Have you ever thought or said “I hate having my photo taken”? Have you ever been in a situation where someone asks to take a picture and you suddenly have an overwhelming feeling of dread?. You might say “Oh no, let’s not take a photo” and try to find a way out of it such as offering to take the pic.
If you HAVE to be in the photo then you either have no idea what to do with yourself and hope to dear god that it somehow looks good, try to contort yourself into the least offensive angle you can think of, or try to distract by doing something silly or looking away from the camera. Maybe you don’t want to see the picture afterwards or you ask to retake it again and again until they finally take one that you like.
I used to hate having my photo taken
I totally get it. I used to hate having my photo taken, that’s why I have very few photos of myself from my teens and early twenties. I avoided the camera at all costs and when I did take a photo, it had to be taken from a certain angle.
I used to dread the day after a night out, I was always worried of what may appear on Facebook. What if someone had taken a pic of me when I wasn’t paying attention? What if there were photos where I looked fat, ugly, or it had been taken from my bad side? I used to get myself in an absolute knot over photos.
I looked good and it’s such a shame that I didn’t realise it back then
I now look back at the occasional old photo (that does exist) and think “wow, I didn’t look bad at all. I wasn’t fat or ugly. I looked good and it’s such a shame that I didn’t realise it back then”.
I no longer fear the camera since learning how to accept and love my body. I don’t think twice when someone asks to take a photo. I don’t fear how the photo will look. Whenever I see an image of myself now I just see it for what it is, a picture. Nothing more and nothing less. I see it as neutral.
How to feel good in front of the camera
Imagine how amazing it would feel to not always run away from the camera, to have photos of yourself from throughout your life, to be able to enjoy creating memories? Imagine actually liking the picture of yourself and not searching for flaws in every image? It may feel like it’s out of reach but it isn’t.
If you want to discover how to stop fearing the camera, then feel free to book a 30-minute free call with me.
Picture Positive
If you’re in Paris, why not come to my workshop ‘Picture Positive’ on November 21st. I’ll take you through my tips and tricks on how to feel confident while having your picture taken AND the photographer Linda Steele will be there to take your photo! Yaaasss! You’ll leave the workshop feeling confident in front of the camera and with a beautiful professional photo.