“I’m not photogenic.” “I never know what to do with my hands.” “I always look stiff in pictures.” I hear some version of this before almost every portrait session, usually within the first two minutes.
Here is the good news for anyone booking a portrait session in Baltimore, Washington, DC or Northern Virginia: knowing how to pose is my job, not yours.
Most people feel this way
Very few people walk in feeling like a model. Most of the people I photograph have not had a professional portrait made in years, and some never have. Feeling unsure in front of a camera does not mean you photograph badly. It means nobody has guided you yet.
We talk before I pick up the camera
I do not start by telling you where to stand. I start by getting to know you. We talk about what the photographs are for, what you like about yourself, and what you have never liked in pictures of you. That conversation tells me how to light you, which side to favor, and what kind of expression will feel like you.
It also does something simpler. By the time the camera comes up, you are talking to a person, not performing for a lens.
I guide you the whole way
During the session I give you small, clear directions, one at a time. You never have to guess what to do next.
I show you what I am seeing as we go. When you can see a frame that works, you relax, and the next ones get better. If something feels awkward, tell me. Awkward usually shows, and there is always another way to get the shot.
The best frames happen between the poses
A pose is only a starting point. The photographs people end up loving are usually the ones made a second later: the laugh after I say something ridiculous, the breath out when you stop trying, the look you give when you forget the camera is there. My job is to set you up well and then be ready for that moment.
What you can do before your session
You do not need to practice in a mirror. A few simple things help more. Tap each one as you get it done.
Wear something you feel good in, and that fits you today.
Bring a second look if your collection includes one.
Get a normal night of sleep and eat before you come.
Tell me about anything you are self-conscious about. I can work with it.
Give yourself time to arrive without rushing.
Choose the session that fits
Portrait collections begin at $500 for up to 60 minutes and 15 retouched images. Signature is $750 for up to 90 minutes and 30 retouched images, and Storyteller is $1,100 for up to two hours and 45 retouched images. You can see everything that is included on the portrait collections page.
Ready when you are
If the only thing keeping you from booking is not knowing how to pose, you can let that go. Show up as yourself and I will take it from there.
