Lots of photographers post about what you should and shouldn’t do to get ready but I’ll take a different approach from the standard stuff you see. Clothing and makeup are one thing but your mood and attitude will show more than anything. We humans have the ability to understand micro expressions without even realizing it. A smile is very telling and we all know a fake one when we see it. Below I’m going to dig into your brain and help you get it straight before coming to a photo shoot. This is a ‘must read’ so you don’t totally blow the whole experience for yourself and waste your money on a photo shoot.
• Do you tell yourself you HATE your pictures being taken?
If you say this to yourself before, during and after every photo shoot, you’re basically like 80% of the population. That is the number one most said thing out of a persons mouth right as soon as they show and see me. Trust me, I heard this a MILLION times. So I know a thing or two to prep you for this feeling. Want to know where this comes from? I bet I’ll offer a perspective you hadn’t thought of.
• Most of the time the FEAR of pictures stem from not from what you think about yourself when you see the pictures but what you think others will judge about you when they see them.
You think that if you say to yourself, “my nose is ugly” and then think that someone else will think that, then your fears will be confirmed and because you think others think your nose is ugly, then it must be true. I know crazy, right? So wrap your head around that! What do you do to get over it? The number one mindset issue is EXPECTATIONS. “Expectations are premeditated resentments,” Dr. Wayne Dyer and maybe some other dude who said it before him. These are the words I live by when I feel angry or fearful. Instead of looking outward for someone to fix my problems and getting angry at the world, I look inward and ask myself, “what were you expecting?” If I said, I expect to see Pamela Anderson or Jessica Rabbit in my pictures looking back at me, then of course I would be let down. I don’t look like either one of them! So expect NOTHING! It’s pure bliss if you can truly expect nothing. However, if you’re new to this whole zen-buddha idea of living, then expect the worst! That’s easier, right? Then when you get your pictures back, you’re pleasantly surprised that you didn’t suck in all of them.
• Is it true or false that 90% of everyone’s photos don’t turn out?
Well by my guestimation, it is in fact, true. Everyone on the planet takes crappy photos. It’s that 10% that turn out alright that you can live with that we are after. Then we hook you up and give you the full service editing treatment to take care of those last little bits of insecurity. So don’t get caught up on the ugly ones. It happens to EVERYONE! Learn to laugh at those. You can practice by making super ugly faces and showing them to friends. It’s better to laugh at yourself rather than take yourself too seriously.
Here at Purple Moss Photography in Salt Lake City, Utah we take a different approach when you come to see us. You’ll be not only guided with your style and makeup (if you opt for that) but also your mindset. Mostly we’ll talk your ear off or have you talk our ear off to keep your mind busy and enjoying your experience. Most people leave saying “It didn’t even feel like I was getting my picture taken.” We have definitely figured out how to make this fun!