractions were mild.  Not such a great idea!  Half way through shopping, my neighbor and her son saw me double over in the aisle and told me to go home… they would take care of my groceries!

True to his nature, Cameron finally arrived at 8:59 pm, just in time for the celebration!  The doctor turned down the lights and my entire family watched fireworks from my hospital room while I held my new baby boy in my arms.

Cameron has become such an amazing young man, with a passion for swimming and doing his best each day to reach his goals.  He also loves cars, photography, music, movies, cooking and hanging out with his closest friends Erik, Michael and Owen and the rest of his swim family.  He is an example to me every day!  He takes good care of his body, only puts healthy food in (for the most part), works out hard above and beyond swimming and is quick with a smile and a hug for his Mama.  I won’t embarrass him by sharing my nickname for him for all 17 years, but he is close to my heart every day and I am beyond proud of his accomplishments and what an amazing man he is becoming.

Thanks to you Cameron, for actually requesting this photography session.  I love you to the Moon and Back!  Enjoy!

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Brand You: Corporate Headshots Get a Little More Personal

Something you may not know about me is that I do a lot of Corporate Headshots.  It is not something that I promote necessarily, they just seem to come my way.  And while I love creating beautiful head shots, I also like to spend a little more time during the session to capture shots that are not necessarily corporate looking.  This is especially true with women.  Every woman deserves to feel beautiful, and I like to incorporate these images into their corporate session.

In the past month, I have done a lot of these type of sessions… that I call “Brand You”.   Here is a link to one of my beautiful client’s new websites: http://laynealexander.com.  She is an amazing woman and a life coach that helps people live the life of their dreams.  And another amazing woman, Lisa Feren, who helps business-minded entrepreneurs and small businesses craft their unique message and stand out online!  Check out some of her images on her website by clicking here… http://handcraftedmarketing.com.

One of the most fun parts of the Brand You sessions for my female clients, is that we provide and hair and makeup prior to the photography session.  It really helps create excitement and makes my beautiful clients feel pampered.  Here is a sneak peak of my client and friend Liza Ferer!  She is an amazing women and Real Estate agent based in Aliso Viejo.  She looked absolutely stunning in her images and we had so much fun during the session.  The quote of the day was, “Kristin I had no idea you were so crazy”!   Enjoy!

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Beautiful MacKenzie

MacKenzie is a high school senior in Orange County who is pursuing a dance career.  Her sweet Mom booked a session for head shots in the studio, and she decide to add a little glitz and glam and go with a full Model Makeover session.  I had pulled some soft makeup looks for her that I passed off to Brittany from @brittanynortonartisty and Deseree went through her clothes to create a look that would work perfectly for head shots, but that would also show off MacKenzie’s beauty.  MacKenzie was a natural in front of the camera, and worked the soft smoldering look…. with lots of cracking up between shots.

Enjoy just a few of my favorites from the session!  Good luck to Ms. MacKenzie!

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Making healthy eating fun with Juicebuds

Some of our friends think we are a little crazy in the Karkoska home with healthy eating.  Lots of green smoothies, fresh fruit and vegetables, lean protein and whole grains with little to no refined flour and sugar for our kids.  Of course we do eat sweets once in a while, but it just isn’t a daily practice.  How did this happen that are teenagers eat this way and don’t complain????  It has definitely been a long term process, but how we accomplished it was primarily by teaching our kids that good nutrition results in better athletes, students and happier people all around.

Meet my friend Lori.  As it goes with most stories, her passion for nutrition (especially for kids) was the result of a scare in her own life.  Lori is a beautiful, fit, energetic gal with a wonderful, loving energy.  She was working lots of hours and raising her four boys.  Out of nowhere, Lori had a stroke.   She is not what you would picture in your head as a person at risk for any type of health scare, but it happened.  Lori was inspired to change her life, to be there for her family. And Lori knew that the key was good nutrition and that it needed to begin in childhood.  So Lori created the website and blog called www.juicebuds.com.  There she provides great recipes, life stories that include her four amazing boys and lots of inspiration. She is also now a holistic health coach to help others achieve a healthy lifestyle.

Lori and I got together to do a fun photography session to celebrate her!  Here are just a few of my favorite images from the day.

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