Tell me…what are the camera mind blocks getting in the way of you rocking it in photos?
I know, I know. Getting in front of the camera is scary! We’re all worried people will point and laugh at our one chin hair that the WORLD can see. We’re insecure of our wrinkles and eye baggies. Our eyebrows haven’t been done in a while and our grays are showing. Not to mention those pesky 10 (cough 40) lbs that just WILL NOT COME OFF.
The point here is that there are literally 1 million reasons why we don’t get in front of the camera. We live in a world that these thoughts exist: I don’t want to do x until I have accomplished y. But the problem with “y” is that it’s either unattainable in the first place OR once we do get there, there’s no celebration or acknowledgement. We just hurry on up and move to the next “y.” I think of this a lot for weight, but it can be applied anywhere. Say your goal is to lose 10 pounds. Great! Go you. You lose the 10 pounds, and now you think…”man, I could really lose 10 more pounds.” This process goes on and on until you’ve hit your last 10 pounds that are almost impossible to get off. And then you’ve just put yourself in this state of never achieving your goal but also kinda staying in your comfort zone.
The same goes for photos. I’m not going to have my photo taken until I lose some weight. Or I get this gear. Or I learn how to pose. Or I figure out how to edit them. Or I understand this dang Instagram thing.
Then your excuse prevents you from showing up…and you just slap some shit together and call it a day with minimal engagement and response from your customers.
You may *think* that since you have a business, your content should just be about the products or the services you offer. But I can GUARANTEE you that people want to know, like, and trust YOU. Sure, they want to know, like, and trust your product…but they also associate your face with your product. Why do you think huge companies like Hilton and Capital 1 hire actors and actresses to represent their brand? Because it allows their customers to associate a face with the name. And your business needs to do the same.
So how do you fix it?
2:25 First things first. You are not some rando old person taking the WORST photos in the world of you. You are capable of taking great photos. You are capable of learning new skills. You are smart. You are attractive. You have to believe ALL of these things in order for them to come true. Just because you don’t have the hard skills now does NOT mean you’re destined for failure. We got this. And I got you. 😉
3:00 Secondly. Know and accept what you look like. I know. This one is so hard. It’s like the idea that we believe we can fit into our tight pants, but we choose to wear yoga pants. It’s so easy and common to think you look one way, and then see yourself in photos only to look completely different than what you thought. My advice here is to give yourself some grace. (It helps to point out 3 things that you like about yourself.) Also know that the more you see yourself in photos, the easier it will get to see yourself in photos. Trust me on this one. So take as many photos as you can in the next week. Look at them, soak them in, have a shot of whiskey, and then decide which angles look the “best” so we can build off of them later.
6:00 Just a note: DO NOT WAIT. I start getting heated in this part because it’s so dang important to me. The time is now. I don’t know YOUR reason for not showing up in photos, but I DO know that you are worth showing up in photos. You deserve to exist in photos. I believe that every single person in the world deserves to show up in a photo as a testament to their existence. To not show up is to just completely disregard yourself, your life, your accomplishments…all the things! I beg you. Please do not wait. If you want to get your hair cut, get your hair cut. That’s an immediate change that can make a difference. But don’t wait until you’ve written a pulitzer prize novel to feel like you deserve to be photographed. It’s not fair to you, your family, or your business. Phew, end rant. Sorry about that.
7:30 Third, your audience wants to know everything about you…especially if your customer was you at one point. Is your business all about the “hero’s journey?” If it is, then your people want to know every little thing that you do so they can do it too. They want to know that whatever you’re selling is actually attainable and that you don’t have to be a crazy robot to get there. People connect to real. They connect to raw. They connect to people who are like them. So show them what y’all have in common.
Even if you sell a product, there is still room for you to show up. Your audience cares about how the product is made, the thought process behind it, the materials that go into making it. All things that only you can explain and can show them a peak into your world. The opportunities are endless; it just takes some time to think it out.
So even if your photos aren’t perfect…it’s ok. Even if you need to lose 10 pounds…it’s ok. Even if you don’t feel like your face should be plastered all over your business…it’s ok.
Do it anyways.
At the very least, you’ll find out that people don’t like that at all, and you can move on and never have to worry about it again. You have my permission.
That being said…I can guarantee that the photos that get the most likes on your pages already are photos that have you in it.
So let me ask again. What’s stopping you from getting in front of the camera?
Till next time.
xoxo,
PS: Did you know I have a youtube channel?? Check it out. We talk allllllll about photography and branding.
