Relax!
It is incredible how nervous people become in front of a camera. I will hold my hand up as I used to be like this at one point when my father would want to get that obligatory picture of me in front of a tourist sign, not knowing how he is taking the photo and also how to pose. This makes the brain start to overthink and when we think and I know you will agree, it makes us feel awkward, turning us into cardboard statues, not knowing what to do and how to do it.
I understand that not everybody is a model. Even though we all assume that models are airheads with no brains which I believe to be untrue as I have met some amazingly smart models, it is incredible how they can switch themselves off from the world. I have tried it whilst self experimenting and teaching my housemate how to use a studio set up and believe me, it is a skill being able to switch off your mind, relax and go with the flow of what is going on. It is like that trust exercise of falling and trusting that person to catch you as you fall. I feel that there is a similarity, trusting that person to lead you into the unknown, ensuring confidence with your photographer, knowing that they are going to make you look your best, even with the silliest or most painful position, they know that the result will be amazing.
Beauty!
But confidence is a two-way streak. If your photographer is not confident, how can your subject be confident? During the times of covid, I have had to take up a part-time job in order for me to get by and I must admit, from meeting new people every day, my confidence has got back to the same level as to when I used to work in a pub back in 2017,(it is now 2021). Maybe it’s from the lack of pressure or the feeling of inferiority, knowing that I have done my best in order to achieve excellence but I feel that with this new flame of confidence, I have been able to reflect this within my imagery, ensuring that my subjects are relaxed and having fun.
Again, I will say, not everyone is a model and it may take a little time in a photoshoot in order to bring out their natural flair. I discussed this with my lovely model Sarah who is an actress. I could tell that she was nervous and how I was explaining each move in a fun manner gave her more confidence in what I was doing which is reflected in her final images. It is my job to make you feel comfortable and I will always stipulate that if I wince at my camera, as the old break-up cliche goes, ‘it’s not you, it’s me’, this time, it is me as I have not possed my subject properly. I have taken in a lot of photography information but this one sticks out above the rest
TIP! Models, no matter what, it is never you and it actually is the photographers fault. NEVER, EVER Feel Bad During A Photoshoot.
The result, a relaxed body radiance from Sarah’s Mona Lisa smile bringing out her natural beauty.
https://www.mandy.com/uk/actor/sarah-knowles-3
