Above images remixed by Pixel Photo Booth through Creative Commons License. Photo Attributions: (L) By Jens Lumm , (R) By Skyvixen
Do you flinch or immediately run the other way when you see someone with a camera? Maybe you aren’t fast enough, or there is nowhere to run to and you end up being in the line of camera fire. What do you do then? As Photographers, we’ve seen it all.
Common types of shyness that we see frequently…
The Hider: The person that hides behind anything they can find. This person can often be seen hiding behind a group of people, the nearest child they quickly snatch up or something in the room.
The Blocker: The person intent on blocking themselves from the shot, pretty similar to the hider. This person can commonly be seen turning their head to the side, putting their hair in front of their face, and holding their hands up in front of their face “in protest” and not removing them until the photo is taken.
The Aggressor: The person intent on ruining the photo so that it hopefully never sees the light of day or so that the photographer understands their irritation with having their photo taken. This person can frequently be seen doing the classic and perhaps not so classy flip-of-the-bird, the disgusted face contortion or the random exaggerated inappropriate pose often- times including a victim next to them.
Oh yes, as Photographers we know all the classic tricks of the camera shy person. (Psst, We can relate! Many Photographers are also camera shy, and tend to hide behind their trusty camera.) So maybe you’ve done one of the above or maybe you’ve done all of the above!
The most important thing we need to point out is that cameras are everywhere, and people share photos all the time. The chances of shared or tagged photos are extremely high! We’re pretty sure that if you check Facebook, Flickr or your favorite photo sharing site that you will see numerous examples of the above types of photos (maybe even photos of yourself).
We sometimes hear a lot of unhappy conversations about photos, “Why am I making that face?“, “Remove that from facebook!!!“, “Everyone else looks nice but look at that one person…Hahahaha!“, “Where were you, I wanted you in my pictures? It was important to me on my special day.”
It doesn’t have to be like that! You can work on your shyness. Check out 4 simple ways that you can begin to work on your camera shyness.
Focus on the reason behind the camera.
Photos can capture the everyday and memorable moments of people’s lives. Years later, these captured moments will be stories to reminisce over. Photos are a human connection that lives on, and it is necessary to remember that someone wants YOU to be a part of their memories. Try not to focus on the action of the photo being taken and how shy you feel at the moment but instead focus on the intention behind the camera and how others will feel about their memories later.
Know yourself, be yourself.
If you have a favorite color, you should wear it. Do you have a favorite outfit that makes you feel good? Go ahead and put it on. There is no point in adjusting your clothes all night, as it will only make you feel nervous! Beyond the outward, see yourself inwardly too. If you know that you never want to be a camera-ham, don’t even bother attempting it. Go ahead and take some pictures with your friends and family to capture those magnificent moments and then sit back and enjoy watching others pose it up!
Practice makes comfort.
Note: We did not say practice makes perfect. Throw the idea of perfection out the window and consider that practice can make you comfortable! Practice alone or with people you are closest to. Set-up a laptop camera, use a mobile phone, or utilize a photo booth. These types of set-ups allow you flexibility and less-pressure while you practice getting comfortable in front of a camera. Have fun with it!
Copy and duplicate success.
If you actively work on 1 through 3 above, you will see a photo or two that you don’t mind, or that you may even like! With continued repetition, you might even begin to view yourself differently and see that you can get more comfortable and less nervous when a camera is pointed at you. Get a copy of the picture and review it, what do you like about it? Be honest with yourself. Was it the way you smiled? Your hair? What you were wearing? The friends you were with? Or maybe it was that you weren’t hiding behind someone or aggressively making faces in the photo? Whatever it is – be willing to accept that you like it, then know that you can copy and repeat that success!
