Tag Archives: body parts in photographs

Three different expressions of Penny in a pink jumper. What do you think of your image?

What do you think when you see yourself in an image?

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What do you think when you see yourself in an image?

  • Are you hyper critical?
  • Are your thoughts different compared to looking in the mirror?
  • Or are you accepting and feel good about what you see?

Does it matter? After all these are your thoughts, nobody else needs to know or hear about them… do they?

Had you ever considered your body listens to everything you think and say about yourself.

Yes that is a fact and well, why wouldn’t it, it is after all you.

It fills me with much encouragement and hope that society in general is opening up and discussing mental health. This got me thinking how important it is that we learn to cultivate a positive view on what we see in ourselves.

Ok, let’s start with looking in a mirror.

How often do you practise gratitude for the person you are and where you are in life? You height, your colouring (skin and hair), your size, your age… yes especially age! So what do you think when you see yourself in an image?

  • Sometimes we can find ourselves in ‘comparing’ mode with others.
  • Sometimes we think we have a good outlook towards self, and then be over critical when it comes to seeing ourselves in a photo!
  • How many of us have said “if only I could lose a bit of weight” – I know I have in the past!

So why? Where did we learn all that? What good did it do us?

Much can come from our childhood years and the values and expectations we learned from finding our place in society. Comparisons and judgement could have been placed on us by sibling, school peers, teachers, parents and people we love.

I grew up in an era when Twiggy rose to fame and to be stick thin was in fashion. Not a lot of fun for those of us who were born a completely different shape! This followed the era of soft and curvy from the 50’s. The objectification of women was considered quite normal. It took me many years to stop thinking I could be a different shape!

But attitudes and generations are changing thankfully! Comments that were once considered ok, are no longer acceptable in society.

Every size, shape, gender, colour and age should be equal and celebrated. How we see ourselves is very attached to the balance of our mental health. Again something that is today discussed more openly and vitally important for us to be aware of.

Again you may think, ‘is it really that important?’ Well yes, as I said earlier, our body listens to everything we say about it. Have you ever heard the phrase ‘self fulfilling prophecy’? If you are overly self critical, be careful what you say, think and wish for.

So a positive self image is important especially when times get tough.

Our lives can be full of things that come along to challenge us and our personal confidence. Life can be trundling along happily, when something major can turn it on its head in an instant. If we already have a lot of self doubt and self criticism going on, it’s going to make things even tougher.

Cultivating a positive self image is very important and can be helped by several small simple daily tasks that will cost you nothing.

  • Practising gratitude for everything in your life.
  • Look in the mirror and tell the person looking back how much you love and appreciate them.
  • Be grateful for the person you are, even when life gets tough.
  • Learning to recognise negative thoughts and stopping them in their tracks.

Learning to recognise and deal with doubt about ourselves early on can help prevent a downward spiral.

Going back to our question, what do you think when you see yourself in an image? The next time you find yourself being self critical, stop and think where it could lead. Even if it was the result of a wrong decision and you are giving yourself a hard time. Be kinder and just promise you will choose differently next time. Once you’ve learned to observe the thoughts you have, you can make sure there are plenty of positive ones are in there.

Yes, being kinder and patient with yourself is a very good thing.

If you’d like to discuss how you feel about being in photographs, the experience and what you see – a free review, with no obligation is available for you at any time – Your Free Review

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Five different photographs of a man standing

Body parts in photographs!

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I could have made this article sound like an autopsy, with a heading on ‘body parts in photographs’!


To some of us, a particular part of our anatomy can be a bit like ‘the elephant in the room’. When having a camera pointed at us, or investing in a photoshoot, it’s the main thing we focus on in a negative way.

It can be one thing, or several elements you fixate on and dislike.

Over the years I’ve heard and observed a wide variety of areas that get the ‘thumbs down’:

  • “No profile shots, I’m conscious of my nose”
  • “I have to hide my ears with my hair”
  • “I don’t like my teeth showing”
  • “What can you do with my lazy eye?”
  • “My arms are a bit fat”
  • “I want to lose some weight before I come and see you”
  • “Can you lose my chins?”
  • “My hair… (yes even this)”
  • “Can you photoshop my lines out?”
  • “I smile like a cheshire cat!”
  • “I have a scar…”

… the list is long and varied – but I get it, I know the things that I thought were my problem areas many years ago.

When people ask if I can ‘photoshop’ them in an image, my answer is this:


“I can, but then all I’m doing is agreeing that you’re not good enough without correction”. (I will be writing more on photoshopping in another blog). Please do remember, this is solely your opinion of yourself.

Without exception, you are great the way you are. But, I DO understand things that challenge you and am here to help you start that process of viewing yourself differently.

Some people fear being judged, or have indeed had this happen. It could have been from many years ago… it’s not pleasant.

TO EVERYONE –

All who know you, matter to you and love you, will accept you as you are.

TO EVERYONE –

Judgement says everything about the person who is dishing it out and not about you (Judgement is also the subject of another blog).

You may begin to observe that I refer to other blogs that have been written and future blog subjects that will be covered. These will always be relevant to what I’m getting across in the current article.

So let’s keep this relevant to the matter in hand. To begin the process that will help you, rather than removing an item, I work at taking away the focus from that element. This can help you have a completely different view on it. Yes it still needs to be part of an overall pleasing image in all other aspects.

It’s achieved by the lighting used, the angles used and the right communication with the person being photographed to capture your spontaneous expressions.

Let me give you some examples:


Where someones teeth showing is their challenge – to work with half smiles if often successful. To allow someone to keep their mouth tightly closed, just causes tension around the mouth and jaw.

Chins is a common one – one trick is to get someone to lean towards the camera a little. It does’t take much… too much lean and it will look odd. Very often if someone suddenly has a fit of laughter, it can cause them to pull their chin in… giving themselves an extra chin which they don’t normally have.

Let’s say someones right eye doesn’t open quite as much as the other. I don’t like using the term ‘lazy’ as this makes it sound quite derogatory. Turn the right side of the face slightly towards the camera, have the camera a little above the subject, causing them to naturally look up towards the lens. This can often open that eye a little more than normal.

Facial lines – by flooding the face with light, without removing all shadow. Shade context gives your face shape and the unique expression that is you. This can either be using the right studio lighting, or finding the right natural light source. This can also apply to scars.

I can’t stress enough that adjustments in position, angle, height, light, really don’t need to be too much to achieve effective results. As already mentioned, the success is also in your spontaneous expression achieved by the communication with your photographer.

This blog brings a little insight to part of the process of helping you accept the tremendous individual that you already are.

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