I totally and utterly understand that getting in front of the camera can be incredibly intimidating. For ANYONE! I know because I often have to get photographed myself, and as someone who would MUCH rather be behind the lens I have come up with some simple but real life hacks that can enhance how you feel before your photoshoot! These are all tried and true tested by me, I hope you’ll find them helpful in getting you through your next photo shoot.
Does your face look you’ve been watching CSpan for the last 12 hours?
My fave tip for feeling confident before your photo shoot is “girl get a facial!” Getting a facial a couple of days before the shoot is hella relaxing, amazing for your skin and will leave you with a glow that even you can’t deny! Our skin is one of our most important organs and we seriously take it for granted. Pamper your skin whenever possible, I get a facial at least once a month, whether at home or by a pro. It’s totally worth it and you’ll feel better-having one, trust.
DRINK WATER! SERIOUSLY!
Drink half your body weight in water. No SERIOUSLY, this should really be just an everyday requirement for your life but at least 24 hours before and the day of the shoot, drink water like you’ve been wandering a dessert for 5 days. The science gurus say 8 x 8-ounces per day, regardless of how much, just drink a lot of water. So many amazing things will happen, firstly, you will have to pee, A LOT, so go potty before the shoot. But also you’ll feel more energized, your skin will be full and glowing and your energy and mood levels will be elevated! Don’t believe me, check out this sciency article!
Get your hair and make-up done!
Another great tip for feeling confident during your photoshoot! This really isn’t necessary if you’re like me and HATE it when other people do your make-up, but the point is, put some extra effort into these things if and ONLY if, it makes you feel good. For me, when my hair, make-up and nails are of fleek I feel like a million bucks and that confidence really shines through on the camera. If wearing make-up and fancy nails is not your jam, that’s cool too, the point is, dress yourself up in any way that makes you feel really good about YOU!
Get your vitamin ZZZZZZZZZ
Nothing beats a well-rested sleep the night before you need to be confident and camera ready. If you’re anxious about getting a full nights sleep here are some awesome things that have helped me.
- Magnesium + Melatonin pills. I usually just take half of one before bed as these can cause crazy dreams and lead you to wake up with a bit of a headache. I do find though, half a pill does just the trick with this cozy little duo in getting you off to a dozy cozy lala land in under 30min. You will wake up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day. You can find either one of these separately or look for the combo pill at any drug store in the vitamins section. Click here for the ones that I specifically take and recommend.
- Put down your phone/tablet/laptop and leave them down 1 hour before bed. I know this one is WAAAAY easier said than done. But it really does help your eyes and brain relax before you hit the sack.
- Plan a bedtime, don’t just wait for sleep to come. Set a bedtime for yourself nice and early the night before and follow the steps above.
- Clean your sheets- ok, I know this is a little excessive, but I swear, I have a waaaay better sleep when the bedding has just been washed.
- Open your window a crack, if it’s a nice cool night, sleep with your window open a bit and let that nice fresh cool air wash over you.
- Sleepy Sounds! Well, that’s what we call them, every night we listen to either rainstorm or ocean sounds via Alexa on our Echo. We also have the Relax app on our phones that do the same thing. There is a tone of free apps out there so no need to purchase a sound machine. They help us fall to sleep and keep me from hearing hubby’s snoring.
Dress for your body type
So many of us are completely lost when it comes to dressing ourselves. I’ve struggled with it my entire life. There are so many cute looks out there that I love but when I try them on myself I feel like someone kicked a puppy. Totally bumbs me out. Like those cute oversized sweaters that girls wear in the fall with a pair of tights, surely that will look cute on me and will do a great job covering all my rolls right?! WRONG! For me anyway, all those thick, bulky sweaters do for me is make me look 5 sizes bigger than I actually am and is just really unflattering. All I’m saying is, know your body and pick an outfit that makes you feel like a million bucks. Also, plan your wardrobe well in advanced, not an hour before, cause that will just stress you right out! If you don’t have anything appropriate to wear then go treat yourself to something nice, if you can’t afford it, keep the tags on, I won’t tell. 😉
If you need help coordinating colours, always stick to neutrals for shoots with more than one person, you can go bold with prints and colours if it’s just you but you want to easily coordinate your wardrobes and not have your clothes be the focus for couples or family sessions.
How I can help
The bottom line is, these are just a few helpful tips for feeling confident during your photo shoot. Your photo session is a reflection of you, right now, at this moment.
Whatever your reason for this photography session, engagement, wedding, family portraits, it’s likely during a time of celebration and love. Your body is just a piece of that, if you show up to your photo shoot feeling amazing and ready to have fun, THAT’S what’s going to make you love your photos.
What I’m documenting is NOT your body, it’s you, your emotion, your personality, your essence. It’s your story.
During my sessions with clients, I come amped and full of positive love and energy to help lift your mood and get those real emotions. Not one of my clients has ever left a shoot saying that they felt awkward or bad about themselves. They always leave with big smiles and hugs, thanking me for such a great time. I also often hear, “wow, that wasn’t as bad as I thought, it was actually super fun.” I have never had a client, no matter how self-conscious they were going in, come back with saying that they hated the experience and every single photo. It helps that I give you lots to choose from, and surely you won’t love 100% of the photos of yourself but I can promise, nay, guarantee that you will feel great having done your session and also will be happy with most of the photos that you get.
If you’re struggling with your body image and hate getting your photo taken, I suggest reading my blog on exactly that. Click HERE for this long but good read.
