Hi All,
Having my photo taken is like sticking needles in my eyes – not pleasant and most of the times as emotionally painful as physical pain. Why you may ask? Well quite simply I am just afraid….yes I will admit that even when I am dressed up, had my hair done and got a heap load of make up on, I will still think I look awful on film. As I approach the big 30 I have decided that this has to stop this nonsense and learn to love (or at least like) the camera. So here is how I am going to do it…..
Get a professional in for help
There is a massive difference between a digital camera and an SLR, mainly the quality of the photos but the most important part of photography is the human behind the camera. We can all shoot a sequence of photos and gain one or two from the batch that work well. However add in a professionals trained eye, lighting skills and foresight and you will end up with a succession of beautiful images rather than one lucky one.
So the first thing I suggest doing is getting yourself a professional photographer for those moments in life that you want to capture. There are the obvious ones; weddings, engagements, the first holiday with the children or your first fashion show. There are also smaller celebrations such as getting your first makeover or the first day in your first home. By hiring a professional you know that even though you hate your photo being taken, you will end up with some good ones. If you are looking to find a photographer then I would start by going through directories, search for wedding photographers directory or similar and you will see just how many there are.
Take more selfies
(yes this is an actual selfie of me)
Selfies are the latest trend, even making it to the number one word of 2013 and into the Oxford English Dictionary…something that has made be pretty angry to be honest. Whilst the word annoys me, there are some excellent advantages to taking a lot of selfies of yourself; You can check your makeup on the train, photo bomb random people, objects or animals and most importantly you can get used to the camera being literally in your face.
Now I am not suggesting that we all pull a Miley Cyrus…please don’t try that stuff at home…but I am suggesting that we take more and more and more selfies! You don’t have to share them all, I know I don’t, but some of them should be kept for those moments that you feel really down. Plus I have started to share some of the funny ones and if you can laugh at yourself there is nothing better for your confidence.
Take a long hard look at the photos and get it over with
Finally, one of the only ways I have learnt to get on with a camera is to face the fear head on! Yes that means actually looking at photos that are taken of me…and they are not all good trust me. I am not a fashion model, nor am I photogenic, but what I have realised is that I have the evidence of times long since passed and whether I like how I look, I loved how I felt at the point the camera was clicked.
So if you are having a great night out, visiting family you haven’t seen for years or you are snuggled up on the sofa with a loved one, let the camera roll because it doesn’t matter what the picture looks like it only matters that you have the memory.
