I'm sure I'm not alone in being self-critical but, in a photo taken a few months ago, I was shocked at how unnatural I looked. After hours trying to get the children, aged seven, five and two, to stand still and smile, my appearance should have been the least of my concerns.
So when internet forums began buzzing about a technique called 'squinching', which apparently guarantees a better photo, I was intrigued. After all, thanks to social media, more people now see our snaps.
Samantha discovers her best side: expert John Godwin says almost everyone's faces are asymmetric
So when internet forums began buzzing about a technique called 'squinching', which apparently guarantees a better photo, I was intrigued. After all, thanks to social media, more people now see our snaps.
Squinching' is the secret to a smouldering gaze - narrowing your eyes as though staring at the something
First, I pose as I normally would - with a slight smile. I’m trying to look welcoming, but John points out that my wide eyes and raised brows make me seem scared and uncertain.
The answer, he insists is 'squinching'. ‘Squinching has been around for years: Marilyn Monroe was doing it in the Fifties, and Angelina Jolie and Drew Barrymore are mistresses of the art,' explains John.
'Basically, it’s about narrowing the eyes by bringing up the lower lids - as if you’re staring at something in the distance. Only the lower lids move, though - not the eyebrows or any other part of the face.’
I attempt a squinch. It feels very odd as I try to keep the rest of my features still, but I have to agree that my eyes look compelling in the final shot. There’s even - dare I say it - a little smoulder.
John says squinching creates the impression you’re concentrating on the viewer. I’ve never known how to 'smile with your eyes' - but, suddenly, it all makes sense.
Samantha worries that her cheeks look full in some photos. John recommends that she uses camera angles to her advantage and turns slightly to the side in order to make her jaw look slim and defined
My face isn’t especially wide but, in some photos, my cheeks look fuller than I’d like. I’m keen to hear what John recommends.
The worst thing I could do, he says, is suck in my cheeks. I give it a go - and it does look odd. My lips are tense and unnatural.
'Instead, it’s about working the camera angles,' he says. 'Turn so your best side is at a 30-degree angle from the lens, then slightly drop the shoulder nearest to the camera. Put your tongue on the roof of your mouth towards the back. This will help to tighten the area underneath the chin.'
It feels a little strange, but the resulting photo is a revelation. All of a sudden, I have a defined, elegant jawline.
Not smiling too hard can help create a connection with the viewer and helps you to look friendly
We're always told to 'Smile!' for photos - but John says a toothy grin won't do you any favours.
'Looking good in a picture isn't about looking happy; it's about creating a connection with the viewer,' he says. 'When we smile, we're try to convey happiness, but we should be trying to look friendly.' To test his theory, I start with a natural, happy pose.
The result is a big smile I recognise from years of holiday photos - one I know can all too easily turn into an inane grin if the camera catches me at the wrong moment.
John says the best smile to adopt is one you could hold for an hour. 'For some, that will mean teeth are on show; for others, their mouth will be closed,' he says. 'It's about finding what's natural for you.'
I try again with my mouth closed. There's no denying my skin looks smoother and my eyes less puffy. While I still like my happy smile, this is much more model material.
Pouting is out - look coy and flirty without the duck-face by pretending you're about to kiss someone
To me, pouting is peculiar and I’m mystified by teenage girls pulling 'duck-face' poses on social media. But it would be nice to know how to look sultry, not sulky, on a night out.
First, I give it a go on my own. The result is embarrassing. My face looks contorted, and lines appear around my puckered lips.
'Looking sultry, or seductive, is about really emphasising that squinch,' says John. 'The more you narrow your eyes, the better.' As for the lips: 'You want to be saying the "T" of the word "Two" - as if you’re about to kiss someone, with a tiny bit of air between your lips so they’re slightly pursed, but not pouting.'
I try his way - and am pleasantly surprised. I still feel a bit stupid, but the result is better than I thought.
My face looks smooth, my eyes draw you in and my mouth manages to look coy and flirty, but without the horrible pucker.
Shooting from below: having the camera below your face makes for a more flattering shot
If it’s just not possible to shoot from a more flattering angle, John has a few tricks for head-on pictures. 'You want to be slightly lower than the camera, so you’re looking up at it, but not so much you’re craning your neck,' he says.
'If you’re looming over the camera, you can appear aggressive and masculine. Looking up totally changes the way your features are perceived.' I pose for two head-on shots, first with the camera slightly below me, then with it raised slightly. The difference is astonishing.
It’s hard to believe that my expression didn’t change between the two - only the camera angle. In the picture on the right, I look approachable, and my face seems in better proportion. It’s almost an optical illusion.
John says to keep the neck elongated and jut your chin forward to create a better, more flattering profile shot
I’ve never liked my nose, and go out of my way to avoid being pictured in profile — my face seems older, my chin droops and my posture looks stooped.
But while there's nothing to be done about my nose, there are ways to make this awkward angle more flattering.
'Having the chin pointing down creates wrinkles in the neck,' says John. 'Instead, create as much separation between your chin and neck as possible. Start by elongating the neck and jut your chin slightly forward. Also use the trick we used to make the face look thinner: place your tongue on the roof of your mouth to tighten the area underneath your chin.'
This is a definite improvement. Simply by tilting my head, my skin looks smoother, I look happier and my posture has improved dramatically. Result!
Samantha discovers her best side: expert John Godwin says almost everyone's faces are asymmetric
I’m often asked where I want a guest to sit, so that I can interview them from my 'best' side - but I never have a clue what to say.
However, John Godwin quickly decides that my right side is my best. My hair is parted on the right, making this side of my face more open, he explains, while my right eye is slightly larger than my left. 'If you have one eye bigger than the other, which many people do, have that side towards the camera, as we expect things closer to us to look larger,’ he says.
