It’s truly my desire to make every single person feel confident and comfortable and to walk away from our time together, feeling like the million bucks that you are! That being said, can I also give you a little tough love? I truly believe it’s my job as the photographer to direct you in a way that makes you feel confident and comfortable.

However, there’s also some responsibility on you to engage and interact with the posing prompts. If you don’t allow yourself to just have fun, chances are that you’ll remain feeling stuck and awkward which is the total opposite of becoming comfortable OR confident.

Before we dive into the 5 strategies I want to be clear about something.

DISCLAIMER: You don’t need to look a certain way, dress a certain way or weigh a certain way in order to look beautiful or “camera-ready”. You are naturally beautiful, at all times, in your own unique way. Okay? Cool.

Now that we’ve got that covered…are you ready to dig deeper? Let’s go!

TIP #1: PRACTICE IN FRONT OF A MIRROR

Yes, you read that right. Allowing yourself to feel a little silly in your own home will actually help you to feel a little better when you’re in front of the camera. I’ve had some of my couples tell me that they practiced some of their favorite poses in the mirror to get an idea of what feels most natural to them!

TIP #2: OUTFITS ARE IMPORTANT

Believe it or not, selecting your outfits goes deeper than colors and patterns (although that’s important too!). Here is a blog post that I wrote that guides you through ideas of what to wear (and what to avoid) for your session. Most importantly, be sure you’re intentional about taking time to select your outfits and not pushing it off until the last minute. This could make a huge impact on your session!

TIP #3: BE YOURSELF

I mentioned this a little in the beginning but it bears repeating. The best sessions are the ones where clients just let loose and have fun together, not worrying about anything other than laughing and snuggling with their fiance. The more that you’re willing to open up during your session will result in a higher chance that you’ll look back through your gallery with the same excitement and energy.

Also, “be yourself” is also commonly said as, “act natural” – so what does that mean? If there is a certain way that he pulls you in for a kiss or a certain way that you wrap up in his arms, just let it happen! The best thing that you can do is to move and position yourselves that feels most comfortable and natural to your relationship!

TIP #4: TRUST ME AS YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER

This is one of the best tips that I can give for any session or wedding day. The more you trust me as your photographer – the better your experience will be! After photographing clients for over a decade, I know the tried and true methods and techniques to use for everyone I work with! It’s my very own secret-sauce solution to making sure you walk away from our time together feeling confident (even after the camera is put away), excited and more in love with your fiance then when you started the session!

My experience is to guide you from start to finish throughout the whole session: making sure you know exactly what to do, what to wear and what to expect when working with me!

TIP #5: PAMPER YOURSELF

I know this isn’t for everyone, but I think it’s totally okay to go all in and treat yourself!! If getting your hair or makeup done makes you feel confident – do it!! Manicure or pedicure? DO IT!

As I mentioned previously as a disclaimer – you don’t need to look a certain way to be beautiful. You already are – makeup or not!

Okay, so maybe makeup isn’t really your thing – and that’s okay!! You can brain storm some things that make you feel most confident, by asking yourself this question:

“I feel most confident when __________________” (Is there something you’re doing? Is it the clothing you’re wearing? Are you’re jamming out to your favorite song? Does exercise make you feel most confident?)

This will look different for everyone but I encourage you to truly dig deep to find your “key to confidence”. Once you have it – USE IT!

Are you a bride and need some photography resources? Here would be a great place to start!

Let’s put these tips into action! Book your session with me here!