I had a session the other night that really got me thinking about one of my biggest passions when it comes to photography, and I thought I’d talk about it here. So last night, I met with a 16-year-old girl and her friends at the Gaylord for a photoshoot. It was a little Sweet 16 present from my client’s mom. And it was so fun, but the girls were obviously pretty insecure about the way they look in pictures. They kept asking to see the back of my camera to make sure they liked their smile and poses and everything and always wanted to make sure I was photographing their best sides. lol. And it made me think about when I was in high school.
When I was a senior in high school, I didn’t value photography the same way I do now. My mom and I actually found a groupon for a photographer in our area to take my senior photos. Pretty sure we paid her like 40 bucks. Obviously when it comes to photography, you get what you pay for, so the photos weren’t great in terms of editing, lighting etc. But worse than that, I HATED the way I looked in them. They made me feel so horrible about myself, and I didn’t buy or download a single photo. My mom and I actually decided to just redo them ourselves using my cheap little Nikon camera at the time. Lol. Those only came out slightly better.
Fast forward to about 4 years later, one month before my wedding in 2017. By this time, I valued photography a lot more, so I decided to travel all the way to Amarillo with my mom and maid of honor to get my bridal portraits taken by my wedding photographer (to see why I chose a photographer that lived 5 hours away from me, click here See #2). I had a great time working with her, and when I got the photos back, I was blown away. One, because my wedding photographer was/is amazing. And two, because I LOVED the way I looked in the photos. I had never seen myself in a professional photo with nice lighting, professional editing and flattering poses. They made me feel so beautiful.
I don’t think it makes me vain to admit I think I looked really pretty in my bridal portraits. As a photographer, I want my clients to feel the same way about their photos! I want you to see your photos and think “wow, I look awesome in these!” That’s the goal. I could take the most technically perfect image with beautiful lighting, composition and editing, but if you don’t like the way you look in the picture, I’ve failed as your photographer. Now, DISCLAIMER, lol. A photographer isn’t a magician and can’t make you magically look like a different person. I can’t fix deep-seated body-image issues or change the way you view yourself. But I can place you in flattering poses and light, help elicit natural smiles, and maybe edit out a blemish or two. That I can do. And sometimes, that’s all it takes to turn a photo from one that makes you cringe to one you make your profile picture!
So rest assured. If you’ve hired me as your photographer, I know how important it is for you to feel good about yourself in your photos. And because of that, I never deliver a photo that I don’t honestly believe my client looks their best in. I want you to love every image, so if you’re making an odd face in a picture, or the angle is bad, your bra strap is showing, your arms look awkward, or whatever, I won’t deliver the image. I’ll keep it hidden in my secret vault where it’ll never see the light of day.
Because my goal with every photo is to make my client feel good about themselves.
I may not be saving the world with photography, or making huge impacts, but I can use my talents to give people memories that make them feel amazing. I want to capture your story how it really is, and part of that is delivering photos that help you see yourself the way others see you!
