Happy Monday amigos! Last night was taco night in the McLachlan household, which means that we’re still feeling a little extra pep in our step from aaaaaalllll the guac! (Full disclosure, only Sarah is feeling that extra pep. Ben is feeling lack of pep from having to make a lengthy recipe for a food he doesn’t even consume. #besthusband)
Today, we’re wrapping up our five part series on creating natural images and it’s the day we’ve been looking forward to most since we started. Because today, we’re talking about feeling AWKWARD.
You know, like when you try to look suave at work, but instead end up taking a picture like this:
Or when you don’t realize your resting face is actually the derpiest face in the world until you come home to find out that your husband documented it for all the world to see.
You know, AWKWARD.
Before we dive in, let us just say that if you only take one thing away from this series, please let it be this. Of all the info we’ve thrown at you over the past few weeks, we are preeeeettty positive this one thing has impacted our images more than anything else. It’s the cornerstone of how we achieve natural and genuine images, and happens at every single one of our sessions before we even hold a camera to our faces. When your subject gets there, before you do anything else
tell them that it’s going to feel a little awkward at first.
And then we promise they’ll let out a big sigh of relief, probably a somewhat nervous laugh, and things will feel so much more relaxed. You’re officially on “their side” and not just a stranger on the other side of the camera. You’re a friend. If you didn’t have a meeting to get to know them beforehand, this first interaction is their first impression of you. You know what they’re thinking? “Wow! What an understanding person. I’m so glad I’m working with them! I should probably take them out for ice cream after this!” (Ok. They may not be thinking that last part. But if they are, even better ; )
So why is this so important to us? Well first of all, unless you’re Tyra, being in front of the camera just feels WEIRD. So simply embracing this and letting them know they aren’t alone, and that in fact they are feeling JUST how they’re supposed to in that moment, gives them a boost of confidence. And in order to get those natural, energy-filled moments we strive for, our couples first and foremost need to feel confident. But beyond this, we’re also people who live their lives by the golden rule, which means serving our clients just as we’d want to be served. We know from experience just how uncomfortable it is to step in front of the camera (seriously, where DO hands go?!) so we are doing a disservice to our clients if we don’t do anything and everything we can to ease their nerves.
Try making this one little change in the way you begin your sessions, and we promise it will make SUCH a huge difference not only in your overall client experience but in the images you are able to create. More than anything else, in order to achieve natural images, people need to feel 100% comfortable to be themselves in front of your camera. And by acknowledging that the beginning of a photo session is anything but comfortable, you make that the new normal and give them permission to relax. From there, all that’s left to do is make some photo magic ; )
If you’ve stuck with us through all five parts of this series, we hope you found some helpful tips along the way! And if you need a recap, you can check out past week’s tips below:
4. A.B.T.
As always we love when you inspire our upcoming education posts, so reach out to us on social media or through a comment below if there’s a topic you’d like to see up next! Happy shooting friends!
Love + Laughs,
Sarah & Ben
