AS A PHOTOGRAPHER, I often hear people express how they lack confidence or that they feel nervous in front of the camera. To be honest, this is something that I used to struggle with myself. It took me a while to feel comfortable in front of the camera; not just feeling comfortable in front of the camera, but also that I didn't need to always have a huge toothy grin. Let me explain a situation and then how I overcame it to become more confident in front of the camera.

A few years ago my boyfriend and I were getting our first professional photos done as a fairly new couple. We were both extremely nervous - him because he has NEVER had professional photos taken; me, because I had never met the photographer and her personality was a little bit of a mystery to me. On top of the fact that Jon and I were still newly dating and in our first year as a couple... yeah, definitely nervous.

We get to our mini session, we introduced ourselves to the photographer who was super nice and friendly however, she immediately forgot Jon's name and was calling him something different the whole session. This was also the session that I was told to smize (if you don't know what that means, I refer you to this Drew Berrymore interview with Tyra Banks). I am used to full 100% smile every time I get in front of the camera, so when the photographer tells me to smile with my eyes and not with my mouth, my head and mouth get confused... I've never had anyone tell me to NOT smile. I try my darndest to not smile and to smile with my eyes, but it just wasn't something I was used to. I could feel my cheeks twitching with my half assed smile, I felt uncomfortable doing it and my confidence just starts plummeting. Since this is what the photographer wanted me to do, I felt as though I needed to do it the rest of the session - and I did, but I shouldn't have.

To top it off, my outfit was not comfortable. I wore a skirt that came above my knees with black (lined) leggings. Never did it occur to me that while a shorter skirt may look cute, it really makes for uncomfortable sitting situations therefore making you feel... uncomfortable and ultimately, less confident.

When we got all the photos back to look over, we really struggled picking out ones we liked because we both looked absolutely uncomfortable and not like ourselves.

*This blog is definitely not to bash the photographer we had, you'll understand when I explain more later.

Our 2nd photoshoot

For our second photoshoot, I decided that I was going to have just a SMIDGE more control with our outcome, photo selection and with what I do with my face and body. Instead of a mini session (quick sessions that a photographer usually has multiple people lined up that same day/location) I booked a full session with a photographer. With her, I was able to explain my vision, she gave me her thoughts and opinions and we ended up coming up with a plan to have a beautifully adventurous waterfall session.

My face is round, I realize this... over the years of taking selfies (yes... selfies) and having non-professionals take my picture, I learned how I need to angle my face to make it less rounded and give me a better overall look, which in turn, makes me more confident and happier with the outcome.

In the past years I've gained some weight and at times I can really get down on myself for that, but I was determined to not let that stop me from feeling comfortable with this session. Initially I had thoughts that people might see these photos and think "boy, Megan has gained some weight recently!", but I honestly really could care less what they were thinking; in my head I'm singing a verse from one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite artists, "You don't have to like me, but you're gonna respect me". All I truly needed to think about was that this session was all about Jon and I, our love, our connection together and being in an environment we both thrive in and love.

As I got to know this photographer, through our initial conversation, her social media and even investigating a bit more on social media I found out that she was a unique soul, I LOVED her photography style and with her having done a waterfall session before she ended up being the perfect fit. We jived super well during the session and my vision and her style meshed seamlessly and was a beautiful collaboration which I couldn't have asked for anything better.

One of the most important things that happened with this session was that I let go of expectations and having it be absolutely perfect.; something that I have struggled with in many aspects of my life (ask my girlfriends I go camping with, they'll tell you how I used to be!) I had FUN with this session - yes, you read that correctly, I had FUN! At one point in the session I sat in a puddle of water (to get an amazing shot), and I ended up getting my dress all wet in the back, looking like I peed myself. Instead of worrying about it, getting upset or not even getting that shot to begin with, I rolled with it and you can even see the wet spot in one of the final pictures, one that I LOVE. Jon and I laughed, we played around and joked with each other, and we were even serious at times. We didn't leave the session worried about how the pictures would turn out or complaining at all... we left the session with huge smiles on our faces saying, "that was so much fun"!

Another key to helping with my confidence was what I was wearing. This time, I got a longer dress from Lulus, which I LOVED! It was gorgeous and it made me feel absolutely beautiful. I also added some fun accessories (hat and denim jacket) with my dress, which added a little bit of fun and some flare to the session. With my dress, I was able to create movement with the skirt of it, spin in it, and it looked beautiful when Jon dipped me back for a kiss. My outfit was exactly what I needed to start feeling confident even before we started the session.

I smized this time... I was Tyra Banks, of course with help of a little bit of practicing here and there! What helped with it this time was ALL OF THE ABOVE. I was confident, excited, bonded with the photographer, I had fun and I felt beautiful (cue Emmy Meli)! Have you heard of the phrase "fake it until you make it"? In my mind, I pretended that I was a superstar, that my smizing was going to look fabulous and that it wasn't going to end up looking awkward and ruining pictures. Even if you have 85% confidence, adding a little bit of "faking it" will really knock you up to feeling 100% confidence.

Jon and I practiced our dips & kisses and we practiced some other poses, but we also didn't OVER practice. It's one thing to do dips and kisses on our flat kitchen floor to then go to a waterfall where we are balancing on wet, slippery rocks. Because we didn't practice until perfection, when we weren't perfect, it didn't matter... actually probably made us laugh and have even more fun.

While down in front of the waterfall and on the wet, slippery rocks, we kept talking to and communicating with our photographer. We would tell her if something she was asking didn't feel right and she would either help with adjustments or we made our own adjustments. She would point out an angle, a way our bodies looked in a position or when I needed to fix my dress in the boob area. The communication with her allowed us to feel relaxed, confident we were ending up with great pictures and allowed us to enjoy the whole experience a lot more.

Let me break all of that down for you...

tips for feeling confident for your next photoshoot

I Challenge you to book a session and LEARN how confident you truly can be in front of a camera