How to be photographed, if you hate being photographed
The camera is not judging you. It is measuring angles. Once you know the five angles that matter, you can stop bracing and start looking like yourself.
I photograph people for a living, and the most common thing I hear when the camera comes up is "I'm terrible in photos." Nobody is terrible in photos. They are simply doing, in front of a lens, what feels natural, and the lens does not care about natural. It cares about angles. Learn five of them and the rest is just breathing.
The chin
Almost every unflattering photo has the same cause: the chin tucks back toward the neck. The fix feels strange and looks wonderful. Push the chin slightly forward and then tilt it down a fraction. Think of leaning your forehead toward the camera by a centimetre. The jawline appears, the neck lengthens, and the face reads as calm rather than braced.
Weight on one leg
Standing square to the camera with weight on both feet makes everyone look wider and stiffer than they are. Instead, angle the body about forty-five degrees, put your weight on the back leg, and let the front knee soften. Then turn your face back toward the lens. This single adjustment is responsible for most of what people call "photogenic."
Hands need a job
Hands that have nothing to do become fists, or flat paddles pressed to the sides. Give them something: hold a glass, touch a collar, rest one on a hip with the fingers relaxed, let one hand find the other wrist. Fingers should be slightly separated and soft, never splayed. If you truly have nothing to hold, cross the arms loosely below the chest and let the shoulders drop.
Breathe before the shutter
Most people hold their breath the moment they see the camera. The face tightens, the shoulders rise, and the photograph records the tension faithfully. Breathe out slowly just before the shutter. On the exhale the shoulders settle, the mouth relaxes, and the eyes stop staring. If you want to smile, think of something rather than performing one; the difference is visible.
Your photographer's job
A good photographer directs. She tells you where to put your hands, when to breathe, and how far to turn. If you are being photographed by someone who says nothing, ask them to. There is no shame in it; the people you admire in photographs were all being directed.
The Portrait and Posture session exists for exactly this: two hours of learning these angles in your own body, then a real shoot, so that you leave with proof that you were never terrible in photos at all.