I always look too relaxed in photos. Sleepy eyes. :(
I actually have rather big/wide eyes in real life, ironically.

BhavBhavBhav

Vaseline.

Most people look far better in black-in-white. Orange filter.

Deprong Mori

Kevin: I might be picking nits, but meditation is much more than just breathing in, holding for 3 seconds, and breathe out. Of course breathing exercises ARE the start of most (if not all) meditation techniques, but for fairness' sake I thought I'd chip in.

Maybe it's just me getting old. Nitpicking season is on when you're over 30! :-)

txurlo

I find the best way to look good in photos is to hold auditions and hire stand-ins who are much more attractive than myself.

ThinkandDrive

I find the best way is to point the camera elsewhere. maybe it's just me though, heh.

LethAL

Apparently I'm the poster child for looking good in photos!

I actually did sit and relax for a moment before taking that.

scogle

I always try to go for the "I'm insane, but you like me anyway, right?"-look on photos.
Just close your eyes for three seconds, and meditate on your favorite XKCD strip. Then open them, and you will look just like you would if you had just done a really nice frag in Quake.

Eruanno

@ThinkandDrive: Huh. I thought that I was the only one who did that trick.

wickedcupofjoe

My trick is to make sure I'm always standing next to someone older, less attractive, and heavier than me.

Craig

another way to look good in pictures is to make sure that there is an error establishing a connection to the database!

site is down :(

timefalls

Putting your tongue on the roof of your mouth is supposed to keep you from looking like you've got a double chin. If you've actually got a double chin, I don't know what to tell you.

dripdrop

If you want to look relaxed in your photos, make sure its taken about 3 seconds after orgasm. The trick is in getting your partner to allow a camera in bed with you. (Important Safety Tip: Don't snap the photo too early; you may not like the results!)

speed1961

This sounds silly, but I SWEAR it works!

Make fish lips up until the moment the picture is going to be taken (this works best in group shots where the photographer is less likely to notice and think you need to be committed). The person who taught me said that it relaxes your facial muscles and makes your smile look more natural, but this could be baloney. All I know is that as someone who always looks like a corpse in pictures, it really does help me.

briancavner

shut up the lot of you

flunkycarter

I do that but every single time, I end up looking like Eric Cartman.

Deprong Mori

I just photoshop the hell out of the photo. Easier and I look a lot better that way.

Lazarus

When I get a portrait shot, I always take a mirror and ensure my smile is as good as it can be. Unfortunately, I do not have a naturally attractive smile (scratch "attractive" and insert "presentable".

northwalnut

@Lazarus: yes, and then the photo goes up on match.com.

speed1961

The "I'm holding the camera out in front of my face" is a pretty dumb look.

AlanR

I NEVER look good in pictures if I'm looking at the camera and I know when the the photographer is going to snap it. It's like I freak out and look awkward for that exact 1/400th of a second.

PunkMunkey

@txurlo: That was awfully nitpicky. I'm not sure I'd want to be photographed after a real deep meditation anyway.. Too relaxed would just look spacey or high.

supercollider

@scogle: congrats! its a good picture- and a little inspiring, as someone who hates themselves in photographs.

supercollider

I agree with Lazarus....Photoshop the hell out of it!!!!

Michaelwon

Guy Kawasaki recommended FixMyPhotos.com. They charged him $10 for this retouching:

VayaConQueso

I usually like to take a picture of me grinning, it's much more natural for me, so therefore, I just think of a really funny moment, and it gets me grinning naturally, and there you have it, a great picture!

aurooba

Maybe someone here has some advice: I'm allergic to cameras. Honestly. If I see someone about to snap a shot, not necessarily of me, my eyes get all uncontrollably watery/itchy and squint. Anyone aware of a way around this?

MichaelTV

don't look directly at the camera. look at something else and think about something else. cuts down on the self-concsious thing a little bit.

no more fish lips, please, I'm tired of those

resonanteye

@supercollider: that actually gives me an idea. I should take a picture of myself after 'coming back' from deep metidation and see how I *really* look. It does feel special, so I wonder if it looks erm... special too ;)

txurlo

@VayaConQueso:

Wait! Which is the "fixed" picture? The normal looking guy or the bleached-out guy without the cute freckles?

kbbales

@speed1961: I may have 7 certifications in Photoshop but Im not THAT good. ;-)

Lazarus