Money shots: the right way to take before and after pictures

SO YOU WANT TO GET IN SHAPE, HUH? MAYBE YOU EVEN WANT to be an MF Success Story (see page 74). Well, sometimes the photos you send us don't quite tell the story. So, we're going to help you document your transformation the right way. Follow these easy steps for good physique photos. That way, you can proudly show the pies to anyone--your mom, your buddies--even the editors at a certain magazine.

BEFORE

* USE a digital camera. Polaroid pics aren't sharp, and they fade.

* TAKE your shirt off. Yes, you should be ashamed to--that's the point!

* LEAVE your pants on. No boxers, no briefs, and definitely nothing smaller. It's fine to wear whatever kind of underwear you like--under the pants--but the rest of us shouldn't have to see it.

* SHOOT your photos against a plain background, such as a white wall.

* GO solo. Make sure you're the only one in the photo. No friends, pets, or cardboard cutouts of celebrities.

* KEEP the background well lit. You can go back to hiding your fat with dark shadows afterward.

* FORGET the artistic poses. Stand and face the camera directly.

* REMOVE any and all jewelry, especially nipple rings.

AFTER

* GET a tan. And maybe a haircut. It'll help emphasize the new-and-improved you. But don't go all George Hamilton and get crazy with the self-tanner. You want to look healthy, not like a roasted carrot.

* UNDER no circumstances should you apply oil to your body. Nobody wants to see you shine.

* AGAIN, no posing. Look natural, and if possible, try to stand in almost the same position as in your "before" pic. Otherwise, there's no way to really compare your progress.

* FINALLY, and most important--look sane (even if you aren't). Don't let people think a diet of chicken breasts and protein powder drove you over the edge.

COPYRIGHT 2005 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning