In our current society, “beauty” is shoved down our throats on a daily basis. It's hard to feel good about ourselves when we have such high expectations to meet for what we perceive as beauty. It's commonly believed that beautiful people take beautiful photographs. This couldn't be further from the truth! Although the general population knows that photoshop is used to “enhance” almost all images we see (magazines, movies, photos, etc), most people don't realize just how much is changed from the original photo, to the one that gets published. A “beautiful” person is still drastically altered for publishing. 
This makes it nearly impossible to naturally look like the men and women our beauty standards are based on. It's important to realize that nobody naturally looks as good as they do in magazines, in real life. Even on the runway, extremely dramatic makeup and hair styling is often used as a way to enhance and capture even the most beautiful models. Modeling itself is a great challenge for the actual models – learning how to pose takes lots of practice, and more often than not, a lot of guidance from the photographer. We are looking through the lens and we see angles of you that you can't see yourself, and can often make suggestions for even the best model to look better, or more dramatic. 
With that being said, if you're preparing to be photographed, the first step to being comfortable (and having it show) in front of the camera is to forget about whatever expectations you may have for yourself and to actually be yourself. Nothing shows more in front of the camera than stress, and a lack of confidence. Be proud of who you are! JailBreak's purpose and goal is to capture you, your essence, and your own creativity through our lenses! We are merely one of the tools, but you are the subject, and the most important part about what we do. Although we do touch-ups and enhancements to our photographs, we will never take away what makes you, you. So, if you're still reading, here are some collected tips and advice from the interwebz to help you feel more prepared and more comfortable in front of our (sometimes intimidating) cameras!
Breathe
Although sometimes concentration enhances a good photograph, obvious concentration can distract and often ruin a good photograph as well. Do not hold your breath for a modeling pose; always remember to breathe and appear at ease.
Posture
Bad posture is an unrecognized flaw in many people. However, for models, posture is a harmful flaw. Always remember to keep your back straight and your shoulders up. Slouching affects the mood of the photograph and enlarges the appearances of your stomach. In addition to your back and shoulders, always remember to flex your stomach muscles. Despite your weight or state of shape, your abdomen will appear more toned if you flex. Limbs
Symmetry is officially out in the modeling world. When posing, make sure to differentiate your arms and legs with asymmetrical poses. If you have one arm long and straight by your side, make sure the other arm is bent. Whether a big or small angle, the bend will make the modeling pose look more real, less artificial. Continue the asymmetry to your legs. If one leg is locked straight, give the other leg a casual bend.
Camera
Although the camera is the ultimate focal point of a modeling photo shoot, great models do not look directly into the camera. To enhance the quality of your photo shoot, look away from the camera with a mix of head and eye poses. Looking off to the right or left side, or tiling your neck to either side can help you avoid direct eye contact with the camera. In many cases, your head and neck can remain stationary in your modeling pose—and your eyes can do all the work. Head and eye positions, coupled with personable facial expressions make for great model poses.
Sitting Poses
If you are sitting down during your photo shoot—don’t think it’s ok to slack off. In fact, sitting photo shoots require a lot of extra work. If you are sitting down or reclining, it’s important to put your eight on the back of one thigh, rather than distributing your weight equally on both thighs. If you roll one hip up from the ground or surface, shifting your weight will be simple. This pose results in a slimming effect that you don’t want to miss out on.
Cleavage
To make sure your best assets shine, there are a few basic guidelines to follow. Based on two distinct poses, a forward lean and a backward lean, any model with any breast size can maximize cleavage. When leaning forward, either bring your arms together at your waist, keep your arms straight at the elbows and clasp your hands together below your waist, or simply cross your arms. When leaning backward, raise your arms about your shoulders and head, keep your arms apart, and always slouch for the best cleavage results.
Smile
In addition to these personalized tips for modeling poses, every model should be aware of the basics of posing. There are 4 main types of model poses: lifestyle pose, movement pose, portrait pose, and body pose.
Lifestyle
The lifestyle pose evokes a sense of everyday living with common body movements and facial expressions. Throughout the day, moments of happiness, love, anger, and hope arise. To succeed at the lifestyle pose, each model must be able to recreate these everyday emotions.
The movement pose captures a specific action, such as running or jumping. Because this pose is most often used for a marketing photo shoot—the model is used to promote a product. Each model must be able to smile and laugh when using the products in the photo shoot.
Portrait
This modeling pose emphasizes the face of the model—and relies purely on facial features. The model will be in modest makeup and relaxed hair and should pose with a casual, genuine smile. Many portrait photographs are close up and emphasize details of the model’s face. If you are scheduled for a portrait photo shoot, make sure to pay extra attention to your skin and drink at least 8-12 glasses of water a day.Body
Full-length photographs require body poses. Models are encouraged to shift weight between hips and make arms and lengths into asymmetrical stances. Although many body poses do not require specific facial expressions, putting your entire body into character during full-length poses helps your body find a natural balance.
Make up is in no way required, but if you choose to, then keep in mind what we're photographing you for. If you're an aspiring model, or want more glamor/pin-up type photos, take that into consideration when applying your make up. We suggest practicing how you want your make up to look before the planned photo shoot, so that when the time comes you'll feel confident in applying it, and it won't be in the back of your head during the shoot. We also know of some great local salons that have great pricing on doing your make up in an over-the-top and dramatic way, or a more natural way that enhances your natural look. Taking care of your skin is a good habit to have even if you're not planning on being in front of the camera. Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day (which benefits your whole body!) to keep your body and your skin hydrated. Smoking causes cancer and will “aid” your skin in aging faster, and can “enhance” wrinkles, so having healthy habits (like not smoking!) will definitely help your skin glow. Using a cleanser and a moisturizer will do wonders for you, especially if you have naturally dry or oily skin. Don't worry too much if a last minute zit appears the morning of your photo shoot – marks that are not permanent, like zits, can be removed, or smoothed, depending on the circumstance.
Hopefully all of this collected information is useful and will help you feel comfortable with yourself, so that you can be camera ready for your next photo shoot!
Here are some links to specific places we gathered some of the above information:
http://www.ladieswholaunch.com/magazine/makeup-image-1/1454
http://www.divavillage.com/article_archive.php?id=31425§ion_name=§ion_id
http://www.bleeek.com/modeling-posing-tips.html
