Since I was in Junior High School, I have always been the one taking the pictures. I have hardly any pictures of myself from those years up until senior year of High School. Mainly because I was never comfortable being in front of the camera, sure I made video blogs or vlogs on and off during that time frame but not photos. And I’m still a little camera shy, which is why I did the 100 Days of Makeup on Instagram to force myself to get used to taking photos of myself. And to just overall gain some confidence in myself as it all roots down to there. I don’t feel confident with my appearance so I never took pictures of myself. Or let anyone take pictures of me. So how do you go from being extremely camera shy to openly wanting to take selfies? This was the mission I set upon myself several months ago. And here’s what I’ve learned.
Why Are You Nervous or Shy About Your Photo Being Taken?
The first step to becoming less camera shy is determining why you don’t want your photo taken in the first place. Is it because you don’t like the way you look overall? Is there a certain feature you would like to hide? Does the idea of putting an image of yourself out into the world cause you stress or anxiety? For me, I don’t like my teeth. I never have and maybe it’s from years of my mom being a photographer and commenting over and over about how I smiled. That it’s consciously the first thing I think of when I take photos, hence why I rarely smile in photos. And it’s even worst now that my teeth aren’t brilliantly white compared to everyone else on Instagram. Same with my weight. But these are two things I can fix. I could work out if I was truly unhappy with my weight and get in shape. And I could go in to have my teeth cleaned/whitened… if I weren’t terrified of all the cavities and work they have to do that I can’t afford.
Try Relaxing Before You Have Your Photo Taken
I have to force myself to laugh in order for me to be “ok” with my smile on camera. So taking a funny photo or having a friend crack a joke before the picture really helps me get over my anxiety over how the final product will look. Because I honestly do want a photo I can look back on that has me in it, rather than a photo that I just took of all of my friends I was with.
Self-Affirmation
Positive self-affirmations can be helpful for building up your self-esteem, so they might also help you to feel more confident about how you look in pictures. Try giving yourself a compliment or reflecting on how happy you felt when the picture was taken. Overall, just don’t look for the negative in the photo or you’ll just re-enforce how much you don’t like your photo being taken. But also don’t spend a million minutes looking at the photos, try to just limit it to a few seconds.
Make Yourself Comfortable
Everyone has their signature style of taking a picture, so don’t try to emulate someone else’s as you won’t be comfortable. Just be yourself from the way you dress to the environments you take photos. Start out with taking pictures at home so you get comfortable with the idea of having your photo taken before going into a public setting. That way you’ve built up some confidence.
Practice Posing
It may seem super uncomfortable or dumb, but posing in front of a mirror can help you determine what works best for you. From lighting to angles. And just have fun with it, turn on music and pretend you’re one of your favorite idols posing over a picture. Over time you’ll figure out something that you love and will repeat it in like every photos. For instance, most celebrities look identical from picture to picture because they know it works. It’s the pose they feel the best in and they keep doing it. You just have to find your groove.
What are your tips to becoming less camera shy?
