01. Know Your Best Angle
Stand in front of a mirror and take some time to see what angles you prefer on your body is actually a good idea job to help guide you into favourable poses, but it will help you to feel more confident if you have a bit of an idea of how you would like to look!
2. Get to Know your Photographer
Like with many other service driven professions, you need to be able to connect with your photographer in order to feel relaxed at your shoot. Spend some time checking out your photographer’s websites and social media accounts so you get a feel for the style and vibe of their work and personality. I love to meet my personal & business branding clients one-on-one for a pre-shoot consultation so we can get through any awkwardness or determine potential personality clashes prior to committing to work together. If you do not ‘click’ with your photographer upon a short meeting, then maybe it is worth considering someone else for the job!
3. Be Enriched By Light
Have you ever wondered why natural light photographers always go on and on about the late afternoon and early evening light? (And is the very reason why my business is called Enriched By Light Photography). To some it might seem strange that we book a photoshoot for the latest part of the day, but in actual fact, the late afternoon sun as it is setting, becomes far more flattering and soft. You should avoid having your photos taken in the middle of the day when the sun is at its highest as this creates unflattering and harsh shadows on your face or my personal hate, squinty eyes. Stick to the beautiful and much loved “golden hour’ and the results will speak for themselves, boosting your confidence through the roof when you see the images.
4. Wear A Comfortable Outfit
There is nothing worse than feeling intimidated in front of a camera and worrying how uncomfortable your brand new jeans are feeling! It is best you stick to wearing an outfit that you love and feel quietly confident and comfortable in as this will boost your confidence and will naturally shine through to your images.
5. Forget About Your Surroundings
During your photoshoot, it is very easy to let ourselves get distracted with our surroundings & think of silly thoughts like ‘Wonder what that that guy thinks of my pose?’ In reality though, I promise you that most of the time people don’t even notice or more importantly, do not care. Let your photographer guide you through any shyness and don’t be embarrassed or apologise for your lack of knowledge. That is what the photographer is there to help you with! So trust them! Try to forget about the rest of the world and enjoy your photoshoot.
6. Make Sure You Have Fun
As with my previous point, it is a key requirement of mine that my clients have fun and enjoy their shoot. When I photograph my clients, I do my best to keep the mood light and entertaining and have ways of making people laugh throughout their time with me. And its the natural unforced smiles and laughter that create the most stunning portraits. I see it time and time again, the best shots are those captured right towards the end of a photoshoot as the more you relax and let yourself go, the more fun you have and the more confident you feel, which in turn means more beautiful photos.
If you would love to work or connect with me, I would love to chat with you on WHATSAPP +263783770043 .