Being NERVOUS Is Normal
During a 2019 trip to Portland, Oregon, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and signed up for an IG photoshoot. As someone who's more accustomed to taking self-portraits, having someone else behind the lens was a new experience for me, and to be honest, it made me quite nervous.
It got me thinking about why we often feel this way when we're in front of the camera, and I came up with 5 specific reasons why I think this happens…
📸 1) We've seen too many bad pictures of ourselves, and we really don't want to see yet another one.
📸 2) We gained weight, and we believe the camera adds 10 pounds, so why put ourselves through that misery?
📸 3) The person with the camera is judging us and thinks we look weird.
📸 4) The person in the mirror staring back at us doesn't look like the person in the picture (TRUTH: the mirror actually flips your face)
📸 5) We don't know what looks good in front of the camera, and we don't know how to pose.
📸 For me, that insecure voice came rearing up, which I projected onto the photographer. This doesn't make any sense because she has never met me before and doesn't know my age, weight, previous weight, etc. She really doesn't have any judgments about me. I felt awkward until I reminded myself that I knew how to pose myself and ended up partially directing my photoshoot.
I'm so glad I went through this exercise so I can be even more compassionate with my clients.
Feeling nervous is completely normal, and as a professional photographer, I guide my clients through the process every step of the way. I'm also glad I have fun images of myself to remember my time in Portland. These experiences help me understand and empathize with my clients, ensuring that I can provide a comfortable and enjoyable photoshoot experience.
What resonated with you on my top 5 list of why we don't like to have our picture taken? Do you have one to add to the list?
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