"I'm just not photogenic." We hear it at the start of almost every portrait session. It is almost never true — it is usually just nerves and three fixable habits.
We are Lens of Fariha, an affordable Queens-based NYC photographer duo. Here is the advice we give every client who walks in convinced the camera hates them.
1. The Problem Is Stillness, Not Your Face
Frozen poses look frozen. The fix is micro-movement: shift your weight, adjust your sleeve, take a slow breath, look away then back. We shoot continuously through the movement and catch the relaxed frame in between. You do not have to "hold" anything.
2. Do Something With Your Hands
Idle hands are the number one tell of an uncomfortable subject. Give them a job: in a pocket (thumb out), holding a jacket lapel, touching your own hair or collar, holding a coffee. Tension leaves the face the moment the hands have purpose.
3. Chin Forward and Down, Slightly
The universal flattering trick: push your forehead very slightly toward the camera and drop your chin a touch. It defines the jaw and removes the double-chin effect every camera exaggerates. It feels strange and looks correct — trust it.
4. Laugh on Purpose, Then Settle
A real smile fades into a great relaxed expression about one second after a laugh. We will say something dumb on purpose; the photo we keep is usually the calm moment right after, not the laugh itself.
5. Angle Your Body, Face the Light
Squaring your shoulders to the camera widens you and feels confrontational. Turn your body 30–45 degrees away, then bring your face back toward the light. Slimming, dynamic, and far more natural than a straight-on stance.
6. Stop Watching the Screen
Asking "did you get it?" after every frame breaks the flow and the expression. With a two-photographer duo, one of us directs while the other quietly works the angles — you never have to manage the process. Let go and we will steer.
Book a Portrait or Headshot Session
If you have been putting off updated portraits or headshots because you "photograph badly," we promise you do not — you just have not been directed well. Email an affordable Queens-based NYC duo at [email protected]. We also shoot couples and families with the same relaxed approach.
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This is Lens of Fariha. Two lenses, one story.