How To Not Look Awkward On Camera

Hey, how's it going? 

So today I wanna talk to you about, well, something that I would say most people are somehow impacted by when it comes to photography and having their picture taken. And that is how to not look awkward on camera. 

Posing and how to look confident in front of the lens is such a common conversation for me. It's almost daily. And I believe that one of the root causes for looking awkward on camera is something that can be quite easily avoided. 

Let me explain. So in my sessions, my focus is on you. My focus is on your comfort. If I can make you feel comfortable, then anything's possible. I make you feel comfortable by insisting on having a phone call before the experience so you get to know who I am, and I get to know you. And, you know, you can ask me other questions so you're well-informed. 

So you're going into a space where you know it's gonna be safe, and you know it's gonna be fun, and know it's gonna have an output that is aligned with what your expectancies are. But then once you feel comfortable, the next stage is how we make you feel confident. And this is where I'm very different from most other photographers. 

Most other photographers are focused on the final output. It's the, "What will I look like?" Or, "What will you look like?" Or "Let's create an image like this." And so then they are thinking about the lighting, and they're thinking about the lens they're going to use. And you're thinking about, "What outfit should I wear?" Or, you know, "What should my makeup look like?" It's all very external, external, external. We're very focused on the external as a society. 

My goal is to focus on your internal, is to focus on how you're feeling, and your mindset. If in a photograph you want to appear confident and you are so busy thinking about the dishes in the sink at home, or work, or a conversation you had with your parents the day before, or wherever it is, how on earth are you able to portray that? You're too busy. Your mind's elsewhere. The same thing goes when you're posing for a group photo at a wedding or headshots for work. If you're trying to appear a certain way, wherever that is, be it confident, sexy, sassy, fun, or outgoing, but all you've got swimming around in your mind is, "I bet I look awkward. I bet I look awkward. I bet I look awkward. How do I not look awkward? Don't look awkward. If you look awkward, it's gonna be awkward," 

What do you think is gonna happen? You're gonna look awkward. And then you look at the photograph, and you say, "Oh, I look awkward." No shit, Sherlock. You look awkward because you're not able to tap into how you are feeling. It's a skill. This might sound all highty-flighty, and you know, there are other quite derogatory terms for spiritual people. But this is how you go about doing it. It's quite simple. You have overcome some incredible things in your lifetime, incredible things. 

I don't even know you, and I know you have. You have done some things that other people just couldn't. It's just life, okay? You have traveled alone, or you've left a job. You've handed in your notice and you started a new career, you started a new job. You've worn a scary dress. You've had a difficult conversation with someone that ended up going well. 

There are so many things that you have done and overcome by yourself that make you a confident person. Think about that feeling you had when you, I don't know, traveled by yourself, and you were like, "This is terrifying, but I've done it. I've achieved it." When you trained for that marathon or you swam 100 lengths for charity, you overcame that thing and you did it. Now let's tap into that feeling, that feeling you had when you were like, "Man, I'm the shit!" Yes, you are. 

Now my job in the session is to show you that. My job is to bring up that feeling for you, light it on fire, and take photos of you whilst you are living in that feeling. What you need to do when you are posing for your images, when you are in a group situation, or when someone's taking your picture at a party, wherever it is, is to tap into that feeling. It takes practice, but you have to start somewhere. Tap into that feeling. "I'm a badass. I'm a badass. I'm a badass. I'm a badass!" And so on, all right? Don't follow these poses. This is not about the external. I'm not here trying to pose to portray a certain look. What I'm trying to do is get authenticity. When you can authentically tap into who you are, that is the most confident, the most powerful image you will ever see in your life. I know this because I see it every day. This is my job. Anyone can pose for a picture. Stand like this. Put your leg like that. Put your head like this. Put your little toe like that. Great. The photo will look great, but you're not convincing a single person. We've all seen it. 

What you want to do is tap into the feeling. And it just takes practice. Now, what you thinking right now is, 

"Ah, but Merv, can't you just tell me some poses just so I can just hack it and overcome it?" 

No, actually. I'm not going to. If you wanna learn poses, book me. Come in, do the session, and I will show you all the poses, but only once you are in that space of confidence. And then I'll show you how to tap into that confidence and then what those poses look like for you. Everyone poses differently. And you, my friend, won't have the same poses as the next person. It's just how it works. My goal is to tap into your authenticity. And if you're not prepared to book me, how you do it by yourself is to practice it. Think about those things that you've done and utilize that to feed your energy and your inner soul, and your power, and your purpose, to then find what feels good when you want to look confident.

 I hope that helps. Again, it's slightly unorthodox to how most other photographers work, but it works. Considering I've worked with 500+ women. And not a single person that's not liked their photographs. I just wanna point that out. Like, I'm not afraid to say it. I'm confident enough in my ability, so I know what I'm talking about. 

So jump on board. If you wanna work with me, all you have to do is book a call and that's it. 

I'll see you on the other side of the camera. Take care. Bye!

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