I (almost) wept on a photoshoot…
Yes it was hot, my dress was stuck to, well, everywhere… and the laptop on my back was slowly breaking it. But that wasn’t the reason.
Nothing had gone wrong, a client hadn’t not turned up - no one had been awful.
In fact, it was quite the opposite.
A fantastically dressed woman (think effortless Parisian) approached me and introduced herself. She was my next micro photoshoot client and I was very excited to hear her story. Within 30 seconds I had been given the list of things she hated about herself and how her confidence following a prior headshot session had been ripped to pieces.
In her hand she held a takeaway ice coffee, and she gripped onto it almost for dear life at the thought of getting back in front of my lens.
So I put my camera down.
We walked and talked, taking in the delightful sunshine and I listened. We sat down in a secluded little spot surrounded by nature and talked and laughed some more. Then the camera popped back up to my face and up went her shoulders towards her ears like a metallic suit of armour or a cat ready to pounce.
Finally we took one deep breath together and we leapt into the creative space with camera and ice coffee becoming our tools to create beautiful imagery.
Gradually with each click, the ice-coffee was discarded and there was a visible shift in energy. Leaning away became leaning in, shy giggles became belly laughs, initial discomfort became curiosity and fun.
Then I showed my client the back of the camera. I didn’t breathe as I flipped the screen around to show her, and her reaction changed everything for me.
The picture that changed everything
With tears on the horizon she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the screen. “You must be some sort of magician or something” she said.
And from that moment, our shoot had a whole different energy. Nerves faded away, creativity was tapped into and pure joy was had.
For my client, she was rid of a fear of the camera and had a genuinely positive experience (naturally helped with the celebratory fizz we headed for afterwards!)
For me, it changed my life. I was left with an intense fire in my belly. I need to make women feel seen AND heard through photography. Photoshoots are no longer just a way to get visible. They are so much more than that. To feel powerful, creative, beautiful and seen from the inside is a hugely life affirming thing and I truly believe that every woman deserves to be seen, to be heard and to have her photograph taken.
Are you interested in being seen and captured by my lens? Drop me a DM an email or contact me via my contact form. I’m always ready to see you and hear you.
