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Photophobic, Camera-shy Model

"When I grow up, I want to be a model"...

Isa sa mga kahibangan ko nung bata pa ako... palibhasa, yun tiyahin ko, libangan nya ang bihisan ako at pagposin ng kung anu ano sa harap ng camera. Kahit pa "lorna tolentino, alma moreno, maricel soriano o vilma santos look pa yan eh nagagaya ko...

Habang lumalaki ako... ay mali.... habang nagkakaedad ako, mahilig pa rin ako magpakuha sa mga studio pero nakalimutan ko na ata ang pagpose ng tama sa harap ng camera, masyado akong naging conscious.. hindi tuloy nagiging maganda ang resulta. Mula noon ay binawas bawasan ko na ang pagpapakuha ng litrato, nagkaroon ako ng inggit sa mga nakikita ko sa friendster, multiply, myspace, pati na rin sa mga artista... Bakit sila ang gaganda ng kuha nila, bat ako indi ko makuha ang tamang anggulo... hay.. nakakaiyak.. paano na ang pangarap ko ..kelangan ko na talagang kalimutan..... (hay! banaman!)


Kanina may nabasa ako sa weddings@work, pinadala ng isa sa mga sis namin.. isang article kung paano ko makakapagpakuha ng litrato na maganda ang kalalabasan heto po:

Conquer Your Photophobia: Look Better in a Snap!

How do they do it? How do models manage to look so great in
magazines and even in candid shots? If you hate how you look in
pictures, don't be too hard on yourself. Models need hours of
photogenic makeup, years of training, and hundreds of photos to look
picture-perfect. They've mastered their best angles and have learned
how to minimize their facial and body "defects". With our tips and
lots of practice, you'll get the hang of looking your best, whether
you're having a professional portrait taken or are just hamming it
up for travel snapshots.

Makeup Magic
Everybody looks better with some makeup. Even the most flawless
complexion can look sallow or shiny (especially the forehead and
nose) without some form of corrective coverage.

Daylight photos. Keep makeup natural so it doesn't look like a mask.
Natural light can be unforgiving, showing the littlest flaws. Use
concealer (in your skin shade) to even out redness and spots. And
off with that mustache—believe us, it will show!

Flash photography washes out your skin. It is kinder to your flaws
but intensifies the pink and white tones in your face. Familiar with
that too-white-under-the-eyes look on celebrities in paparazzi
shots? The culprit: too-light translucent powder that looks mask-
like. It does reflect light off your eyebags, making them disappear,
but it's still best to stick to warm, yellow-based powder. Don't
forget the underside of your chin and neck to avoid "The Great
Divide". Define your brows, eyes, and lips so you don't look
invisible.

Studio shots. You'll need a bit more coverage, but keep your makeup
neat, clean and precise. Contour your face where it's needed—cheeks,
forehead, nose. Top models and makeup artists know that contouring
creates illusions—round cheeks can look thinner, a broad forehead
shorter, or a flat nose higher. But go easy and blend! Nothing looks
scarier than severe, unblended railroad track nose shading or racing
stripe blusher!

All the Right Moves
No need for contortionist posing—just relax. Try to feel comfortable
with the photographer. Any form of tension will show—facial muscles
tighten when you're nervous and your body will look rigid and stiff.
Notice how you look great in your photo album snapshots? With family
and friends, you're at your most natural. Don't be too self-
conscious. Be comfortable with your body—know your flaws and accept
them, but don't be afraid of them. Says Raymund, "Do something about
them. Otherwise, be happy with what you have. Sometimes a flaw can
be your asset. The most beautiful people I have photographed are
those who are not afraid of themselves. Love yourself!"

Tricks and Techniques

• Practice in front of the mirror to determine your best angle. Most
people look better facing the camera at a 45° angle. Create the
illusion of an hourglass figure by using the old swimsuit calendar
(and beauty contest) trick: face your hip to the camera, stomach in,
chest out and twist shoulders forward.

• Pull up! Slouching gives you a weak, unattractive look. A straight
body gives you instant confidence.

• A real smile comes from the eyes, not from the mouth. Think happy
thoughts. Instead of saying "Cheese!", saying a soft "A!" will give
you a perfect smile, minimizing crow's feet, eyebags, too-squinty-
eyes and crooked, gummy or toothy smiles. Practice!

• Feeling tense? Can't stop blinking or looking "gulat"? Close your
eyes, move your head around, take a deep breath, and count to three.
On the third count, have the photographer click the shutter. Your
eyes will look softer.

• Don't wear a white bra under a black shirt—the camera's flash will
make you flash! Also beware of bra straps peeping out of sleeveless
tops or panty lines.

• Never point limbs to the camera—they'll shorten your body.

To camouflage…

Round cheeks. Practice biting the insides of your cheeks with your
molars to create a more angular jaw, then slightly push the chin
forward.

Eyebags. Lift the chin slightly to minimize casting shadows.

A flat nose. Contour subtly (blend!), turn your face at a 45° angle,
tilt chin slightly, and look at the camera.

A double chin. Chin up, push it forward. Lengthen your neck.

A big stomach. Black can make you look slimmer, but tight black
clothes will accentuate that bilbil. Be sure your clothes fit will.
Or try angling a bit sideways or use your arms to cover them.

Big nostrils. Make sure the camera isn't positioned to low.

Big legs, broad shoulders, and big hips. Find a comfortable stance
while placing one foot in front of the other at a 45° angle.

Big arms. Don't press your arms too close to your body or point them
to the camera—that'll enlarge them.

Pag uwi ko itatry ko nga ito... let's see kung matuloy ko pa ang pangarap kong maging isang model!!!! Nyahahahah!!!

Another Malu Fernandez or What??

Nakuha ko ito sa Manila Times site (dated August 30, 2007), Anong masasabi nyo?

HERE I STAND
By Geronimo L. Sy
Malu Fernandez: Hate ugly Filipinos



Don’t we ever run out of scandals? Lately it has been the fierce and fabulous author Malu Fernandez of People Asia magazine. Allegedly she already resigned from her writing job due to the numerous complaints against her article of June 2007 titled, “From Boracay to Greece!” It is a travel piece recounting her summer spent in the beautiful island of Boracay fighting off insects and protecting her immaculate pedicure from the white sands and then jetting off to Greece to see the goddesses but having to go through ugly Filipinos en route.

What exactly did she write? She said that to save on ticket going to Greece, she bravely took the economy class via Emirates with a stopover in Dubai, only to remember that the latter was the hub for OFWs. She “wanted to slash her wrist at the thought of being trapped in a plane with all of them.” She was tormented in her sleep with “endless yelling of “HOY! Kumusta ka na? At taga saan ka? Domestic helper ka rin ba? I thought I had died and God had sent me to my own private hell.” On the return trip [of course she had to fly back somehow], she “resigned [her]self to being trapped like a sardine in a sardine can with all these OFWs smelling of AXE and Charlie cologne while my Jo Malone evaporated into thin air.”

With these lines, Malu offended our sensibilities, went against political correctness and doomed herself to public condemnation.

Our sensibilities say that to travel for leisure is a privilege and a luxury. Millions of our countrymen brave foreign shores in search of the proverbial three meals a day. Hence to vacation in Bora or, rather and, Greece in one break is something we whisper a prayer for and count our blessings. How can Malu be so ungrateful, we ask not out of envy?

Malu writes for the sosi crowd. For outsiders, sosi means sosyal—a Filipinized word of “social” referring to high society and the rich and/or famous. It is obvious from her article that Malu is part of this class (otherwise she will not be a credible source so essential in sosi magazines). Well, she scrimped on her plane ticket to shop for more accessories and her nose spotted the difference of AXE and Charlie, scents of the masa (masses) and her exquisite Jo Malone. That is how socialites are.

She flaunted political correctness when she dared to be true to herself and called OFWs for who they are: A noisy lot intruding into personal space sacred to others in small places like economy seats. At least she is honest with her thoughts. She could have injected the value of empathy—understanding that it is beyond the OFWs themselves and largely attributable to socio-economic factors like education and professional attainment. She may perhaps have been trying to be cute about it or simply reflected the elite mentality.

She is publicly condemned for pointing out, albeit unintentionally, the stark truth that we are a society of pretenders—of OFWs buying branded goods and perfumes instead of saving up and matronas spending three hours at hair spas and then going to their favorite charity balls, of migrants fighting for survival and public servants swimming in pork barrel, of urban professionals concerned with the next gimmick or new car or exotic vacation and our national budget in perpetual deficit because of low tax base and tax evasion, of mall goers hugging dogs and cats and young children on the streets begging for alms. Damn, we sure deserve what we see and don’t see. Don’t we just hate Malu and hate ourselves the ugly Filipinos. How could we look away?

Malu, you are not alone, come back and write. Let us hate the ugliness of the OFWs in us, enough to do something about it.