Are You Camera Shy? Five Reasons Not to Be

Being involved with the Dove Camera Confidence campaign recently has helped me overcome my own camera shyness. People always thought it was strange that I was so camera shy  – I would always be the photographer to avoid actually being in pictures. Each time a group photo was to be taken I would stiffen up, freeze and manage to scrounge up the worst expression possible thinking that it would resemble something of a nonchalant smile – sound familiar?

According to the dove campaign 77% of women world-wide face the same issues I did. That’s a lot of us ladies!  My camera shy tendencies stemmed from female friends over the years commenting on how unattractive I looked in photos or how un-photogenic I was. Not many friends said this – but a couple definitely did – and it’s always those comments that stick with you for some reason – right?

I had one girlfriend take a photo of me – look at the back of the screen and make a disdainful face solely about me. I have had comments about how big my head seemed ( when in fact it was that my co-subjects head was extra small!!) and a girlfriend who constantly drew attention to how lean she looked in pictures as opposed to me. The list goes on – and it all resulted in varying degrees of camera shyness.

Here I am trying to get comfortable.

When people come to get their photos taken by me, I know what you have gone through – I understand that you may feel camera shy and I am there to help. Sessions with me are very relaxed as I have walked a mile in your shoes.

Well, now its about two miles. My camera anxieties all came to ahead when I had to be in the Dove Camera Confidence Video. Yes, actually in it (panic). Can you feel how I started to perspire? I even asked if we could have stick figures giving pointers and I would be the voice over person!

Can you see my jugular popping out?

I had to get over my camera anxiety pretty quickly. First of all I wanted to help lots of people out there like me and secondly I was excited to get such a wonderful opportunity.

Our day in studio was a long one – twelve hours to be exact. I put on my game face and went into hair and make up before the shoot started. All glammed up with various outfits tried on we were ready to hit the camera. Celes and I had various lines each but boy was I nervous sometimes. When the camera was on me and I was delivering my lines – my heart was pounding so fast I was worried that the director could see my jugular vein popping out!  After twelve hours of filming my camera anxieties had flown out the door. My body ached from sitting on the couch but my camera confidence had finally been found!

We spent a lot of time on that couch!

You can see the results of the video here:

Goofing around with my camera.

I had to photograph myself for this campaign – quite a challenge!

The whole crew who made the video happen. What a great bunch from the Dove Team to the director Julius Landau and the crew.

The final celebratory group shot!

With this post I urge you to find your own camera confidence. Five reasons to have pictures of yourself :

1. Fantastic moments will pass and you will not have a momento of it. The picture will not capture everything about a great experience but it will jog your memory so you can re-live the joy of it in years to come.
2. You are who you are and there is no one else like you. Learn to love yourself. The angles of your face, the nose you inherited from your grandmother, the cheeks you got from your father and the colour of your eyes that are your mothers. You are  the result of a fantastic genetic mix of your history and there is no one else who looks just like you. That’s pretty cool.
3.   You may think you are getting older and not want to take pictures of yourself but remember that each day everyone gets a little bit older and women grow into their looks. A face that has character and definition is one who has lived a little! Got laugh lines around your eyes – great! It shows that you have laughed and enjoyed yourself.  Mature faces are beautiful to look at.
4. Worried about your body shape and a little tummy you may have – own it! You probably delivered a few beautiful children into this world and that soft spot is where they came from. It’s just a part of who you are and it’s OK.
5. Most people in this world are looking for what is great about you. If you smile with joy and happiness your photos will be attractive and radiate energy from them because you are comfortable. It’s all about being confident.  Naysayers are usually people who are insecure themselves and they are few and far between – forget them. 98% of people out there are looking for what is great about you – show them!

   

   Here I am smiling like no one is looking for a change. Thank you Dove for helping me find my own camera confidence.

Don’t shy away from the camera any more – as time passes it is our photo collection that will mark great moments in our lives and enable you to re-live wonderful occasions. Like I have said before – I’m looking for all the many things that are beautiful about you when I shoot. By the time I am finished hopefully you will be able to see them too!