Camera shyness is something that plenty of people struggle with. Whether you’re getting your photos taken at an event, for a professional portrait, or at an impromptu photoshoot, the butterflies in our stomach flutter like crazy when the camera shows itself. If you belong with the shy crowd, this post is for you. Stick around as we share six tips to overcome your photo anxiety and finally build your camera confidence!

Perhaps it’s connected to our taste of perfection. We want everything to achieve picture-perfect standards. If we don’t, our nature to criticize every flaw comes to light. And the more you criticize how you look in pictures, the more your anxiety with the camera grows.

But camera confidence and being photogenic is something even the most introverted person can work on. You might have one or a few bad photos taken, but when you work your relationship with the camera, those will be your first and last worst photos ever!

Choose a Photographer You Trust

There are two key elements to choosing a photographer. First, you need to decide if you like their style of photography. Every photographer varies in their editing style and they way they capture images, so be sure to scroll through their Instagram to take a look at their past work.

Most importantly to calming photo anxiety, is to hire a photographer you trust and connect with. Always chat with your photographer via phone or video chat, even if it’s for a mini session! Connecting with your photographer before showing up for your session allows for you to get comfortable with them and take away any of that awkward first meeting at your session.

Photographers who take the time to get to know their clients know exactly what to capture when they show up for the shoot. Plus, it takes away that awkward first meeting moments and allows for more time capturing natural photos!

Tell Yourself to Keep it Natural

Convince your mind that what you’re doing in front of the camera is no different than what you do normally. Think of it like greeting a friend or watching something exciting, funny, or interesting. 

Aside from the positive, cheerleader mindset, here are some reminders to avoid looking stiff and awkward in your photos:

• Keep your chin forward. 
• Put some space between your arms and your body. 
• Pivot your body from the camera to avoid looking large.
• When standing, put one foot towards the camera and put your weight there.
• Move your hands around instead of keeping them stiff beside you.

Let your Photographer Choose Your Best Shots

What makes cameras a great source of anxiety are the photos we see afterward. When we find unflattering pictures of us, we tend to pinpoint and criticize every flaw we see.

You don’t want to see the pictures with your eyes half closed or those shots with your mouth open from talking so photographers will sort through and show you the best of the best images.

If you want to overcome your fear of the camera, it’s best to leave the photo selection to one with a trained eye. Focus on the posing and let the photographer take care of filtering the results. They’ll even give some pointers so you can polish your posing and smiling skills when getting photographed.

Focus on Your Positive Sides When Looking at Your Photos

It’s easy to get carried away by pointing out what’s wrong with us on our photos. But when you focus on these flaws, it would drive your insecurities with the camera more.

To avoid that, focus on your positive sides instead. For every photo you find of yourself, find something positive about it. Give yourself a compliment or two on how your smile looks the best here or how you unconsciously found an angle that flatters your figure. Relive the best memories you’ve had with the photos too. It would help you develop a more positive relationship with the camera.

Upgrade Your Natural Beauty

This one is for our ladies who love a little glam in their life. It’s a proven fact that makeup can boost confidence, we don’t do it for the guys or other women, we wear makeup for ourselves. When we look our best, we FEEL out best, and trust us, that will shine through in your photographs.

While we don’t recommend trying something wild and crazy for your photos, a subtle upgrade to your everyday look can drastically improve your confidence during your session.

If you normally wear makeup and want to glam up your look, considering hiring a professional makeup artist. Plus, hiring a makeup artist turns your photoshoot into a full glam day! Looking for recommendations for artists who specialize in natural glam beauty? We recommend checking out Shana Beals Makeup and Artistry and Christy Reynolds Beauty (who also does hair!)

Have a Plan to Display Your Photos

Let’s face it, preparing for a photo shoot can be a lot of work, especially with kids. Knowing what you want to do with your images will help preserve all the time you’ve put into session.

Are you hoping to fill up some space on your wall with large wall art? Do you want to create a priceless family album with all of your favorite pictures from your session? Answering questions like these give a purpose to your session and will help reduce the anxiety of making sure these images are done for the right reason.

Practice in the Mirror

The best way to build up your photogenic confidence is to do what professional actors and models do – practice in front of the mirror. You get a full view of yourself in your reflection, giving you an idea of how you’ll look in front of the camera.

Use the mirror to find your most flattering angles. You can ask someone else to take a photo of you or your reflection once you’ve found the best position for you. 

While you’re at it, practice your natural smile too. This will help you see how wide should an acceptable smile be, should you show all your teeth or not, that kind of stuff. Ditch the “say cheese” part though, and instead, say “money.” It works better in moving your lips naturally.

Also, when smiling, put the tip of your tongue at the roof of your mouth. This will help you avoid the horrific double chin in your photos. Keep playing with the mirror until you find poses and angles you’re comfortable with.

You can ask any photographer you know for some posing advice. They’re the professionals who know what works and what doesn’t in the camera. You can also ask them to do some demonstrations so you’ll get a better picture of their tips.

Keep Posing in Front of the Camera.

Face your fears. The more you get used to that big ole lens in front of you, you’ll find it a friendly companion later on. Being photogenic is something you can train for, so keep practicing your poses – whether in front of a professional’s camera or a simple selfie.

Bonus tip: Collect all your best photos from all the photoshoots and portraits you’ve done, and put them all in one online photo album. This is a good way to track your progress with your camera confidence and see which you need to improve more.