How to Feel and Look Confident for the Camera

Most people are not comfortable in front of a camera.

That is not unusual. In fact, it is probably one of the most common things I hear before a portrait session. People tell me they are awkward, they never know what to do with their hands, they don't like their smile, or they just don't like having their picture taken. I feel the same awkward way when the camera gets turned on me.

The interesting thing is that most of us are not actually bad at having their picture taken. They are simply uncomfortable.

There is a difference.

When you are uncomfortable, you become very aware of yourself. You start thinking about what your face is doing, whether you are standing correctly, where your hands are supposed to go and whether the camera is catching you at your worst possible moment.

That kind of self-consciousness shows up in a photograph.

So one of the first things I do during a portrait session is get you to stop thinking about the photograph.

I Start With Posing

This may seem strange because the goal is to create photographs that look natural, but posing is actually one of the best ways to get there.

I don't expect you to walk in and immediately know what to do. Most people don't. Instead, we start with some simple posing and movement to get you warmed up.

I'll have you change your stance, move your shoulders, shift your weight, turn your body, move your hands and try different positions. Some of those poses may become part of the final photographs, but that isn't really the point.

The point is to give your brain something to concentrate on.

When you know what your body is supposed to be doing, you don't have to spend all your mental energy wondering what you should be doing. After a few minutes, the movements start becoming easier and you begin to relax.

That is when posing starts to become less noticeable.

The goal isn't to make you look posed. The goal is to use posing to get you comfortable enough that I can photograph you naturally.

Your Body Can Influence How You Feel

How you hold your body affects how you move through an environment, how you interact with other people and how you perceive yourself. And when I am photographing you, those physical differences are very real.

Someone who is standing comfortably with their shoulders open and their weight balanced looks different from someone who is pulling their shoulders forward and trying to disappear.

The camera can see the difference.

What I do is create an environment where you feel more comfortable, more engaged and less self-conscious.

And that is much more useful for a portrait session.

Confidence Doesn't Have to Look Tough

I think this is where people sometimes get the wrong idea about confidence.

You don't have to look intimidating.

You don't have to cross your arms and stare into the camera.

You don't have to look like you are about to negotiate a billion-dollar deal.

Confidence can be a relaxed smile. It can be the way you stand next to your spouse. It can be looking directly at the camera with a calm expression. It can be laughing with your kids.

Confidence is really about being comfortable enough to let your personality show.

That is what I am looking for.

Sometimes the Best Way to Look Natural Is to Stop Taking Yourself Seriously

This is one of my favorite parts of a session.

I like to have a little fun with people.

If everything about the session is serious, people tend to become serious. They start trying to produce the expression they think they are supposed to give me.

That usually isn't the expression I want.

So sometimes I'll have you do something ridiculous.

I'll give you an intentionally awkward pose. I'll have you make a strange face. I'll ask you to walk toward me in a way that feels completely unnatural. I'll have a husband whisper something ridiculous to his wife or ask the kids to do something they think is funny.

The purpose isn't to get the ridiculous photograph.

The purpose is to break the tension.

When you laugh at yourself, you stop worrying about whether you look good.

Your shoulders relax. Your face changes. Your eyes change. You breathe differently.

And then I have something real to photograph.

That moment immediately after the laugh can be far more valuable than the perfectly posed smile we were trying to create in the first place.

The Photograph Often Happens Between the Poses

This is something you probably won't notice during a session, but I am watching for it constantly.

I'll put you into a pose, make an adjustment and then watch what happens when you relax.

Maybe you look at your spouse.

Maybe your daughter says something funny.

Maybe you laugh because you realize how ridiculous the pose felt.

Maybe you take a breath and your whole body settles.

Those little transitions are often where the most authentic expressions happen.

A good portrait isn't necessarily the moment when everything is perfectly arranged.

Sometimes it is the moment right after everything was arranged.

That is why I don't simply put you in a position, take one photograph and move on. I am watching what happens around the photograph.

You Don't Need to Know What to Do With Your Hands

This is probably one of the biggest concerns people have.

"What do I do with my hands?"

You don't have to know.

That's my job.

I'll give you direction when you need it. I'll adjust your position when something isn't working. I'll move you through different poses so you don't get stuck holding the same position for too long.

Eventually, you won't be thinking about your hands anymore.

You'll be thinking about your family.

Or your spouse.

Or the conversation we're having.

Or the fact that I just made you do something ridiculous.

That is exactly where I want you.

Looking Confident Starts With Feeling Comfortable

There is no secret facial expression that suddenly makes someone look confident.

You can learn every posing trick in the world, but if you are uncomfortable, that discomfort is still going to show up in the photograph.

The answer is not to become better at pretending.

It is to become more comfortable being photographed.

That takes a little direction, a little movement and a little time.

It also takes a photographer who understands that not everyone walks in knowing how to pose.

You shouldn't have to.

I'll help you warm up. We'll work through some poses. We'll move around. We'll have some fun. I'll give you direction when you need it and get out of the way when you don't.

Eventually, you'll stop thinking about the camera.

And that's when I start getting the photographs I really want.

Not photographs of you trying to look confident.

Photographs of you actually feeling comfortable enough to be yourself.

That is what confidence looks like in a photograph.