“I want to do a boudoir shoot, but I am not photogenic. Actually, I hate having my pictures taken!”
We hear this sentence so often when we meet our clients for the first time (maybe you are one of those many people who really dislike being in front of a camera, comment if it is your case!). Honestly, we cannot blame you. Just like you, both Juliette and I felt awkward being photographed until we started studying photography and started posing as models back in 2009. But then, we discover the truth… drum rolls… everyone is photogenic!
Yes, even you 🤗
Why do a lot of people dislike having their photos taken?
LACK OF BODY LOVE
Many people don’t like their body and feel uncomfortable in their skin, and there is nothing surprising here! For centuries, we have been conditioned to believe being beautiful means looking young, and being thin while having specific attributes 😤.
Because of this, many people feel repelled by their own image, since their body doesn’t look like what they have seen in the media. And instead of realizing those beauty standards are just wrong, they believe that the problem comes from them and the way they look. It is hard to feel comfortable having your pictures taken when you see your body as your enemy.
ASSUMPTION
In people’s mind, posing means looking unnatural. Simply because when someone is photographing you, there is this assumption that you have to have a big smile on your face, look happy, and have a rigid posture. And for most people this assumption is a big obstacle, like being told once again to pretend.
Of course, it is always nice to look approachable and confident in photography (especially for traditional headshots), but there are so many different ways of showing this aspect of yourself that don’t have to feel forced.
When you do a boudoir shoot, smiling on your photos is not the goal of your session anyway. It depends on the vibe you want to have and it something that comes naturally during the shoot.
PAST DISAPPOINTMENT
Something that is quite common, is feeling unphotogenic because of having bad photos of yourself taken in the past. Either they were taken by professional photographers, amateurs, loved ones, or badly done for whatever other reasons, we all have photos of ourselves we hate.
Disappointments happen and that can really tarnish an experience, which makes it hard to trust a photographer again.
CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCE
Either it is for school or family photos, children are often forced to have their pictures taken. Most of us remember that awful feeling of being a kid and having to stay still while being told repeatedly to smile, so our family could have nice pictures. Let’s face it, when we are young we don’t care about photography, we would rather go play. So when we are being forced to do it (or guilted into doing it), it creates a negative experience which can be traumatic for some people!
RELIGIOUS BELIEFS & SUPERSTITIONS
Last but not least, many cultures around the globe believe that a camera can steal a person’s soul when you photograph them. It is said that our reflections are an outward projection of our souls staring back at us, so since a photograph can lock a fleeting instant in time, people believe it can also encapsulate the subject’s spirit within the camera itself.
It actually happened to me once, Fanny, when I was shooting at a wedding. I was about to take a photo of a guest and that person asked me not to because she didn’t want me to take her soul away.
Even if intimidating, boudoir photography is your best ally.
Many people are intrigued by the world of boudoir, or they want so badly to do a shoot, but the idea of being half naked in front of a stranger is too nerve-wracking for them to take that next step! And we understand the struggle!
Maybe you are someone who is not confident with their body and who doesn’t like being in front of the camera, so having your photos taken that reveal more skin than with a regular photo shoot makes you think that your boudoir experience will be a disaster. Maybe you have all of those little voices in your head that are telling you that you will feel awkward because you don’t know how to pose, that you will hate seeing your body in the nude, and that you will find yourself ugly.
Those combined doubts you have about your body, and photography in general, are based on your past experiences, external judgments, and fears. All that negativity has impacted the way you see yourself, making you feel like you can’t have beautiful pictures of yourself because you are not good enough. Boudoir photography is the best tool to help you see your body in a new light and regain that forgotten confidence!
When you do a boudoir shoot, you do it for you! It gives you the opportunity to wear outfits that make you feel like your most sensual-and-confident-self, and it allows you to “play” with your different personalities because it is your time to shine and no one is here to drag you down. You leave the session feeling unstoppable because you just did something that was maybe a bit scary, but you did it anyway and end up with badass photographs of yourself you will keep forever!
Is everybody really photogenic?
Absolutely! Being photogenic does not mean smiling awkwardly in front of a lens. It is about being yourself and seeing the camera as a friend who will show you how magnificent you look 💛.
So get that though out of your head and book that boudoir shoot you deserve!