Don't be scared.
Yesterday I had a girl tell me that, "My mom wants you to do my senior pictures."
"Awesome!" I say. "Wait, what?" I pause. "Your mom? What about YOU? Do you want me to take your senior pictures?"
"Not really, I don't like having my picture taken."
Oh.
This is a very, VERY common struggle. I used to hate having my picture taken. I have friends who run screaming in the opposite direction when they see me bust out my camera. My own boyfriend even hates it! It has taken over a year for him to warm up to having his picture taken... but he's still not 100% comfortable in front of the camera. But he's working on it, bless his lil heart. :)
So, to Chantel, you sweet girl you, don't worry, you're not alone. MOST people do NOT like having their picture taken. But you and me, we are going to conquor this fear you have. Don't be scared girl, I promise to make it as painless as possible. I'm going to take your senior pictures and I am going to make you feel comfortable in front of the camera, I'm going to make you laugh (probably by saying or doing something ridiculous, probably both), I'm going to listen to you, I'm going to learn more about you and you're going to get to know me. And in doing so, we are going to create some senior pictures that you will be proud of, that you will be happy to hand out, that you want to share with all your friends; pictures that you will look at and see yourself for the beautiful, strong, smart, amazing young woman that you are. I promise. And if I can't do that... I don't think I should be a photographer.
And to everyone else who also hates having their picture taken, call me. Let's get together, you bring a smile, I'll bring my camera, we'll have a fun time! Hopefully, I'll get some good photos and maybe, just maybe, you'll get a little more confidence too. :)
P.S. It took me a loooong time and a LOT of self portraits (hello, myspace!) for me to become as confident as I am in front of the camera. I learned what worked for me, the angles, the lighting, the poses, the faces. I freely admit, I practiced! For every self portrait of me on the internet, I promise you there was at least 12 attempts taken before I got one I was okay with. It's okay, you don't have to like EVERY picture... just keep going though, and eventually you just might like 'em all!
"Awesome!" I say. "Wait, what?" I pause. "Your mom? What about YOU? Do you want me to take your senior pictures?"
"Not really, I don't like having my picture taken."
Oh.
This is a very, VERY common struggle. I used to hate having my picture taken. I have friends who run screaming in the opposite direction when they see me bust out my camera. My own boyfriend even hates it! It has taken over a year for him to warm up to having his picture taken... but he's still not 100% comfortable in front of the camera. But he's working on it, bless his lil heart. :)
So, to Chantel, you sweet girl you, don't worry, you're not alone. MOST people do NOT like having their picture taken. But you and me, we are going to conquor this fear you have. Don't be scared girl, I promise to make it as painless as possible. I'm going to take your senior pictures and I am going to make you feel comfortable in front of the camera, I'm going to make you laugh (probably by saying or doing something ridiculous, probably both), I'm going to listen to you, I'm going to learn more about you and you're going to get to know me. And in doing so, we are going to create some senior pictures that you will be proud of, that you will be happy to hand out, that you want to share with all your friends; pictures that you will look at and see yourself for the beautiful, strong, smart, amazing young woman that you are. I promise. And if I can't do that... I don't think I should be a photographer.
And to everyone else who also hates having their picture taken, call me. Let's get together, you bring a smile, I'll bring my camera, we'll have a fun time! Hopefully, I'll get some good photos and maybe, just maybe, you'll get a little more confidence too. :)
P.S. It took me a loooong time and a LOT of self portraits (hello, myspace!) for me to become as confident as I am in front of the camera. I learned what worked for me, the angles, the lighting, the poses, the faces. I freely admit, I practiced! For every self portrait of me on the internet, I promise you there was at least 12 attempts taken before I got one I was okay with. It's okay, you don't have to like EVERY picture... just keep going though, and eventually you just might like 'em all!
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