The 3 Biggest Mistakes Most Women Make on a Shoot
At the time of writing this, I've worked with just shy of 450 women. I think it's pretty safe to say I've seen some stuff (plus some things I wish I hadn't seen 🙈).
Some of these things are quite unique, like the time a woman turned up with bright red eyebrows, fresh from her threading appointment. Whilst others happen all the time.
So I figured I'd share my years of knowledge with you so you can prepare for your shoot in a way that will not only give you a better chance at overcoming your confidence woes, but also have a great time doing it!
One - Thinking you should know how to pose
This is a big one! If I had a £ for every woman that put pressure on herself to know how to pose, I'd be a wealthy man! It's as if there was this posing class at school that everyone missed!
Let me tell you a secret you may not already know: you already know how to pose! I can just picture your face now! "What?", "no", "shock, horror" haha
What if I told you that posing is all about femininity...strength...sensuality...as a woman, you have these things as part of your standard package! You were born with these things but you've more than likely spent a large part of your life either hiding them or allowing the world to convince you they aren't enough. Or both. My job is to create a space where you feel safe enough to explore this part of yourself. That's where the power lies in this experience. Getting to be your authentic self.
I can pose you and make you incredible with very little effort. I'm n expert if I do say myself haha. But beyond what you look like, my work is to help you feel good. Anyone can tell you to stand against a wall and poke your butt out! My job is to create a space where you feel you can bring that version of yourself and then capture THAT badass! Then when you see your photos, you won't just connect with them aesthetically, you'll see yourself!
You don't need to know how to pose. You just need to show up and we do the work together!
Two - Picking outfits without intention
Let’s be real: if you’re reading this it’s more than likely that you’ve never done this kind of thing before! So you’re naturally going to look to others who have gone before you for inspiration. Makes perfect sense!
However, it’s quite easy to allow yourself to emulate these other people too if you’re not careful! You may find yourself looking at images, not for the inspiration of the mood but trying to figure out where her set is from! Then you find yourself on a website ordering something that is simply an item you would never wear except on this shoot. It doesn’t represent you, your style or who you’re trying to portray.
This isn’t what I want for you.
This experience is an opportunity to celebrate you. I want to encourage you to buy/bring items of clothing that represent who you really are and/or who you aspire to be. Think for a moment - who are you? What do you like? Who do you want to be? Let your imagination run free.
There is no set wardrobe for these shoots!
You don’t need to go out and buy suspenders, heels and a white shirt in order to make the cut. To be honest, most women I’ve worked with will tell you that after having this experience, they’ve learnt there was no need to stress over the finer details.
The goal is to celebrate you - not your wardrobe, though I know it helps!
Three - Comparing yourself to other women who have done this before
If there's anything I've learnt doing this job, it's that women are the most powerful beings on the planet. The second thing I've learnt that they're often powerful in isolation. In other words, they can often succeed (and suffer) alone. Too humble to brag about a win at work. Too nervous to discuss a body image hang-up with vulnerability.
There's this optimal persona that so many women put themselves under considerable pressure to obtain and maintain. Do any of these resonate with you?
Hostess (with the mostest)
Super mum
Career driven
Vixen
In a relationship
In shape
Socialite
If you can't tick off everything on this list then there's something wrong with you apparently. Or is there something wrong with this world putting this kind of unrealistic expectation on women...
But here's the thing: we're all responsible for putting this pressure on each other. If you're honest with yourself, you've judged another woman for her life choices. Perhaps because they don't align with your own life choices/preferences. Let's look at that list again:
Hostess OR Expects people to sort themselves out
Super mum OR Doesn't want children
Career driven OR Prioritises travelling
Vixen OR Virgin
In a relationship OR Happily single
In shape OR Happily Curvy
Socialite OR Couch lover
Yep, we've all been there. I want to remind you that we're all on a journey to be as happy as possible. If you listen with an open heart you could learn a new way of approaching life from someone who does things a little differently to you that may positively impact your life. And that includes a photo shoot! You cannot possibly fathom what another woman has gone through to get to the point where she's challenging her fears and doing something like this.
All you can do is decide for yourself if it's right for you!
Enquire here for more!
See you on the other side,
Merv x
