Tag Archives: getting in front of a camera

Three images of a lady with different smiling expressions

How will you be left feeling?

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How will you be left feeling?

How we are are feeling is very important in our lives.
It’s very powerful, but also very invisible.
It’s just that … a feeling, but something VERY influential to us.

People will always remember how you left them feeling.

What’s that got to do with photography? A huge amount actually… lets look at why.

So why is how we feel, connected to photography?

For whatever reason someone might not enjoy getting in front of a camera or indeed refuse to do so, it will be connected with a feeling of some sort.

When there is a dislike of getting in front of a camera, it will be a feeling from a negative association. This could go back to any period of time. 

You might want to dip back into a blog I wrote some time ago on positive and negative associations – https://www.blog.pennymorgan.co.uk/2025/03/15/positive-and-negative-associations-being-photographed/ 

  • It could be something mild.
  • It could be something really challenging.
  • It could be about any part of you, your personality and your physical appearance.
  • There can be a variety of complex reasons, but there is a positive side! 

Because the flip side of that can be just as powerful and impactful with positive associations:

These may be harder to remember, because we have a habit of focusing on the negatives. But those happy positive occasions will be there.

What we see and feel about ourselves is very connected to what we see in photographs. It will be part of the many reasons we do and don’t like getting in front of a camera.

For many years, holistic therapists have been listening to their clients and treating them for different ailments. These will be strongly and directly associated with how that person is feeling about themselves, their ailments, their relationships and place in life.

Therefore a further connection with how we feel and our wellbeing (another connection with recent blogs!).

I simply do this via photography.

It’s one of my highest priorities in a photoshoot that people leave feeling pretty good about themselves and that they’ve even enjoyed the experience … especially when they thought they wouldn’t. It happens frequently.

Love Your Image sessions, help someone identify those negative associations. We then work to change those perceptions, which is entirely achievable. https://www.pennymorgan.co.uk/gallery-collection/Love-Your-Image/C0000LT3su8s1leA

So if there is one thing you can do today (and everyday) for yourselves and towards those you talk to, is speak kindly of yourself and of others, feel kindly towards yourself and others and make today contain more happy associations.

It’s important to feel good about what we see in ourselves … even in the tough times … and it will help you find that confidence in front of a camera. 

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picture of a dslr camera and a phone camera

Photographer responsibility … part 2

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I could probably write a book on all the tales I’ve heard relating to people in front of cameras. But always particularly recall this one…

Many years ago, a lady came to me for business headshots. She explained she had asked her adult daughter to take some photos of her, but it hadn’t worked out and relayed how that event panned out. Her daughter got her to stand in front of her and took a step back, held the camera up, snapped, looked at the camera and said it wasn’t very good and would try again. Again she held the camera up, snapped, looked at the camera and explained “well you had your eyes shut that time”! This continued for a while, but without apparent success in the daughters eyes. Eventually, daughter announces, “Mum you’re just not photogenic”!! Ouch…

They may have had a giggle with it along the way and nobody fell out.

But the comment went deep and caused mum to doubt how she looked.

Now here’s the thing – if the daughter had gone outside and taken a landscape image and decided it wasn’t as good as she’d hoped – she wouldn’t turn to the landscape and say “you’re just not photogenic”. So why would you say it to a person? Can you see where I’m heading with this? The word ‘photogenic’ gets taken out of context from its true dictionary meaning in a big way.

Do you know how to get the best out of someone.

Do you know what would be the most flattering angle, height and lighting to produce an image they will like of themselves? Are you happy if the person you are capturing takes a look and doesn’t like what they see and thinks it’s all their fault? Would you stand up and take responsibility?

Well here are a few things to know and consider –

It’s very difficult to know how to be or how you are appearing in front of a camera without any helpful guidance. You won’t have any idea of the height or angle someone has their camera pointing towards you, so how can you know what the result will be? Yes others see us often quite differently to how we view ourselves, but that doesn’t relinquish our responsibility to how we capture others.

Cameras give us fabulous technology, so we can all be photographers now. But it’s what we do with it that makes a difference… a difference that could so easily affect others, both positively and negatively.

Perhaps you might stop and think next time you want to take photographs of people, or, get in touch and I can give you some help 🙂

Did you read ‘Photographer Responsibility’ Part 1?

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