How to Make Your Legs Look Longer in Pictures

Written By
Brandon Getty
Brandon Getty
Published: Jul 10, 2014
Updated: Dec 13, 2021
2 minute read
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Long legs convey grace and swiftness with every step. However, body types vary and so does leg length. Short of a leg-lengthening surgical procedure, there are ways of adding inches to your legs -- at least visually. By wearing clothes that fool the eye, you'll give the appearance that you were born with a model's gait. Even your photographer's equipment and technique can alter the appearance of your legs in the resulting picture.

Wear pants and skirts with vertical details. Pants with center pleats or skirts with vertical pinstripes will move the viewer's eye up and down your lower half, adding the illusion of length to your legs. Try to avoid horizontal details, as these have the effect of shortening your legs.

Opt for a single-colored outfit. Matching the color of your pants to your shirt or blouse has the same effect as vertical detailing. In addition to adding the appearance of length to your legs, monochrome outfits can also make you look slimmer.

Put on a pair of high heels or flesh-colored shoes. While flesh-colored shoes appear as an extension of your feet and only make you look taller, the height that high heels add to your look is real.

Tell your photographer to use a wide-angle lens during your shoot. These lenses provide a widened field of view and can distort perspective. In photographs of people, this distortion often causes limbs to look longer and thinner. A lens with a focal length of 18mm to 28mm should suffice.

Ask your photographer to shoot you from a low angle. A wide-angle lens, in combination with a lowered angle of approach, will make you appear significantly taller. This will add the appearance of length to your legs as well as your torso.

Brandon Getty

Brandon Getty began writing professionally in 2008, with columns appearing in "Thrasher" magazine. He received a Bachelor of Arts in literature from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and lives in Stockton, Calif.

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