As a corporate portrait photographer, I've heard the phrase "you can't take a good picture of me" so many times that if I got a thousand every time, I'd be a millionaire. Lots of people hate being photographed and look back on the pictures taken of them with serious anxiety. Are there really so few photogenic people, or is something else causing the problem?
Embarrassed in front of the camera
Few people can move confidently and at home in front of the camera, and even fewer can look at the completed photos with satisfaction. Even among those who persuade themselves to come to us, for example, and try to have professional pictures taken of themselves, quite a few say that they are terribly embarrassed and don't like being photographed. For the same reason, many people do not come to such a photo shoot.
Most of the time, we get the answer to the question "why" that because good photos are not taken of him, he is unable to cut a normal head, somehow the result will always be unnatural. It's as if you don't even see yourself in the picture .
Let's nail it down at the beginning: this is totally okay. I mean, you're embarrassed and you hate being photographed.
Believe it or not, 5% of people tell us that they are fine with it, and 95% that they hate it. So you are not alone with your problem.
Let's look at the bottom: you are not seeing the truth in the mirror
If until now you thought that you see yourself realistically and you are aware of what you look like, we have to disillusion you: you are wrong ! Of course, you've obviously seen yourself in the mirror before, you basically know how you look, what color your hair and eyes are, what the condition and tone of your skin is like. But you see yourself in the mirror from a relatively similar angle each time.
You will learn how to look straight in the eye, perhaps turning your head a little to the side, in these positions (even involuntarily) you will develop the facial expression and stance that least shows your perceived negative external qualities. When they take pictures, you automatically try to take the same facial expressions and poses, and the result is a complete disaster.
The reason for this is that the picture is probably taken from a different angle , and it will no longer show you in the same way. We can also take photos from a side of you that you never see yourself in, which is why the sight seems very strange to you. At the same time, others know you this way on a daily basis, so the photo is completely natural for them.
A manic erasure of our faults
It is probably thanks to the various filters and the subsequent fiddling with the completed pictures that we are now practically only able to accept the picture of ourselves in which we are more beautiful than in reality . They are preferably much nicer. No birthmarks, no acne, no wrinkles, our skin is like a baby's butt. There is no pale skin or lackluster hair, no excess on the hips, no bags under our eyes.
The only problem is that these are the pictures that don't actually feature you , but an enhanced version of you. Someone who looks like you but isn't really you. You like it because you see yourself as more beautiful than you actually are, but your surroundings raise their eyebrows a little because they see you in real life and know that you don't look like that.
It is therefore better to accept mistakes than to fight against them.
A good photo is not one in which you look flawless
The photo in which all your flaws are invisible is not good, but unnatural . Of course, we don't want to say that any kind of preparation is unnecessary, random pictures are perfectly fine, because at least they are real.
You can also be portrayed to your advantage while remaining recognizable and natural in the picture. You can play with the setting, the lighting, the angle from which the picture is taken. Bags under the eyes, for example, are less visible if the light is not coming from above, you don't look fat if we don't photograph from below and from the eyes, and it's also not a sin if you turn so that that hideous circle is not visible.
But it's no longer lucky if you don't smile so you don't look wrinkled , or if you force yourself into convulsive positions to make yourself look thinner in the photo. Only a tense, sour face will look back at you, and this is why you hate these pictures so much (also): because they were forced !
Even in a smiling picture, the skin of a person who is barely 18 years old and by no means wrinkled has wrinkles. And if you're not 18 anymore, well... you probably used to smile every day, and you can't erase crow's feet with any filter, just like extra kilos. In the photos, why do you want to do this at all costs?
I would like to take this opportunity to show you some portrait photos that I took:
None of the characters in these pictures are professional models. Would you have thought? 😏
If they could do it, why can't you?
Of course, your previous bad experiences also matter a lot
Who doesn't remember those awful high school tableau photos. A grumpy old man puts us in twisted poses and says all sorts of embarrassing things to get a smile out of us. And the end result is a terrible charm grin, a snarl, which we would most like to burn in the fires of hell.
Well, yes, it's completely right if you think that a corporate photoshoot can't be any different because of these. However, just wait for the end, a photoshoot with us has a relaxed, informal atmosphere, where there are no forced jokes and bad-headed photographers. Bad experiences are therefore guaranteed to be rewritten in you!
Your photographer matters the most
Of course, if you bring your car back from the mechanic and it's still bad, it's not the car's fault. The photographer is responsible for 80% of the success of good pictures taken of us.
We show you a few pictures of what kind of pictures an amateur takes, and what kind of pictures we, professional photographers, take:
In summary: if you come to terms with yourself, you will also come to terms with the pictures taken of you more easily , and you can determine that maybe not all photos of you are horrible after all. From then on, you only have one thing to do: let go of your bad experiences so far, choose the ideal photographer for you, whom you consider professionally good/authentic ! Believe me, when you get this far, you don't even hate being photographed anymore 😊
Can we show you what you look like in a really good picture? If you are interested in it, ask us for a quote for corporate portrait photography!
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