How to be Photographed

When I was first published, and began doing book talks and signings, I used to worry about being photographed; what to wear and the right kind of expression to adopt.

It's not easy as a crime writer. Try to look a little suitably mean and moody and, in my case anyway, it runs the risk of frightening children. But my best attempts at smiles would often have people wondering whether to call the police.

Eventually I just stopped worrying, and that seems to be the best policy. I did a couple of talks about media careers at the excellent St Peter's School in Exeter this week -

simon in group.JPG

This is a posed shot, which I'm always less comfortable with. My tip for getting a decent result here is to make sure the background or surroundings are more photogenic than me, and what a great bunch of youngsters they were.

But I think the best photographic results come from the natural, in action pictures, when you're just doing your thing and not worrying about the camera -

Saint peters show.JPG

I was amused to see that to this day, it's always the back seats that get taken first. Just like when I was a lad...

So that's my thinking about the way to be photographed for the best results - the non-posed, of the moment pictures seem to come out best.

One final word on the subject, and it's a first for a blog - I'm going to leave you with a picture. Beware the artist who asks if they can do "a quick sketch" of you.

I think I was treated very gently on this one (my warm thanks to the hugely talented and kind Ian Baker for that), but I've seen many a drawing which isn't quite so pleasant -

Simon caricature.jpg