Confidence is key: how to bring your A game to a photoshoot
To quote my girl Demi, “What’s wrong with being confident?”
Creating a digital presence for your career, business, or personal brand is more important than ever, whether that be through a website, social media, or a combination of both. Having a library of photos to pull from that represent the best version of yourself, photos that you feel confident in sharing with the world, is essential for crafting your online persona.
The best way to build that library? Hire a photographer. While iPhone photos have never been better, they can’t beat images taken by someone who knows a thing or two about capturing a phenomenal picture—lighting, composition, environment, editing, etc. I could go on + on about the importance of hiring a professional, but we’ll save that for another post. ;)
If you’ve never done a photoshoot before (aside from senior photos #model), the idea of posing in front of a photographer in public can seem…overwhelming. The key to a successful shoot? Confidence.
One of the top questions I get asked allll the time is, “How do your clients look so confident in front of the camera?? How do they look so natural, so comfortable?”
So who better to give you tips than a few of my most confident clients? Here’s what they had to share:
Morgan Raphael, @bun_undone
Make sure you’re in a comfortable environment, and can truly let loose and have fun.
Wearing clothes you’re confident in, connecting with your photographer (like me with Paige), and just truly being yourself will lead to the best content!
I always make sure to prepare in advance, creating an outline and even brainstorming with Paige so that we’re set up for success during the shoot.
I lay out my clothes the night before and make sure every outfit is something I love wearing, and look up some inspiration for poses on Instagram. I actually save any photos that inspire me when I come across them!
When you take out all of that stress, you can just show up as YOU and let that essence of yours shine. People are attracted to realness, so just own who you are and you will be surprised how confident you feel. Taking photos can feel really empowering!
Alexa Morelli, @alexamorelli
Wear something you're truly comfortable & confident in! This is especially important when it comes to shoes. If you're feeling physically uncomfortable, it's going to show through on the camera. Plus if it's an outfit you LOVE, you'll automatically feel better about yourself.
Stop the negative self talk! We all have our moments, but if you can stop the negative shots in the hour leading up to your shoot & during, it'll make a huge difference. Focus on the things you love about yourself & remember how awesome those features are going to look on camera!
Practice in front of the mirror. Practice poses so that you know what looks best in your eyes. Eventually you'll have your go-to poses that you know are going to make you look your best!
Learn from yourself. Pose for a few photos, look at them, & adjust.
Do what feels natural. If you're trying to do a cute pose that you saw someone else doing, but it doesn't really feel like YOU, then try something else! Pose in a way that makes you feel like yourself.
Hire a photographer that you trust. If you trust your photographer (like I trust Paige), then you already know 100% that the photos are going to turn out great. Having that peace of mind will make you more relaxed going into a photo shoot & it will really show through.
Get yourself a hype person. You probably already have someone in your life who lifts you up when you need it - reach out to that person right before your shoot. FaceTime them, send them a Snapchat, text them asking for a quick confidence boost! It will have you going into the shoot with a confident mindset. It also helps when your photographer is a great hype woman like Paige!
MaryKate Schmidt, @froyotofitness
Try different poses to see what works for you. You’ll get better and better every time!
Having an inspiration board of poses that you can pull from will help during your session. It also inspires ideas for future content!
Leta Stevens, @letaalexandra
I think it’s SUPER important to be authentic, so wearing clothes and having hair/makeup done in a way that reflect who you are and makes you feel good. If you’re forcing yourself into clothes/outfits that don’t feel like “you” it’s hard to show up fully in front of the camera.
Figure out your angles ahead of time. It may sound silly, but trying on the outfits you want to wear and “trying on” different poses with them in the mirror helps you find what you do and do not like.
If you’re shooting outside or in public, remember there is a 99% chance of never seeing any of those people ever again—so don’t let their presence hold you back from getting great pictures.
Just remember to have fun with it. If you’re having fun in the moment then it will reflect in the pictures. Life is too short to take it too seriously!
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There you have it! Confidence 101, y’all. If these girls can kill it in front of the cam, so can you! Remember, no one is born an Instagram model; behind every seemingly effortless post are 100 photos that didn’t make the cut. You’ve got this.