Photo Tips!
So you have been working out and transforming your body, and now you want to document the results / progress for the scrapbook, a YouTube video, the photo galleries, the teamRIPPED challenge … whatever the case may be. How do you get the very BEST pics possible? There are several tips that will help you show off your new physique!
1) Lighting = You want a light source directly overhead, which will cast a downward shadow and accentuate muscle curvature. I’ve found fluorescent overhead lights work well for this. The overhead can lights in my house DON’T work well because they cast too much of a shadow and make it look overdone. It needs to be a broad light source, but overhead.
2) Angle = Be sure the camera shoots the photo from about your mid-section (not looking way up at you or way down at you. Ladies, if your husband is much taller than you, have him squat down to take the photo from a better angle compared to you).
3) Muscle Pump = Lift some weights right before the pics! Get those veins popping and those muscles bulging. In my Day 150 pics, I had just finished 1 hour of pushups and pullups and my muscles were pumped like crazy! I really liked those pics!!
4) Video Still Shots = I figured out this cool trick while using a flip camera. I had shot video of myself flexing, then took screen shots on my computer from the frame-by-frame. This enabled me to capture the exact moment of maximum flex. The quality of the pics still turned out great, even though I probably couldn’t print an 8×10 from it. This is how I captured both my Day 150 and Day 180 pics (from still shots of a video).
5) Tan = Even a totally ripped GHOST won’t look good. Get some sun! It makes everything look better!
6) Groom the hair = Guys, if you have back hair, shave it! All of it! Show off those back muscles. Back hair is NOT attractive! LOL! For front hair, trim it up if you are extra wooly so that the abs can show. I have found that I need to totally shave my back and use clippers on my front. I don’t shave the front totally smooth though — I just thin it down some. Some guys may even find that they need to trim the hair on their arms and legs if it tends to be thick or dark — do what you gotta do to show off those muscles!!
I hope these tips will have your next set of progress pics looking AWESOME!! Keep bringing it!!
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LOL I needed that!!
hehe well firstly… i swear before all this P90X came out..if anyone told me they did an hour of pushups/pullups..my jaw would drop.. now i just instantly think.. “ah.. chest and back is one of my fav’s”!!
secondly.. i think for prehaps “best look” pics this sounds like some good advice. i def have noticed teh over head lights make the chest look bigger.. the external obliques more V like.. etc… good stuff. when i look at one mirror in my room, i think i look great (or way better than before), and then i turn my head to the side at hte other mirror on the door and, while my abs do look flatter, i definitely notice what the front angle/setup can do to enhance the look.
as for hair.. never really thought about trimming hte forearms.. gues si didnt want it to look too obvious.. could be an idea tho.. chest just gets trimmed like you say.. keep it neat.. and back, well i’m blessed to only have a few sporadic ones there :)
nice article again!! gets me pumped for end of round 1 pics
Those are great tips! My husband and I are on Day 80 of Round 1, and our previous pics’ lighting leaves much to be desired. Hopefully this will help us on Day 90…Thanks!
This was a great idea for a post. Good stuff!
Now you tell me. Need to redo my 90 day pics and get the most out of them! Lol!
Just took my 60 day pictures today.. should have read this first.. LOL. I think I may redo in the morning.
Any information on how to post photos on the beachbody site or facebook? I would like to put them all in a row to compare day 1, day30, day 60. I have no idea how to do it.
On both FB and on TBB, if you are logged into your account, you can click the little camera icon and post your pics.
Thanks so much for the helpful tips. :)
I just got a flip camera and was going to try the trick you did. So you just took a video of yourself flexing and popped it into the usb of your computer and took screen shots when it was playing?
Correct Greg!