I’d love you to enjoy your portrait experience 

Worrying about your photoshoot causes anxiety which is why you put it off again and again, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

Here are 2 tricks that I use to make your experience a little easier, more manageable, and even enjoyable.

1. Questions
2. Planning boards

Let me explain.

Photoshoots are incredible experiences but like so many people on social media seeing competitor’s gorgeous photographs make us feel inadequate. And that doesn’t make us feel great.

EVEN THE MOST CONFIDENT NEED HELP

One thing that being a photographer has taught me, even the most confident of people need a little jump start now and again. But we need to separate first-time nerves with the fear stories we tell ourselves: I don’t have the time, I’ve nothing to wear, or I need to lose weight.

I would love you to be excited about your portrait session, rather than dreading it, so I thought you’d appreciate these easy tips.

So firstly, use your friends and family.  Asking people you trust is highly valuable when it comes to making decisions. They’ll tell you straight if you’ve found the right photographer, chosen the right outfit, and selected the best photograph from your proofing gallery.

WHAT MAKES YOU DIFFERENT?

“That the only thing that really matters in life are your relationships to other people in your life.” George Vaillant

Feel secure in your choices because your business is unique and what you offer people makes you different from everyone else.

Discuss these questions with your family:

1. What am I trying to achieve? If you need a dating headshot you’ll need a photographer that can style professional photos that look candid and caught in the moment. If you need a family portrait, you’ll want a photographer that is good with children,
2. What are the alternatives? When you’ve narrowed down the type of photograph you want, consider alternatives. Ask your photographer if they have a portfolio that showcases a variety of work. You’re looking for consistently polished and professional imagery. Most people don’t really know what they want until they see it, so looking at a wide portfolio helps you arrive at a decision.

EXPLAIN WHAT YOU NEED

I guarantee discussing your ideas and completing a client questionnaire will help you communicate niggling doubts as well as finding answers to questions you didn’t know you had.  Consider it a chat over coffee with a friend.

Number 2, plan how you want to look in your photos using these tools:

• Pinterest
• Google images
• Screenshots

You won’t be surprised about this, but I rarely leave things to chance, knowing how you are going to use the photographs, where you are going to put them, what you want people to think when they see your avatar are the meat and bones of any session.

SEND A SCREENSHOT

And it doesn’t have to be complicated. Look at the photographer’s website. Take a screenshot. Send it over with a message, “I want to look like this.” Job done in 3 minutes.

A quick picture of what you had in mind saves time, guides the ‘feel’ of the portraits, and establishes exactly what you want.

It’s always important to remember why you wanted to update your headshots. If I had to guess, you’d say, “I’d need to look confident and approachable.”

NOBODY IS PERFECT

So my final tip is to let the photographer make it easy for you.

Nobody is perfect, behind every photo you see, is an experienced photographer that works hard to make the process as easy as possible. If you want to look relaxed and confident in your headshots, make sure you enjoy the journey.

Be kind to yourself, rather than worrying “I don’t have time for this”! Remember what you can achieve in 3 minutes (a quick snapshot to your photographer).

BE KIND TO YOURSELF

Take away the mental pressure and jot down 3 adjectives to describe how you want to look in your photos. Not only will this clarify your thoughts, but it will help you move onto better things.

You’ll be surprised how much you enjoy the session.

If you’re interested in trying this for yourself, I’m only a message away. Use the bot on the right 🙂

Book your portrait session with an Isle of Wight Photographer