You Don’t Have to Know What to Do

You’ve picked the location, figured out what to wear and arrived for your shoot. Then the camera comes up, and suddenly you have no idea what to do with your hands.

Pockets? By your sides? And where are you supposed to look?

You don’t need to arrive knowing any of that. Whether you’re coming on your own or with your partner, I’ll help you figure it out.

That part is my job

Having a camera pointed at you can make you overthink things you’ve never had to think about before. How you stand. Where you’re looking. Whether your smile looks weird.

Telling you to “just act natural” doesn’t really help. If it felt natural, you probably wouldn’t be asking.

I’ll give you somewhere to start. Where to stand, which way to turn, something simple to do. It might be walking a short stretch of the path, leaning against a wall or getting comfortable next to your partner while I work with the light.

You won’t be left standing there trying to guess what I want. And if something feels awkward, tell me. We can change it.

For this shoot, I don’t exist

There’s something I tell all my clients: “For this shoot, I don’t exist. I’m not here unless I tell you I am.”

What I mean is that you don’t need to keep checking with me after every movement. Once we’ve got a starting point, you’ve got room to settle into it.

If you’re on your own, take a look around, shift your weight, get comfortable. You don’t have to hold your breath and freeze until you hear the shutter. If you’re with your partner, talk to them. Finish whatever story you were telling before I interrupted.

When I need your attention or want to adjust something, I’ll tell you.

I can help with a pose, but sometimes you adjust it slightly and it works better. Or we’re talking between photos and you start laughing. I’ll probably keep shooting, so don’t feel like you’ve ruined anything.

There’s room for you

You don’t have to be loud, outgoing or constantly smiling to have good photos taken.

If you’re quieter, we can work with that. If you like moving around and trying things, there’s space for that too. The same goes for couples. You don’t have to run, spin or act out somebody else’s idea of romance.

Reference photos are welcome. They help me understand what you like. But you shouldn’t have to spend your session trying to become the person in them.

And if you’re still unsure halfway through the shoot, ask me, “Okay, what do we do now?” You’re not expected to have picked it all up in the first ten minutes.