Having fun is a huge part of a successful photoshoot (a ‘successful’ shoot in my mind is a shot where you walk away feeling beautiful, confident and proud of what you’ve just accomplished). The number 1 rule to having fun is feeling comfortable. When someone tells me they are shy, my goal isn’t to make then not-shy (I mean, we are who we are, right??). No, my goal is to make them comfortable and introduce fun because when you’re having fun, you take incredible images. (I know I say this all the time, like a broken record, but it’s true!).
Ms. F was incredibly shy but booked her shoot with me anyway (um, hello… that’s super courageous!). We kept in touch frequently before her photoshoot date so that she could get to know me a bit before she came in. We kept her shoot styled to reflect HER personality, that way she could be herself and therefore, feel comfortable. Her outfits here playful, sweet and downright sexy. If you have shot with me you probably know I’m obsessed with crop tops, lol.
“I cannot thank you enough!!! You’ve made me so confident in myself.
I want to be in front of the camera all the time now, wish I could model lol.”
“I couldn’t resist waiting I was so excited to show [him]….
He is very proud of me and so thankful to you because I truly came out of my shell.”
I cannot even tell you how much this message meant to me. Booking a shoot for some women is more than just getting up the guts to do it. For some women it’s a legit leap of faith. I was truly honored that she trusted me with this very personal moment in her life… she was creating an album to gift to her man, but the shoot was so much more than just a gift for him… it was a gift for herself.
It was an opportunity to prove to herself that she COULD step outside of her shell, and HAVE FUN and boost her CONFIDENCE and see how amazingly beautiful she is.
Lovely Ms. F, thank you so much for trusting me with such a special experience, you came out of your shell and absolutely rocked your photoshoot. I hope you carry your newfound confidence with you every day! And yes, I’ll be calling you next time I need a model! xo
Images by Jess McDougall, Hair and makeup by Shannon Rouvel.
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