Everyone Needs a Photographer Friend

It is absolutely essential to be friends with at least one good photographer. Seriously. The person doesn’t need to be a professional–anyone with a decent camera, preferably a digital SLR, and knows how to use it, will do. In these days of constant life documentation on Facebook, Picasa, Flickr & Tumblr, you might as well look good. This is where the photographer friend comes in.

A good photographer can make you look Project Runway-ready even if you’re feeling bloated, have a giant zit on your chin, and your hair decided not to conform to the styling products you put in it and instead looks straight out of a Flock of Seagulls video. It’s all about the light and stuff. Nick, my photographer friend and (better yet) web designer, laughed when he saw the photo I wanted to use for my website. “You can’t use this,” he said. “There’s someone else’s hand in the corner of the picture.” So he offered to take the photos himself–no primping required. All I did was put on a fresh coat of lipstick and he did the rest with some artful shooting and editing. Having a photographer friend might even make you (sort of) famous. My lawyer friend, Kristen, who runs the photoblog SayCheese often takes photos just for fun for another blog, NYC-based Sugarlaws. And now her photos are on the Coach website (scroll down to “Sugarlaws”)!  If you don’t have a photographer friend yet, get one. Your Facebook friends will thank you when your photos start looking less “oh my God, you caught me eating” and more “is that really her?”