Photoshoot Anxiety 101 | Portraits, Boudoir and More | Seattle and Beyond
Give yourself some slack, anxiety is normal….so let’s talk more.
Let’s continue the conversation surrounding mental health and art, specifically photography. There’s a variety of perspectives within this topic, but let’s just focus on two, the photographer and the client. Anxiety is fear of the unknown and what the future holds for us; from the perspective of the photographer anxiety could look like worrying about a cancellation and loss of income or about if they’ll perform well at their job based on the booked assignment, or from the perspective of the client anxiety could look like worrying about if they’ll look good in photos or if the photographer will direct them well enough to pull out their confidence.
Feeling anxious before a photoshoot is normal especially if it’s your first or a special occasion, but overall here are my top 5 favorite ways to combat anxiety and ease the pressure before your big day!
5. Asking All The Questions You Need To..
When booking a session with your photographer it’s always a good idea to write out and discuss questions surrounding your sessions, like what your goals are, the location, the kind of theme you’re going for, etc. Going over details will help build a solid foundation for communication with your photographer and setting yourselves up for success. This leads into my next tip…
4. “Hoping for the best, prepared for the worst, & unsurprised by anything in between.” - Maya Angelou
From the moment you book your photo session we always hope for the best and this hope fuels us with optimism and confidence. Especially when we prepare for what could go wrong like a wardrobe malfunction, bad weather or a crowded location. Being prepared provides a better chance of meeting our goals, so when the unexpected happens we always simply go with the flow because more often than not it turns out way better than anticipated anyway!!
3. Taking Care of Our Bodies: Good Sleep, Water & Snacks!!
The best thing to do in order to prepare for a photoshoot isn’t just all the serious stuff, but the stuff we often overlook like getting a good night’s rest, making sure we’re hydrated and bringing some snacks just incase you feel a little peckish, because depending on your session we could be hiking a trail, walking along the beach or trekking through the concrete jungle of the city and dizziness is definitely not part of the agenda. Taking care of our bodies also translates into our mental health and confidence. When we feel good physically we often feel great mentally especially when we’re excited about capturing those special photos for you and your loved ones.
2. Comfortability From Your Favorite Music to Comfy Attire
Being comfortable throughout your photoshoot is such a great way to have a little piece of home with you. Our clothes are with us during the day and come back to our homes to pitch a tent in a laundry basket, washing machine or our closets, so bringing some of your favorite clothing pieces that are comfy and make you feel happy is going to help fuel that confidence and make you shine that much more!! Setting up your go-to playlist is a great way to get the mood just right, and feel that groove!!
1. Breathe, Just Breathe…(as Anna Nalick would say, unless you’re a Michelle Branch fan lol)
Breathing, it sounds so simple, we all breathe to live right? Well, the breath work I’m talking about is much more active breathing, conscious breathing, and breathing with intention throughout your body from your tummy all the way through your chest. Deep focused breath work is key to navigating through some potentially anxious and vulnerable moments. These moments are much more common through my boudoir work because in boudoir photography we take off the extra layers physically and mentally, we become much more vulnerable and sometimes it gets a little misty-eyed AND THAT’S OKAY!! Getting in touch with our vulnerability is a huge part of the work I do as a portrait and boudoir photographer. I am here to help you every step of the way!
Even though I only shared a handful of tips to navigate anxiety during a photoshoot there are plenty of other ways to take the edge off and find your inner peace before and during a session. Despite doing check-ins with my clients throughout our session, please feel free to communicate with me if you need to take a moment for yourself.
Also, don’t forget I can’t be your therapist the day of your shoot (Even though I am an ACTUAL licensed thearpist) but I can help by utilizing my knowledge of anxiety and self esteem work through feminist approaches to self esteem and so much more!
Photography is such a beautiful experience, and from my own personal venture it gets better each and every second, so let’s have some fun, book your session with me today and see where the universe takes us!!
