Take a look at these photos and guess which photoshoot caused me the most stress.
Well actually, none of these people acted like divas but I’m sure Zoe, Storm and Lei won’t mind me using them as an example of why I suffer from photographers anxiety.
Let’s start with Zoe, who is the host of the amazing Mischief Movement Podcast, which could change your life. I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Zoe over the last couple of years, and I loved spending time with her when we met up in Cambridge where we spent the day walking, chatting and eating. Now I’m going to be honest, as much as I love talking and spending time with her, I felt nervous when we met up for our ‘relaxed’ photoshoot this year in London, but why, especially as I was excited to see Zoe again and create content for her.
Above: Zoe Greenhalf, host of The Mischief Movement Podcast.
There are times when we put too much pressure on ourselves to do well, and for me this was one of those times. As a photographer, there’s such a thing as Photographers Anxiety, and I suffer from it.
Before most shoots, I always have a niggling thought of “what if”. “What if” I’ve forgotten a bit of kit, “what if” my camera, lens or lighting breaks, “what if” the light is horrible? They are all concerns which play a part in my pre-shoot photographers anxiety, but my biggest worry is “what if” I have a bad day, and I don’t deliver to the standard I want to achieve, in other words, “what if” my images just aren’t good enough!
Above: Storm Stewart, model and presenter
As a photographer you need to know your camera and the equipment you use inside out, so if I need to change the camera settings such as shutter speed, aperture, or ISO, then you just do it as second nature, the same with the lighting you use. Now I know all these things, but “what if” still lurks in the back of my mind.
The crazy thing is that what attracted me to being a photographer in the first place is you never know what you’re going to get, which keeps you on your toes and makes your “job” interesting.
Am I faking it? Well, at times I might pretend that I have more confidence at the time than I actually do, and that’s because the person I am photographing is putting their trust in me to create a great image of them. One that captures their personality, portrays their confidence or maybe shows their vulnerability, that really depends on the brief.
Above: Anne-Lei North, Naturopathic Nutritional Therapist and owner of NutraLei
So if you are like me and worry about the “what ifs”, click the link in my bio to visit my blog to find out what you can do to ease your anxiety.
Anxiety is part and parcel of pressure, especially when we care about what we do.
Make sure you prepare as much as possible and focus on one thing at a time.
Stop overthinking everything, easier said than done, right?
Create a checklist and prepare, clean and pack your equipment ahead of time.
Get a good night’s sleep, eat a healthy diet, and exercise regularly, even if it’s going for a walk.
Don’t rush things during the shoot. Breathe, take your time and don’t panic.
Tell yourself that nerves are normal, and learn to manage those nerves.
Build a report with the person you are photographing so you can encourage each other, remember that they will probably be feeling more anxious than you being on the other side of the lens, more about that in my next post.
I’m no expert when it comes to managing anxiety, but it’s good to be open, talk about our fears, and encourage each other so that we can turn things around.
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