Strike a pose...

The most scary thing for anyone not happy with their weight is the appearance of a camera. With smartphones being the portable equivalent of hell-on-3G for camera-phobes such as myself, unfortunately it’s hard to escape them.

My first proper post was going to be a simple “Here’s where I’m starting”, the picture that should act as my starting point from which all will be measured. Otherwise known as the ‘unflattering fatty shot’ – unposed, straight on, awful too-tight outfit. I’m going to do that now:

Current Weight: 12 st 4 lbs.

Ok so I chickened out a bit - I just wasn't ready to share that much of myself so soon. But you get the jist right?

But it doesn't all have to be doom and gloom. Now I have that rather awful experience out of the way here are some tips I’ve found for improving the whole fatty-photo experience. Simple tips to help avoid the camera adding 10 lbs., but I can’t guarantee it won’t add 5. Little devil.

Have to credit digitalcameraworld.com for help with this post. I’ve put some of their posing-for-curvy-girls tips to the test

Pretty simple stuff but next time your Facebook’ed spread-eagled on a lilo, flapping your bingo wings whilst wrestling a fourth chin you’ll thank me.

The first tip is all about bendy limbs!

·         “Your model’s arms should never be pressed against the body, as these will make the arms look bigger. Straight arms and legs make the subject look uncomfortable so remember if it bends, bend it!

Hmm not sure this is entirely flattering, but better than nothing - maybe it's just because I'm not comfortable scaling the doorframe. Any tips?

 OK so the next felt a little like a reworking of the old Gok Wan fatty on the bed shot. You know the show ‘How to look good naked’ when anyone over a size 14 got themselves thrown on a bed with some Matalan faux fur rugs?

·         Remember, you should always try to create an ‘S’ shape with the body when posing your model. The typical hourglass shape is the most desired by men and women alike, so when posing a subject to photograph them from their front, for instance, ask them to bring their front leg forward, bend the knee and roll the hip up to create definition.

Yeah so this didn't work out too well - quite a few may have worked on a specialist website and again I wasn't ready to share this much so I made it orange to blast your eyeballs and divert from the rather awkward attempt at the 'S'.

And of course, the ‘MySpace’ shot. Oh how I love you and your forgiving ways.

·         Here’s a top tip for this pose: if you try this pose do not get the subject to look up as this can cause wrinkles in the forehead.

So there we go... my worst fear - posing for pics - all in one place. NEXT!