How to Look Confident in Your Portraits | Norman and OKC Photographer

Are you worried you’ll look bad or awkward in your portraits? I’m writing this blog just for you!

You don’t have to be a model to get great pictures taken of yourself and your family. While you may be nervous about posing and how you’ll look on camera, that shouldn’t take away from having a good picture-taking experience and (eventually) your amazing final images.

In this blog, we’re going to look at some simple things you can do and remember to look and be more confident in your pictures. So, let’s get started!

What if I don’t know how to pose?

Posing may seem really intimidating before your photo session, but you shouldn’t have to worry about it! Everyone feels awkward at the beginning of their shoot. You’re not used to staring into a camera or posing a certain way, and that is perfectly normal.

Part of my job as your photographer is to guide you to pose in a way that helps you naturally look your best. After the first few minutes of your session, you will start to feel much more comfortable in front of the camera and you’ll become a posing expert in no time!

If you want to feel more confident prior to your session, something I would recommend is looking up poses online and practicing the ones you like. This is helpful because it gives you an idea of what you want for your pictures and will be useful to reference during your shoot. For families, this is especially helpful with children!

I also give posing advice in my client guides, which all of my clients receive before their session.

Insecurities

Let’s be honest: we all have some sort of insecurity when it comes to having our pictures taken. That’s okay! More often than not, we’ll notice our own insecurities rather than someone else seeing or pointing them out.

Something simple you can do to combat your personal insecurities during your portrait session is choosing your outfits intentionally. For example, if you don’t like the way your legs look, consider wearing a long dress or pants instead of something short. Another common concern is tan lines: if you have a tan line you would prefer to not be seen on-camera, I would suggest picking an outfit that covers it up. The same logic applies to other insecurities.

As your photographer, I do my best to pose and chose angles that flatter the real you, and the outfit and posing advice I give is to help you look your best. Your personality and character will shine through your pictures, so don’t compare your real life looks to your pixelated iPhone pictures.

Remember: you are not defined by your insecurities!

Where true confidence comes from

The Bible says that we are made in God’s image. God didn’t create us on accident, but on purpose.

“For it was you who created my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will praise you because I have been remarkably and wondrously made. Your works are wondrous, and I know this very well. My bones were not hidden from you
when I was made in secret, when I was formed in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in your book and planned
before a single one of them began. God, how precious your thoughts are to me;
how vast their sum is! If I counted them, they would outnumber the grains of sand;
when I wake up, I am still with you.” Psalms 139:13-18 CSB

When we place our faith and hope in God, we don’t need to place our confidence in our looks, but rather in the One who made us. Our appearance will change, but God does not. Trust Him at His Word and remember what Jesus has done for us.

“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.’” 1 Samuel 16:7 ESV

“But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 CSB

The next steps

When you feel nervous or anxious about how you’ll look during your photo session, remember that your photographer is there to help you look amazing and cheer you on! Pre-session jitters are completely normal, and I hope the advice in this blog will help you better prepare for your shoot.

If you want more encouragement and tips for your portrait session, check out the blogs linked below!

Are you ready to look amazing in your portraits? Book your photo session today!