It was my first photoshoot ever. The photographer was my mom and the plan was to visit a nearby historic property for the afternoon and do a shoot in a floral tea dress I had gotten from TopShop on Oxford Street. We packed our car full of accessories, camera equipment, and hairspray, and I spent the 45-minute car ride mentally psyching myself up to ham it up for the camera.
When we arrived at the mansion we were greeted with the sounds of tabla drums and the distinct “denka-denka” rhythm of Bollywood dance music, and what must have been fifty dancers in colourful costumes, dancing in and around white Maseratis. My immediate response was to turn around and go home, end of story. But my photogramom had a different plan. We snuck around to the back of the mansion where we found this gorgeous archway draped in lush fabrics and decorated with hundreds of flowers and beads, and started snapping away.
After a short while we started to see some of the crew walking towards us. Instead of waiting for them to tell us to leave, we casually strolled away to the lawn as if it was completely normal for us to be on their set. As we rounded the corner, we saw all fifty of the dancers come dancing and singing through that very same archway, cameras all around!
That day I learned how powerful confidence is, because if you appear confident and unashamed of being somewhere, people are much less likely to question your presence. This applies to every aspect of life, from the workplace, to events, to anything that takes you out of your comfort zone. Even if you feel like you don’t belong, telling yourself you do and coming across confidently can make a world of difference.
I will always remember that day.
dress: Topshop | heels: Stuart Weitzman | ring: Debenhams
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