How to Look Natural in Front of the Camera (no experience necessary)

are you afraid of being in front of the camera only to think, "where do I put my hands? and what do I do with my face?" this is probably the number one worry that couples and individuals have, and I get it—I ask the same question when I’m in front of the camera. I’ll be the first to say deny that this is a weird situation! it isn’t something we do every day, live our lives in front of a big lens. 😳 but I’ll be your guide in this wacky world of being photographed, because I'm convinced of the beauty of capturing you being you, and that's the atmosphere we set together.

our brave space,
to choose to be your truest self,
to set aside the primordial urge to hide,
to let yourself breathe and be seen. 💛

the truth is that you are a beautiful reality. and there’s nothing better than the real you. but sometimes the real you doesn’t really translate on camera, right? well, welcome to my craft. I’ll walk you through just how we are going to achieve those authentic, effortless, beautiful images that feel like you.

first off, we’re going to identify the visual aspects of your story we can tell.

this is the vision aspect of your shoot, which is the most fun! talking about what you love to do together, what visually inspires you both, how you want to remember your life right now…

it could look like an adventurous hike, jumping in the water, running around with your dog… or just holding each other and eating your favourite food! whatever this looks like for you two, we will center the shoot around the actions that feel completely natural.

once we have a vision and a location, it’s my favourite part:

set the stage for you to shine.

It’s one of my biggest passions to create spaces where we can be ourselves, which is why it’s my great honour to make that space for you on our shoot day. you have full permission to be 100% you.

now it’s time to play!

you’ll be having fun doing what’s natural to you, exploring and having a great time with your love… and then I might throw in a scenario to react to (alien invasions, sometimes. other times, wilson + tom hanks lol) or we might power sing something from frozen. you never know. this is a time to play and to have fun, so anything goes.

finally, the last and most important piece of the puzzle: presence.

this is a rare moment where nothing is fighting for your attention: be intentional with this space to connect, and your presence will not only be its own reward, but your photos will breathe as you breathe and feel as you feel for years to come.

being in front of the camera isn’t natural, but you can be. let me worry about the “what if”, and you can simply be you.

love,

mar x