Have you ever had a friend snap a photo of you, at say the beach or some other location where you've finally let down your guard and decided to forgo what you look like in order to have some serious fun, only to have the image posted across social media for the world to see? I have and it felt awful.
I remember the image made me feel hideous and I was embarrassed and wondered did I always look like this? I also remember feeling betrayed because as a photographer I try very hard to only show flattering images of any human subjects on the other side of my lens, even when I am not on the job. Both as a professional and as a friend I only want to post images of people that make them feel good about themselves. I know bad images hurt our self esteem. I wondered how many others saw this image and I felt humiliated. So call me vain if you like, (truthfully most women and many men would feel the same as me) but I felt unattractive, fat, humiliated, annoyed, and the list goes on. None of these adjectives are positive and they were all attached to one little old image of me. Why did this image have such a negative impact on me?
As human beings we think in pictures. If I was to say to you picture a red car, you wouldn't see the spelling of the word you would visualize a red car. When asked to visualize yourself you might get a visual of what you looked like in the mirror before you left for the day or... you might see an image someone else took when you were not at your best. Let's get real candid photos often suck and I'm going to explain why.
Usually an image snapped in the moment is meant to preserve a memory, a feeling or keep a record of special event. The person snapping the image is not usually thinking about how others look they are merely attempting to create a keepsake. In the case of posting on social media there could be any number of reasons for snapping the image. No matter the reason the variables to creating a bad image are as expansive as the variables for creating a good image. Harsh lighting, the angle of the light, lack of light, awkward body positions, facial expressions, camera angles, clothing choices, hair, makeup and the beat goes on. Take any one of the variables or combine them and voila you have a recipe for a less than desirable image. I am by no means advocating that we stop taking candid pictures of friends and family, what I am suggesting is that you are also kind to yourself and allow a professional take an image of you at your best.
When I set up a glamour, boudoir,beauty photography shoot I either set up lights or look for flattering natural light. I give a generous amount of time for wardrobe changes and I pose my subject to accentuate the positive and where possible hide whatever my client views as negative.
I firmly believe th
