Value Messaging. I’m a personal brand photography and branding coach. Posting this on Linked In.

Coaches: Four Pro Tips to Authentically Shine in Your Photo Session

If you’re a coach, consultant, entrepreneur, or transformational leader you know you need compelling brand photos to presence your authority. But step in front of the camera and . . . CLUNK. You feel awkward, stiff, self-conscious, adrift. And, yeah, the images often reflect your discomfort.

Okay, first take a breath. YOU ARE NOT A GEEK. Discomfort in front of the camera is a pretty nearly universal experience. After all you’re being looked at intently and expected to be picture perfect in every detail. Of course you feel nervous and awkward!

Here are four pro tips to turn bumbling into brilliance in your photo session.

1. Embrace your goofiness.
The first step is to break the anxiety spell that’s got you stiff and self-consciousness. Afraid you’ll look goofy? Don’t try to talk yourself out of it. Instead be goofy on purpose and shoot a few frames. (Nobody will ever see them.) Own it. Now you’re in control. You’d be surprised how this will help you relax and get fully present. Carry that sense of fun into the whole session.

2. Make a connection with your eyes.
Human beings are exquisitely programed to detect the tiniest changes in others’ eyes. And making eye connection is the #1 way to communicate confidence in your photos. But too often we don’t know where to look, or we just look vaguely in the direction of the camera. The result? Deer-in-the-headlights vagueness in your photos.

You want to make eye contact with the camera lens like it’s the eye of someone you care about. Go beyond just looking toward the camera. Focus on the eye of that lens. Listen to it. When you really focus on something, you’ll feel a slight tension under your eyes. (It’s not a squint, but just a slight tension of focusing.)

3. Give yourself an emotional context for each set up.
What are you thinking and feeling when you step in front of the camera? Maybe anxiety about how the photos will come out? Maybe impatience with the process? Maybe your to-do list? Maybe nothing in particular? This “nothing in particular” will show up as a kind of blankness in your photos.

Instead provide yourself with a context, a story, that will elicit an emotion. I often coach my clients to pretend that I’m a brand new client they’re eager to work with. Take a moment to bask in that feeling. Now welcome me with your eyes.

Compelling brand images are about so much more than just this is what Shannon looks like. Rather, THIS is how Shannon shows up for her clients.

4. Reset and react.
Nobody likes frozen smiles. You know what I’m talking about. Just fake. And painful to look at. In fact, I will assert that a smile that’s held is no longer a smile. It’s a relic that’s passed its expiration date.

The remedy? I’ll start with a quote from John Wayne. When asked about his natural acting technique, Wayne responded, “I don’t act. I react.” This was his method for staying fully present in the moment. That’s what we want in the photo session! You, fully present.

Between shots, I often ask my client to change their body position a bit (like looking down), close their eyes, and “reset”. On a count of three they’ll look back up, open their eyes and react to me. The intent is to create a new, fresh moment.

A great image captures a moment, not a pose!

5. And here’s a bonus tip!
Bring along a friend who can crack you up. Your friend can help you create honest expressive moments to capture. (Be sure to make your photographer part of this conversation.)

A photo session is a weird social interaction and a blend of the real and the artificial. These tips can help you navigate this experience to create images that make you shine in an authentic way.

Own your badassity!

Are you a coach, consultant or transformational leader committed to being boldly visible in service of sharing your gifts with your right-fit clients?

Schedule a complimentary consultation today!
https://calendly.com/badassity/consultation