For men it's pretty forgiving. Not only are men not really judged on their looks, grown men are actually expected to have character lines and craggy faces and are even professionally photographed with harsh shadows that emphasize this. Put a window to your left or right to get the classic male sidelighting. If you want to get a sharper chin line, lean forward a bit or poke your jaw out. Don't overdo it ;) Leaning forward also helps make your shoulders look broader. Squint a little. There, you've got it.
It's a bit harder for women to get good photos they can be happy with as women are so often judged on looks and seem to be expected to look more or less like this:
on well-endowed emaciated bodies (just have a look at Disney animations aimed at preschoolers, all the everyday advertising, TV shows, movies etc.).
First, make sure you get soft even light over your face so that harsh shadows don't show everyone all your beautiful laughter lines and the character you've earn't with time and experience. Try indoor lighting. Looking up towards the light and photographing down gets rid of shadows and also helps make you look more slender by defining your chin and putting your body further away from the camera. If you don't have Photoshop to edit out things, don't forget to put some makeup over skin blemishes. Done right, you get this:
And not this:
The moral of the story is that looking great in photos is about the right light and poses. (If you're wondering, that's how celebrities do it too. See this Pinterest pin - https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/231653974554789228/)
As a photographer I am someone who looks for the beauty in the world around me, but beauty is not only about light and shadows, it's also about stories and emotions. In my landscape photos I look for a scene which doesn't just look aesthetically pleasing, but one that also tells a story and evokes a feeling. When I look at people, the beauty of their character (in their eyes, their smile and their laughter lines) is what appeals to me. When someone looks like one of the beautiful celebrities we see in magazines and on TV, you appreciate them for their aesthetics, but this is shallow and fleeting. When someone looks like a kind, happy soul you appreciate them for who they are, a person with a different but far deeper and more moving beauty that stays with you for a long time.
