Someone points a camera at you and suddenly everything you normally do without thinking becomes strangely complicated.
Where do your hands go? Should you smile? Are you standing normally? Were your shoulders always like that? And why does being told to “just act natural” make acting natural feel almost impossible?
If this sounds familiar, you're certainly not alone.
Looking natural in photos isn't about being naturally photogenic or knowing exactly how to pose. More often, it's about becoming comfortable enough to stop concentrating on the fact that you're being photographed.
Whether you need a new LinkedIn headshot, better photographs for a dating profile or a library of images for social media, a few simple changes can make a significant difference.
Usually, because you're trying very hard not to.
Think about how differently you behave when somebody takes a photograph.
You're having a normal conversation one second. Then a camera appears and suddenly you're thinking about your face, posture, hands, stomach, smile and approximately 14 other things you weren't remotely concerned about five seconds earlier.
That's when people tend to freeze.
Your shoulders stiffen. Your smile becomes something you're consciously holding. Your arms suddenly feel like they've been attached incorrectly.
The problem isn't necessarily how you look. It's that you're trying to control too many things at once.
A more natural photograph usually happens when you're relaxed enough to stop micromanaging every part of your body.
To look more natural in photos, avoid trying to hold the perfect pose. Relax your shoulders, keep moving between shots, give your hands something comfortable to do and focus on something other than the camera. Simple direction, flattering light and taking plenty of photographs can also help capture genuine expressions rather than a forced pose or smile.
That doesn't mean you should receive no direction at all.
In fact, good direction often removes things for you to worry about.
Rather than somebody simply telling you to “look natural”, it can be much easier to have one small thing to do and allow everything else to happen around it.
Ah, yes. The hands.
Perfectly useful things for almost every other part of your life. Then somebody takes a photograph and suddenly you're wondering whether you've ever successfully used them before.
The trick is not to invent an elaborate hand pose.
Give them something normal to do.
Depending on the photograph, you could:
The important word is loosely.
If you're clenching your hands or forcing them into position, that tension can travel through your arms and shoulders and make the whole photograph feel less relaxed.
If you're working with a professional photographer, this is also exactly the sort of direction they should be able to give you. You shouldn't spend the entire session wondering what you're supposed to do next.
You don't need to smile in every photograph.
Trying to produce your biggest smile on command can sometimes make a photograph look less natural rather than more.
Think about your normal expressions.
You don't walk around permanently displaying your maximum available smile. Sometimes you're grinning. Sometimes there's just a hint of a smile. Sometimes you're listening or concentrating. Sometimes your expression is completely neutral.
A useful collection of photographs can contain those differences too.
If you do want a natural smile, conversation can work better than simply hearing:
“Smile!”
A genuine expression tends to happen rather than being switched on.
This is one reason relaxed photo sessions can work particularly well for people who feel uncomfortable in front of a camera. Having enough time allows you to get beyond those first few awkward minutes.
For people who don't enjoy posing, movement can make an enormous difference.
Walk a few steps.
Turn towards something.
Look away and then back.
Adjust your jacket.
Change where your weight is resting.
None of this needs to become an elaborate performance.
Movement simply stops your body becoming locked into one position while your brain screams:
“I AM CURRENTLY HAVING MY PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN.”
It also gives the photographer lots of small variations to work with. Your expression changes, your posture changes and your clothes move slightly.
Sometimes the most natural frame happens immediately before or after the photograph you thought was being taken.
Start with clothes that actually feel like you.
A photo shoot generally isn't the ideal time to test an entirely new personality.
If you never wear suits, turning up in one purely because you think professional photographs require it may leave you feeling uncomfortable. Equally, dressing extremely casually for a business portrait might not make sense if that's nothing like how clients normally see you.
Think about where the photographs will be used.
For work, that could mean dressing as you would to meet an important client or attend an event in your industry.
For dating, consider what you'd genuinely wear on a good date.
For social media, several outfits might make sense if you want photographs for different situations and platforms.
Most importantly, avoid clothes that make you self-conscious.
If you're going to spend the entire session adjusting something or wondering whether it looks right, relaxing in front of the camera becomes much harder.
Absolutely.
A good photograph isn't simply one where you look attractive or relaxed. It also needs to do the job it was created for.
The photograph you'd use on LinkedIn probably shouldn't create exactly the same impression as the first photograph on your dating profile.
And neither necessarily needs to look like something you'd casually post on Instagram.
A business photograph helps somebody recognise you and can contribute to the first impression they form before you've ever spoken.
But professional doesn't have to mean stiff.
Crossed arms, an expressionless face and a plain background aren't compulsory ingredients of a credible business portrait. Depending on your industry and personality, something more relaxed may give people a much better impression of what you're actually like to work with.
For anyone updating their professional image, working with a photographer experienced in professional headshots in London can help create photographs that feel approachable while still being appropriate for LinkedIn, company websites, speaker profiles and other professional settings.
Dating photographs have a completely different job.
Nobody opens a dating app hoping to discover an outstanding corporate headshot.
Your photographs need to give somebody a quick and believable impression of what you look like and, ideally, a little sense of what meeting you might actually be like.
That usually means variety.
A strong dating profile could include a clear portrait, something more casual, a wider photograph and images taken in different surroundings.
The goal isn't to manufacture a lifestyle you don't have. It's to stop poor photographs giving potential matches the wrong impression of a perfectly interesting person.
If your existing profile is mainly selfies, old photographs and aggressively cropped group pictures, specialist dating photos in London can provide a more considered collection without every image needing to look like it came from a professional photo shoot.
Social media presents a different problem again.
One brilliant photograph isn't necessarily enough.
Founders, freelancers, consultants, creatives and people building visible personal brands can need images for LinkedIn posts, websites, newsletters, profile pictures, speaker biographies and multiple social platforms.
Using the exact same headshot everywhere gets old fairly quickly.
This is where social media photography in London can focus on creating a broader library of images rather than trying to make one photograph do 17 different jobs.
Different backgrounds. Different framing. Different expressions. Potentially different outfits.
Still you.
Just with enough variety to choose an appropriate photograph for different situations.
Lighting has an enormous influence on how a photograph looks.
Harsh light can create deep shadows and make you squint. Poorly positioned light can change how facial features appear, while some overhead indoor lighting seems to possess an almost supernatural ability to make everybody wonder whether they really look like that.
Softer, well-positioned light can produce a much more flattering result.
That doesn't necessarily mean standing directly in blazing sunshine. In fact, direct midday sun can be difficult to work with.
Sometimes moving only a short distance, turning in another direction or finding softer natural light can completely change how someone's face is lit.
You don't necessarily notice any of this happening while the photograph is being taken.
You just know that you prefer one photograph to another.
This is one of the biggest barriers many people have to getting better photographs taken.
You've seen enough bad pictures of yourself that you've reached what feels like the obvious conclusion:
“I'm just not photogenic.”
But consider the evidence you're using.
A badly timed phone photograph.
A selfie taken from six inches away.
A group photo where you happened to be speaking.
A photograph under horrible overhead lighting.
An image somebody captured while you were halfway through blinking.
None of these proves that you can't look good in photographs.
They prove photographs can be bad.
How somebody appears in a photograph is affected by lighting, camera position, lens choice, expression, timing, background, movement and dozens of small decisions.
You don't need every photograph ever taken of you to be fantastic.
You need enough photographs taken under good conditions to find the ones that genuinely feel like you.
Give it a few minutes.
Seriously.
You don't have to arrive at a photo shoot suddenly overflowing with confidence.
The beginning might feel strange. That's okay.
Walk. Talk. Let the photographer give you some simple direction. Take some photographs that probably won't become your favourites. Get used to the camera being there.
The objective doesn't need to be getting the perfect photograph with frame number one.
As the session continues, most people begin thinking less about the camera.
That's when expressions soften.
Movement becomes less deliberate.
And photographs start looking more like the person rather than somebody consciously posing for a photograph.
If you're uncomfortable in front of a camera, photographic skill is only part of what you should consider.
Look at how the photographer actually photographs people.
Do the people in their portfolio look relaxed?
Are there different expressions, settings and styles, or does everybody seem to receive essentially the same photograph?
Does their style suit what you need the images for?
It's also worth considering how the photographer describes the experience. Someone who regularly works with people rather than professional models should understand that many clients arrive feeling uncomfortable, self-conscious or unsure how to pose.
One London photographer working across several of these areas is Tommy McDevitt Photography, whose work includes professional headshots, dating profile photography and social media imagery.
Whoever you choose, the aim should be more than simply getting a technically good photograph. You need photographs that suit their intended purpose and still feel recognisably like you.
There are plenty of tricks that can make somebody look dramatically different in a photograph.
For most personal and professional photography, that shouldn't really be the goal.
Your LinkedIn connections might eventually meet you.
Your dating match hopefully will.
Your customers, followers or colleagues may see you in person, on video or at an event.
The photograph should survive that meeting.
A strong portrait can absolutely show you at your best. Good lighting, flattering angles, thoughtful framing and careful editing all matter.
But there should still be recognition.
You shouldn't need to become “more photogenic” before having your picture taken. And you don't need to learn dozens of poses before walking into a photo shoot.
You need the right environment, useful direction, good light and enough time to stop thinking about the camera.
Because perhaps the best reaction to seeing a great photograph of yourself isn't:
“Wow. I don't look anything like that.”
It's:
“Yep. That's actually me.”
