nigel barker

5 Tips on How to Look Good in Photos

How many holiday parties are you going to?  Joe and I have been party hopping all month and it's only getting more intense as the season gets more involved.  And of course, everyone's snapping photos and immediately uploading to Facebook so being caught off guard isn't an option (um... Dwight).  Famed Photographer, Nigel Barker, shares his top five tips on how to look good in photos – during the holidays and always.

Last week Barker shared these tips to shoppers at the Walgreens Winter Wonderland Lodge in Times Square and they were so good I had to share them with you.  I love number two!

1.  Kill the Double Chin - Tilt your head up high and tighten your neck. As you bring your chin down, twist your head so you look over your shoulder and slightly push your neck out. Your neck/chin muscles will suck up your excess skin for just a moment so make sure your photographer is ready.

2. Pose Pretty - When standing and posing, put one foot in front of the other, twist your torso to an angle and place a hand on a hip.  This stance helps to create the illusion of shape to fool the eye and the camera.

3. Smile with your eyes - Let your eyes do the talking. Think of something you desire and look at the camera.

4. Best shoot location - Look for an area where the main light source is in front of you.  Lighting with a bright sky or large light in front is ideal.

5. Taking your own - Turn your computer screen to white and use it as a soft box light source the way professionals do. Take your own Facebook photo with the on-board camera.

Nigel Barker Talks Beauty and America's Next Top Model

I attended a breakfast today at Citibabes with as Tyra Banks puts it, "World Renowned Fashion Photographer," Nigel Barker.  After shooting models for twenty years and capturing beauty through a lens, Barker recently came out with a book, Nigel Barker's Beauty Equation. At first when I heard another beauty book was being published I kind of brushed the idea aside and thought yea, yea whatever I've seen them all... tips on how to apply false lashes, how to get the no-makeup, makeup look – boring.  But after listening to Barker explain his idea of beauty and inspiration for writing the book, I soon came to realize that this one's different.

Barker explained that his son questioned what beautiful was and a thousand thoughts raced through his mind but eventually lead to dissecting the concept in the book.  To his 2 1/2 year old, he simply said, "your mother."

"Beauty isn't about the physical," Barker commented.  "It's about the essence of a person."  As a fashion photographer, he explained capturing who the person is,...

(WATCH VIDEO OF BARKER TALKING ANTM AFTER THE JUMP!)

the emotion and being is what makes the person beautiful and the shot a cover shot.  After all, you don't fall in love with someone because of their physical appearance.  It's about the depth, energy and essence of the person that makes them beautiful.

Barker's book captures this concept of beauty through different stages in text and photographs. Check out the video below where he talks America's Next Top Model: