Of course getting your photo taken feels weird!
That’s normal.
Since the beginning of time cameras have made people feel weird. From people standing stoic, dead faced waiting an hour for photos to develop centuries ago… to elementary schoolers smiling so hard it looks downright painful in their yearbook picture. And now, we have “lifestyle photos”, where people are awkwardly reenacting otherwise natural things (those people in athleticwear ads aren’t actually meditating – shocker, I know). So what’s the alternative?
Living as though the camera doesn’t even exist. Focus on each other, not the lens. Enjoy what’s happening all around you and trust that the photographs will be just as true as what you’re experiencing.
Then, when it comes time for portraits… laugh when you feel silly. It'll look genuine in the photos. Fuss and joke while trying to find a comfortable position. Seriously, you’ll only remember the good feelings. And once you’re over it, just be done! Walk away and rejoin the magic of what’s happening around you.
“Becca was able to make two very awkward lovebirds comfortable for the entire session.”
—Melissa Kahn
Listen…even though I’ll make you feel super comfy in front of the camera, point a camera at me and it's an automatic peace sign (thanks, MySpace!).
Often I ask myself… How the heck did I get here?
Well, let me tell you about my dream before it became a reality.
Technically, my first portrait job was in elementary school…. with a disposable camera… and my American Girl Doll, Samantha. No offense to Samantha, but the first photography job that actually mattered to me, technically wasn’t a job at all, it was a volunteer position at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA.
I had spent years focusing my lens on flowers and obsessing over plants, so naturally I fell in love with the botanical gardens. Photography was already my greatest joy in life, but it wasn’t until the Longwood Gardens team reached out to recruit me as a (volunteer) photographer that I had the confidence to dedicate my life to it and start this business. Plants don’t pay for photos (or make funny/beautiful faces, so I began taking portrait sessions at the gardens.
And from there my passion for photography only grew…
