Being photographed can be nerve racking and somewhat uncomfortable if you’re not a professional model. So, how can you become relaxed and more natural? Here are some tips that can help ease you into a natural “model” role.
DON’T BE A STRANGER
Talk to me! When I meet with my clients, I always take time to chat and get to know them a little. This is one of the reasons I have pre-session consultations prior to the photo shoot. It gives my clients time to feel comfortable around me.
Continuing to have conversations through out the shoot will allow the both of us to get to know each other even more. Tell me stories, ambitions, fears etc. Banish any intimidation you may have from the start by showing some vulnerability. Being open allows me to see the real you and that’s when the best portraits are shot.
IGNORE THE REST OF THE WORLD
It’s so easy to let that little voice in your head take over during a photoshoot. Whether you’re downtown amongst people or in the middle of no where, keep your focus. You may feel concerned what other people think , or feel that you’re being judged, but most of the time people don’t even notice or care. So try to forget about everyone around you and pretend that you’re in your own little world.
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
Practice your poses. You can either utilize a mirror or get a friend to take pictures with a phone – that gives you two kinds of feedback, the photos and your friend’s comments. Once you find a pose or look that you like, practice it and remember how your body or face feels when you’re doing it. Posing is easier to do once you’ve done it a few times.
MOVE LIKE THE WIND
Movement bends joints and creates a more natural look and feeling. Swaying, walking, twirling are all actions that you can do during your shoot. Sometimes I have to remind my clients that my camera will freeze them in the shot. You don’t have to always be standing still to get a great image.
HAVE FUN
Similar to my point above about ignoring the rest of the world, it’s so important to try and have fun during the shoot. The more you relax into a photoshoot and let yourself go, the more fun you’ll have, the more confident you will feel, and the nicer the photos will be.
Also, don’t forget to laugh. Even if you have to force yourself once in a while. Laughing out loud creates more of a natural emotion. Don’t worry, I’ll make a complete fool out of myself if I need to get you laughing. Sometimes I can be a real dork…hehe!
ASK & TELL
During the photoshoot, if you start to suddenly feel uncomfortable or a bit lost, ask me to be more clear. Trust me…I want to know what’s going through your mind!
The overall point of your senior shoot is capturing images YOU will love. So feel free to ask questions on why I might be doing the things I’m doing or tell me if you feel like you’d like to take the shoot in another direction. Feel free to make your own suggestions. It’s team work!
FAKE IT TILL YOU MAKE IT
You know all those amazing fashion bloggers and models you see in the magazines or online? They didn’t know what they were doing at one point either! A lot of the time, they’re putting on an act, and pretending that they do, and you know what? It works! Pretending that you’re confident in yourself will more often than not make you actually feel confident. So just fake it till you make it!
If you’re interested in having us capture your senior pictures, contact us! We’re locating in Fargo, ND.
