Yes, I said Look Forward to! Stay with me.
For a lot of people, a photo session lands somewhere on the calendar between office meetings and picking up children from school. I get it. Standing in front of a camera while a near-stranger says, “relax and be natural,” is one of the least natural experiences a human could have.
But here is the thing. I’ve watched a lot of nervous clients walk into a shoot bracing for the worst, then walk out over the moon about their experience. The dread isn’t about the camera. It’s about walking in unprepared and hoping it goes ok. Fix that, and the whole frown flips upside down.
So here are 5 ways to stop enduring your photo session and start looking forward to it!
Remember what the photos are actually for
Nerves love a vacuum. The moment I shoot becomes simply “a bunch of pictures of my face,” your brain starts auditing every angle, so give it a job instead.
These images have work to do. These are hyping you up on your next website, your resume, the first impression on a future client. These images are working for you, helping people who see them form a positive first impression before they even meet you. These aren’t images of you getting your photo taken. These are you building the visual half of your business. Reframing in this way turns “how do I look” into “what does my brand need?”
Look at you with kinder eyes
Sometimes I get clients who will tear themselves down within the first five minutes before I’ve even gotten to know why they want to be photographed. It’s a little heartbreaking for me personally, especially when I’ve been in similar circumstances.
There is a book I love called The Geode Theory by Terri Hofford, a photographer herself, who believes that a geode looks like a plain grey rock on the outside. All of those years of self-doubt and criticism are the rough outer shell. Crack it open, and you’ll see that it’s full of crystals! The tough part is chipping away at that dull outer story you’ve been told about yourself so that the sparkly bits actually get seen.
One of my favorite parts of getting clients ready for their shoot is learning more about them and who they are beyond their LinkedIn profile. They might have a dull shade of that LinkedIn blue and white, but on the inside there’s a whole kaleidoscope of things that are fascinating. That’s the part I want to come out during our session!
Let me be clear: this photo session and consultations are a chance for us to chip away at that hardened exterior. We’re not fixing anything because there’s nothing to fix. This is a chance for you to practice seeing yourself in the way the people who already love you do. Being confident in seeing your true self is what I ultimately am aiming for. We’re not waiting for the confidence to arrive. We’re gaining confidence with what we already have in ourselves. You don’t need this future goal to get confident. Simply walk in as the elevated and slightly more audacious version of yourself. Trust me, the camera is remarkably good at believing you.
Elevating yourself one bit at a time
For some of us, there are some really amazing outfits we just haven’t worn in forever! What if we looked through the closet, brought it out, and tried it for our shoot? Never mind if it fits differently than it used to. You already have the information on hand that you enjoy that particular outfit. What do we want to do about it?
- Get an updated size
- Buy a completely different outfit
- Maybe accessorize around the outfit you currently have
I have a wonderful stylist who’s happy to walk you through your own closet. Set aside time to invest in yourself and your look. For me, I will never deviate from my favorite stretch pants, but I always like exploring with new shirts. While fashion is not my strong suit, it’s always nice to ask a wonderful fashion stylist what works for the direction I’m heading in.
Treat it as self-care & curiosity, not an errand
This is your official permission slip to make today the day you are the most important person in the room.
You’ll feel exactly as good as the hours leading up to the shoot, so build up as many good hours as you can. Book a hair session. Get your nails done. Take a nice long bath or massage. Do whatever “pampered and put-together” means to you, and if you don’t know, explore! Invest in you.
This isn’t indulgence, by the way. It’s totally prep. Feeling cared for is a look, and the camera captures it every single time. Treat the session like the milestone it is: a day devoted to you, rather than one more thing to survive before lunch.
And the cherry on top: make plans for the time after your shoot! This is the true test of making the whole day a you day. Book a nice dinner! Hang out with friends. Let them see you with this new vibe and look you created.
Make a move, any move, but do it with confidence
Sometimes, with clients who are very nervous, I ask them to move in any direction, act like a superhero, be silly, or do anything that helps them loosen up so their images aren’t too stiff. I can tell you, for the clients I’ve done that with, how much they relax after they’ve given themselves a good laugh.
The more you stay out of your head and just move your body, the more effortless the session becomes. Every time you see a flash of light or hear the shutter click, move in another direction. They don’t have to be big movements. They can be subtle movements: Hand up, hand down, neck left, neck right
The idea is that if you’re moving with purpose, even if the purpose is just to move, confidence flows and stiffness fades.
Let me be real. A lot of that dread comes from the unknown, and each of these tips is just a way to remove one unknown at a time.
While you’re there, be kind to yourself. Wear something that highlights you, treat yourself for the entire day, and not just the time in between meetings. Do that, and the photo session quietly moves off the list of things you’re dreading and, hopefully, onto things you’re a bit more excited about!
Ready to get excited? Book a consultation via this link right here!
