Your Public Best - Lillian Brown [95]
Such people, for example, are expert at saying such things as: “No, Ms. _______ does not give addresses at high school graduations”; “No, I don’t give out her home telephone number”; “Yes, we’d be glad to send your sick niece an autographed picture”; or, “Yes, she may be interested in appearing at your charity’s fund raiser—I’ll get in touch with her and get back to you.”
BEING PHOTOGRAPHED
The public person is constantly being photographed in many different situations. Your picture may appear on the front page of the newspaper in black and white, in color on the front cover of a national magazine, on the TV news, or on a video-taped piece.
There are many things you can do to control the quality of the photography. First of all, remember that the photographer needs something fresh and interesting. Think in advance about what you might do to provide a good photo opportunity. Let us say you are going to be doing something with a bit of action, such as voting, moving about in a crowd, waving from a moving car, or showing something to the camera. Prolong the action long enough for the photographer to get his or her camera in focus. Sometimes the action cannot be caught the first time. Repeat the action if necessary, so the photographer can get a good picture.
A good photographer often tries to avoid a head-on mug shot that shows both ears. He or she usually tries to get a slightly skewed body angle. Never stand four-square into a camera; rather, give it a slightly advanced shoulder and a tilt of the head. If your face has a good side, habitually present it to the camera. As I’ve said before, it is good to remember that the distortions of lights and lenses often add several pounds and years to your appearance.
Try to find a “friendly” light, so you can avoid squinting into the sun. Move into the shade of a tree or building, or turn your body away from the harsh glare. Look up so that the camera can find your face. Seek an interesting, flattering background, if one is available. Avoid a distracting, moving, gaudy, eye-catching, or otherwise overpowering background.
While being photographed with a group, remember that the edges of the picture may be cropped, so move to the center of the shot, if possible. Short people should position themselves slightly in front of tall people, or they can move up onto a curb or steps to look taller. Heads of state and lawmakers automatically position themselves favorably because they have had much experience with bad and unflattering photography. Photographers love to catch you with your mouth open, or eating spaghetti, or in some other awkward pose.
Never let your hands or a hat come between you and the photographer. Take off your sunglasses so that your eyes can be seen. Never wear sunglasses that turn dark in the light or slightly tinted regular glasses when you are being photographed by a still or TV camera. Such glasses obstruct the viewer’s contact with your eyes and often make you look like a criminal.
The most flattering pictures are taken when the camera is shooting from a slightly low angle. This tends to eliminate the circles under the eyes and to lessen the wrinkles caused by shadows. The higher you can position yourself above the camera lens, the lower and more flattering the camera angle will be.
If you are nervous when you are being photographed, here is a quick-to-use technique to help you relax. Press your heels into the floor so that your posture is erect and breathe deeply to enrich the supply of oxygen in your bloodstream. The purpose of this is to relax your body and have you look at the photographer as if he were your friend.
Keep in mind that one of the main objectives of relaxing is to eliminate the nervous smile that so many people paste on to their otherwise attractive faces as soon as a camera comes into their vision.
TALKING ON THE TELEPHONE
The odds are that you spend a lot of time talking on