do I have to smile for photos? do I have to smile for photos? do I have to smile for photos?
My answer to this frequently asked question:
Firstly, I hear you. I have a squiggle that appears under my nose when I smile (see attached photo.) I used to be so self-conscious about it that I never wanted to smile for photos, and when I laughed, I used to cover my mouth (I still do that from time to time, out of habit)
And then I mentioned my squiggle to a bunch of friends at a party & they were all confused “your what?!” They had no clue what I meant. Then I pointed to it, they all said “Oh right, yeah” and then we moved on (apart from one friend who still makes fun of it..you know who you are 🤣)
I’m saying this in the hope that maybe you’ll allow yourself to release this/let it go next time you’re having your photos taken. It’s hard not to judge ourselves, pick ourselves to pieces, but if you need to have photos taken, how much nicer would it be if you could just try something different & go easier on yourself?
It doesn’t mean the negative thoughts won’t come, just that you’ll choose to turn them down and not pay them any attention or let them consume all your energy.
Imagine if you could look through your pictures after your session & remember how much you embraced it; how much you laughed and let yourself go, how engaged and creative you felt; how you fully enjoyed it, and left your hang-ups at the front door.
The way our bodies/faces look is not the key. It’s not nothing, of course not. But if you want your photos to be real and authentic, you don’t need to fix any part of you for your photo session and you don’t need to hide. Yes you will brush/blow dry your hair, put on lip gloss, maybe polish your glasses and pick the parsley out of your teeth, but you also need to believe that who you are is okay & more than enough. Who you are as a person is the key.
Your character, your personality, your soul is the key. Your people love & connect with you for who you are somewhere deep under the surface. And I see that soul magic shine through in photo sessions time & time again. {Also, I’m not really going to let you get away with not smiling while we are chatting; it will just HAPPEN!} “I booked Sarah for one of her branding photos packages. She went out of her way to find the perfect location, and was very clear about anything I needed to bring with me. She then made sure I felt comfortable and we chatted away throughout the session. The photos feel very authentic, at the same time as making me feel like I look great! Not an easy feat to pull off. Thank you so much Sarah.”
Do you feel like it’s your time to shine?! Good! Now book a call with me & let’s explore together:
Happy ending. We can all go home now.