I grew up in a family where a photo was taken of every little thing we did. Of the 18 years I lived with my parents, I think I saw my father behind the lens for about 13 years. New bike? New shoes? Getting my ears pierced for the first time? Boyfriends? Girlfriends? Parties? Everything, EVERYTHING, was captured. The result of all this is that in my childhood home, every wall was completely filled with photo frames from top to bottom, and I now literally have almost two meters of photo albums, showcasing my entire life. And my sister has about two meters as well; it's really quite absurd. Another result is that around my puberty, I developed a dislike for photos and maintained that for quite a while. The dislike turned into a phobia and a hatred; if a camera came into view, I would duck away, turn around, or just run away hard. A photoshoot was unthinkable. Un-think-able! But phobic or not, photo opportunities kept coming my way. Often I said no, but sometimes the request came from someone I couldn't or didn't want to say no to, so there you go. Anyway, long story short, nowadays I go in front of the camera without too much fuss (but with a bit of grumbling and a LOT of nerves), only to be rarely satisfied. So today in the Explorer, HOW does one manage to look good in photos?

Some time ago, Jet already wrote this piece about how to take the perfect selfie, today we are talking about studio photography. Or red carpet photography, in any case, a photo taken by someone else. To start, you just need to practice a lot. Preferably in front of a mirror, so you can see which poses work and which don't, and especially, from which angle your face looks best. Even better is to set a camera on a timer and have a private photoshoot. Or ask a friend, but personally, I would never dare to do that.

Do you remember the hysterical Tyra Banks who in ANTM kept shouting about ‘smizing?’ No matter how ridiculous that was, she made a good point. Smizing is smiling with your eyes and is often much more subtle and attractive than just smiling broadly. Think of fun things, forget about that terrifying set you're on, pretend there aren't a thousand people watching you, in short, relax, smize, and it will be fine.

Is there a stylist present? That's great because if you feel good in what you're wearing, you're already halfway there. If you have to take care of your own clothes, think carefully about your ‘fallback clothing.’ As in, what pieces can you always fall back on if the rest fails? For me, that's a light blue jeans, high heels, a random shirt, a black blazer, and a big necklace. Done. In line with that, think about hair & makeup. If you're expected to do that yourself, consider whether you can, and if not, just go to the salon. Shall I confess something? When Jet and I had to be on camera for RTL Boulevard last week , the first thing we shouted was “OMG HOW EXCITING” and the second “we need hair & makeup.” Honestly, you feel so much better when you know for sure that you look great in that department.

In terms of pose positioning, you’re already doing well if you turn your hips about 45 degrees from the camera, lean on your heels, cross one leg over the other, and make sure your feet are pointed towards the camera. Optionally, place your hands on your hips and don’t forget to keep breathing. May-Britt whispered to me during our editor shoot recently that she prefers to be photographed from the side because it looks extra slim.

So, do we have everything? Honestly, it’s not that bad in the end. Every shoot eventually passes, you just have to think that way. And just like I am now, you will ultimately be super happy with all those photos because there isn’t a week that goes by that I don’t peek into those books. Good luck!