The Number One Thing Women Need to Look Perfect in Front of a Camera

I’ve been photographing women in the Greater Toronto Area for a while now and I just figured out the number one thing women need to look perfect in front of the camera.

Note: I wrote this a while ago, but just pretend I just wrote it!

 I’m sitting here at the salon as my wife gets her hair and nails done…so I’ve got quite a lot of time to ponder. In looking at all the sessions I’ve done I’ve narrowed down the number one aspect that needs to happen during a photo shoot. I always knew it was needed, but never realized that it is the single most important part that makes a portrait of a woman outstanding. That thing is confidence.

 

I THOUGHT IT WAS PERSONALITY

I always tell clients that I take my time to get their personality out of them. Although that’s true, I honestly never knew what I meant by that. How was I actually able to bring out their personality and why wasn’t it always just there to begin with?

Confidence. I’ve photographed women that already have it and great pictures happen immediately; I’ve photographed women who used to have it and it just takes some time to build it back up through communication; and I’ve photographed women who didn’t have any whatsoever.

BUILDING UP TOGETHER

For the last group of women…that’s where the difficult work happens. Undoing years and years of a negative self view is actually impossible for me to do/give to any woman. I can only express and explain, as I usually do, why she is beautiful in her own way and why she should be proud and happy with her body and the way she looks. In the end though, this is only something that can be overcome through her own strength.

In essence, my “waiting game” was actually me helping women try to realize this and to be able to persevere. Lots of time I’m building a relationship with them from the moment we get to know each other – through email, phone, and in person. I’ve always found this to be important. Some are turned off by it, but I provide a unique service and that’s how I add value.

Some women think that timeless photos can be created quickly, but in fact, they need to be nurtured as much as possible. It doesn’t hurt that I really enjoy understanding someone’s background. Where her head is at, what she wants to accomplish, who she is, and why she needs something like artwork of herself at this point in her life.

WHEN YOU NEED ART

The type of photography I provide isn’t something that all women are after. There is always a deep reason for coming to me. Some want a creative outlet, some want to have artwork of themselves, some want to express feelings they can’t without the help of another, some are going through midlife crises, some want to celebrate how great they feel about themselves, and some are just intrigued to see what kind of artwork I can create with them.

So back to confidence. That’s what brings out the best in photos. When a woman is confident she is more trusting in my ability to capture her at her best. She doesn’t fiddle with inhibitions or thoughts of inadequacy. When she believes in herself I’m able to do my job to the best of my abilities.

By creating artwork with and of her, she is able to relax and take the pressure off of herself. She relies on me to carry the weight of making her look good given my creative abilities.

CONFIDENCE IS NATURAL

You may be wondering how I capture women who have little to no confidence if I can’t “cure” them, let alone in a day. The answer is that when women (and men) naturally show confidence all the time. Then it becomes a matter of me pressing the shutter at just the right moments. Consider a mother holding her newborn. Without makeup and with the sweat beading down her forehead, is she still not gorgeous?

If you’ve ever caught someone looking at you and thought they must have noticed something bad about you, they probably just saw a beautiful, natural glimpse of you. Just look at magazines and you’ll see in lifestyle type shots that women look great when they look natural – when they’re fixing their hair, looking over their shoulder, or when they’re just enjoying a good book with a morning coffee.

 

PERFECTION

Let’s address the title I’ve given this piece. I used the word perfect. You, like many others, may believe there is no such thing. When I use “perfect” I just mean that a woman will look her best.

With all my experience I can say for certain that without confidence a woman won’t look her best. This can create a vicious cycle; if she can’t look her best she may come down hard on herself and as she does that she loses confidence. I guess that’s why I love my job so much.

Other than being able to create art with women, I can help them see how beautiful they are and we can slowly, but surely, turn that loop around. She sees how beautiful she is so she is more confident and the more confident she gets the more beautiful she’s able to see herself. Much better, right?

I’m actually not sure I addressed anything in this article really. It was more to write down my thoughts in my revelation that confidence is key and that it doesn’t just apply to photos, but everyday life. It is apparent in everyone and is attainable by everyone!

If you want to see more of the beautiful lady pictured above you can find her in our Creative + Fantasy Inspiration Gallery. Let us know if you ever struggle with confidence by commenting below!

 

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Jonathan How is the photographer behind Made by Ten and calls Milton his home. He specializes in creating beautiful, creative portraits of real women. He uses photography (and this blog) to help them build confidence and love for themselves and creates artistic images for their homes and offices. You can see him driving around the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) in Ontario, Canada from portrait to fashion shoot and back again.