What if the Camera Isn’t the Problem After All?

What if the camera isn’t the problem after all?

By Michelle Morris, The Confidence Photographer

So many women say the same thing to me before a photoshoot.

“I hate having my photograph taken.”

“I’m just not photogenic.”

“I never like photos of myself.”

And if that sounds familiar, you’re definitely not alone.

Most of us have had photographs taken where we’ve felt awkward, self-conscious or simply not quite like ourselves.  So it’s very easy to decide that we’re the problem.

But what if we’re not?

What if the problem is actually the experience of being photographed?

Connection changes everything

I recently photographed the lovely Angela Roberts, founder of Cotswold Networking, in Cheltenham.

Anyone who knows Angela will know how much warmth, colour and energy she has.  And that was exactly what I wanted her photographs to capture.

Not just what Angela looks like.  But Angela.

For me, that starts with connection.

I want the person I’m photographing to feel comfortable with me, because when that happens, something changes.  You stop thinking quite so much about the camera.  You start talking, laughing and relaxing.  And little by little, you start feeling more like yourself.

That’s why my shoots are very relaxed and conversational.  I use natural light, there are no intimidating studio lights or lots of equipment and I guide you all the way through so you’re never left wondering what on earth you’re supposed to do with your hands!

Angela said afterwards that the shoot felt more like spending time with a friend than having her photograph taken.

And I absolutely loved that.

Because that’s exactly how I want it to feel.

Your photographs should feel like you

With Angela, we created a whole collection of photographs she can use across LinkedIn, her website, newsletters and marketing.

But for me, variety isn’t just about changing an outfit or walking around the corner to a different location.

It’s about capturing the different sides of someone.

The confident ones.  The relaxed ones.  The laughing ones.  The slightly quieter ones.

You can have photographs that feel polished and professional without losing the person in them.

Because a photograph shouldn’t simply show what you look like.

It should communicate something of who you are.

One of my favourite moments on a shoot is showing someone an image on the back of my camera and watching their expression change.

That little, “Oh! I actually really like that.”

Sometimes even, “Is that really me?”

Those moments matter.

Being in front of the camera can feel vulnerable

There’s something about having a camera pointed at you that can make even the most confident person suddenly feel incredibly self-conscious.

You’re very aware that someone is looking at you.  You start wondering what your face is doing, where to put your hands, whether you’re standing strangely — and suddenly you’re thinking about things you wouldn’t normally give a second thought to.

It can feel surprisingly vulnerable.

And I think that’s something we sometimes underestimate when we talk about having photographs taken, particularly for our businesses.

You can be completely confident in what you do.  You can happily walk into a room, speak to clients, lead a team or stand up and give a presentation — and still feel horribly uncomfortable when somebody points a camera at you.

That’s why, for me, the relationship between photographer and client matters so much.

If you feel safe, comfortable and understood by the person behind the camera, you can gradually stop monitoring yourself quite so much.

You relax.

You start being yourself.

And that’s when the photographs begin to feel like you too.

So perhaps the camera isn’t the problem after all

Maybe you don’t need to become more photogenic.

Maybe you don’t need to lose weight first, change anything about yourself or somehow learn how to “perform” in front of a camera.

Maybe you just need to feel comfortable with the person behind it.

Because once you do, you relax.  Your personality comes through.  And suddenly the camera doesn’t feel quite so scary.

In fact, it can actually become part of the solution.

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About Michelle

Michelle Morris is The Confidence Photographer.  She helps women feel confident in photos through relaxed, natural-light Personal Branding, Headshot and Confidence Shoots.

Michelle will be speaking at Cotswold Networking Cheltenham on 14 September about this very subject:  What if the camera isn’t the problem after all?

michellemorris.co.uk