Feeling nervous about your upcoming photo session? You are not alone! As the countdown creeps closer to your engagement pictures, wedding day, or boudoir shoot, I’m constantly fielding comments of uncertainty from clients who are anxious about being in front of my camera.
“I don’t know how to take a photo.”
“My partner is camera shy.”
“We feel dumb posing for pictures together!”
The list goes on, and guess what? You’re right! Unless you’re a model, or actor, or whatever, taking professional photos is not a normal, everyday thing people do. It feels weird and awkward, because it is weird and awkward!
Instead of pretending it’s wrong to feel that way, I actually do the opposite when I work with my couples: I embrace it.
Here’s why: Right between your ‘pretend like I’m not being photographed’ face, and that extra wide, strained smile you find comfort in, lies exactly what I’m trying to capture: You! Your personality, love story, and natural self is waiting to be seen, and the only way to reveal that authenticity is to embrace the awkwardness that comes right before it.
Last month, I gifted a photo session to a couple who had to postpone their original wedding plans. They warned me in advance that getting their photos taken wasn’t their favorite thing in the world. Actually, they were dreading it.
The bride-to-be mentioned they were ‘older,’ which gets air quotes because they both look younger than me. She said they needed coaching, and that her fiancé was not excited. I believe her direct line was:
“He’s ’too cool’ for this stuff, and feels silly, so we never got to take engagement pics.”
I laughed. Challenge accepted!
We chose to shoot at Hartwood Acres around sunset, one of my favorite locations near Pittsburgh. It’s got lots of green space, beautiful gardens, and a peaceful calm about it. At the time, there was a huge field of black eyed susans blanketing the ground. It was so magical!
That evening, the mood felt very end of summer, as the flowers were a little beat. With the warm light, it looked more like mid-September instead of mid-August despite the heat in the air.
Beforehand, I recommended they wear something comfortable that they felt good in, and they both dressed up like it was a casual date night. I truly believe that wearing clothes that make you feel good can really help make your photos less weird!
After we met up at Hartwood Acres, I picked a spot we had to walk out to, so the pressure to ‘hop out of your car and start right away’ wasn’t there. I’ll often do that, or go to the farthest spot for photos first when a couple feels awkward to loosen them up.
On the walk over, we spent some extra time talking and laughing. I do 90% of the chatting to help distract them from the feeling of anxiety photos can bring on. With most of my couples, I tend to tell stupid stories, ask about their wedding plans, and sometimes show people poses on my phone for them to replicate in their own style.
When I sense the awkwardness coming on, I straight up tell them to laugh when it feels dumb, and lean into the awkwardness. That really worked for this couple. An uncomfortable laugh creates better emotion than a forced smile, and here’s another pro tip: A quick beer before the session didn’t hurt, either.
From there, I really focused on getting them to open up and have fun for photos, so I didn’t give a lot of direction style-wise. I adjusted my plans based on their outfits and how they interacted with each other!
By the end of the session, I knew I got some amazing shots. That night, I got to work in post production, and edited 50+ photos to deliver the next day–I was looking forward to their reaction.
After receiving their photos, I got the sweetest reply back:
“They look so great, I am so happy with them, and I can’t wait to show my fiance!
We felt really great about it last night, and were so glad that we made the decision to do it. You made it fun and not feel weird at all, and now we know what to expect and have more confidence.
I was worried about having a hat and those are my very favorite ones now, haha! Thanks again for this opportunity, I really can’t thank you enough for giving us something “normal” to do as a couple and to get us more excited for the wedding. “
That right there is why I love what I do. For every ten awkward shots, there is one stunning, real, and ‘omg that’s us,’ photo, and it’s worth the work to get that magic. Those in between moments are the images that will be framed in your living room. They aren’t posed and perfect, but they’re you!
Still feeling uneasy? I’ve got a few pre-session tricks up my sleeve to help!
Have a drink.
I know I said this before, but it bears repeating! A favorite cocktail or glass of bubbly is a great way to take the edge off.
Do something relaxing beforehand.
What puts your mind at ease? Maybe it’s a quick yoga class, a fresh manicure, or watching your favorite TV show. Make sure the hours before your session are spent doing something low key. You’ll arrive refreshed and ready to enjoy every moment!
Don’t rush.
Heading straight from the office to a photo session might seem like a good plan on paper, but if you had a crazy day, hit traffic, or spend the walk out to your location refreshing your email, your photos will reflect that! Give yourself time to separate your day to day, eat a comforting snack, and soak in these moments with your future spouse.
Trust me.
Trust. Me. During our pre-session phone chat or coffee date, I will ask you all of the questions to curate a session that is true to who you are as a couple. Whether that’s hopping on an airplane at sunset, or simply letting your insecurities go in a field of flowers, I got you. Embrace the awkward photo. It will be weird, but it will be fun too.
Plus, the end result will be beautiful:
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- Sam & Dan
"Not sure how to give this review because I can not really put into words how amazing Dawn is as a person and a professional photographer. If you are looking for a talented photographer who will make your experience with pictures fun and stress free, Dawn is your photographer. From the moment I found her Instagram page and fell IN LOVE with her skills I have NEVER regretted my decision to book with Dawn. Also, listen to all of her suggestions, DO the engagement shoot, DO the sunset pictures, DO EVERYTHING. She goes above and beyond to make your day as magical as you dreamed it would be. She pays attention to what really matters to her clients! I like to call her my photography unicorn because she seriously one of a kind and is VERY good at what she does. If you don't book her, you will regret it! Side note: I just got married last weekend, have only seen my preview pictures (which I got that night and the NEXT morning) and waiting for the rest. I'm writing this review now because that is just how OBSESSED with her I am."
"I like to call her my photography unicorn"
- Christine & Andrei
"Dawn is incredible!!! She is truly one of a kind – I’ve never seen a vendor go above and beyond for clients like she does! Not only is she insanely talented, but she is incredibly meticulous, extremely responsive and cares about every detail just as much as you do! Weddings can be complicated, especially when it comes to family, but her detailed questionnaire about anything and everything she needs to know put me completely at ease. And if that wasn’t enough, she has an incredible guide that helps you shape your day, answer every question you could ever think of (and ones that you didn’t even know you had or should have!) – all just to make sure your day turns out beautifully. She captured the most incredible shots, worked so fast, and was so fun to hang out with throughout the day! I could never have imagined working with someone so wonderful for our big day – she truly is the best & if you have the chance to work with her, don’t even think twice. Book her immediately!!"
"I’ve never seen a vendor go above and beyond for clients like she does! "
- Samantha & Ryan
"There are not enough positive adjectives to describe our exceptional experience with Dawn Derbyshire. From the initial consultation, engagement photos, wedding pictures, a COVID postponement in between – she made the process enjoyable and easy. She made taking pictures fun and not awkward, often cracking jokes between each shot. She took the time to know us as a couple and what was important for us on our special day. We had periodic check-ins to discuss the process for our wedding day and what to expect, one less stress we had to worry about on our wedding day. Let me just tell you the photos were all AMAZING! We cannot thank her enough for her talented work, we look forward to using her in future endeavors. We highly recommend Dawn; this is one decision you will not regret!"
"She took the time to know us as a couple"
- Paige and John
"Dawn was truly the all star of our entire wedding day. From the time we booked her (over 2 years ago) to the wedding, she was SO communicative, beyond organized, and helpful. She brings such a positive energy while still getting. it. done. She made us feel so comfortable during our engagement session, that by the time we took wedding photos, they felt seamless. Let me also mention her work is PERFECTION. I could not love our engagement and wedding photos more if I tried. I would recommend Dawn 1000x over and if you have already booked her, consider yourself the luckiest!!!"
"Dawn was truly the all star of our entire wedding day."
- Lauren & Chris
"You deserve to have a photographer as amazing as Dawn. We can't stress enough how much we love her and would recommend her a million times over. Not only is she an amazing photographer that gave us thousands of unparalleled photos between our 2 shoots, she's an incredible person and every second you spend with her will be a delight. She made us feel so at ease, made us laugh, we made each other cry for sure—and honestly, she helped make our wedding the success it was. She's professional and dedicated, took charge when we needed it, wrangled our friends and took gorgeous, quality photos of everything we asked for and everything we forgot. Seriously, if you're looking for a wedding photographer, you could not pick a better one than Dawn."
"You deserve to have a photographer as amazing as Dawn.
- Julia & Matt
"We highly recommend Dawn Derbyshire for your wedding photography. She was definitely one of our best vendor decisions for our wedding day. We cannot speak highly enough of Dawn as both a photographer and as a person. We're so grateful that we found and hired Dawn to photograph one of the most important days of our lives. She truly exudes creativity, passion, and professionalism. From our first meeting to our engagement session and our wedding day--Dawn completely understood our vision and made us feel at ease. She was able to capture the genuine, candid moments of the day, the spirit of our relationship, and all of the little moments that elicit big emotions. We will truly cherish every detail shot, every portrait, and ever candid she took of our day. Dawn's expert planning, organization, and attention to detail ensured that we never felt rushed but kept things moving so that we were able to fully enjoy our wedding. We took her advice and enjoyed a moment away from everyone for sunset photos--I'm so glad that we did. She went above and beyond to make sure we had every possible shot we wanted and more."
"We will truly cherish every detail shot, every portrait, and every candid she took of our day"
- Kaitlin & Reggie
"I'm so happy we chose Dawn for our wedding photos! She is so easy work with, organized and incredibly talented. We decided to have an intimate wedding due to COVID. Even though it was such a small wedding, Dawn made us feel so special throughout the whole process. She took the time to meet with us virtually before our wedding to get to know us as a couple and listened to what our dream vision was for our wedding photos. I don’t usually like to have my picture taken, but I never felt so comfortable in front of a camera before. Dawn’s energy and outgoing personality helped calm my nerves. Our photos turned out beautifully and we couldn’t be happier! Dawn is incredibly talented and her work speaks for itself. I definitely recommend choosing Dawn as your photographer. She is so easy to work with and your photos will turn out beautiful. Thank you for making our wedding day so special Dawn!"
"Dawn made us feel so special throughout the whole process"
- Laura & Zach
"I can't begin to come up with enough amazing words to say about Dawn.. but I will say that I knew shortly after getting engaged there was something about her photography that really stands out. From the perfect details, to the genuine feeling you get from the couple she shoots. When we had our first meeting with her she emphasized wanting to be the right fit for us. Between her details, organization, "thinks of everything" questions, her incredible work, and her positivity; we knew she was the right choice! We did our engagement session and wedding with her and can't tell you how happy we are with the pictures that we will treasure forever. Dawn might be the hardest working woman I've ever met and my guests were shocked when she delivered a preview of our magical photos in 24 hours. If you are searching for a photographer who will shine a true light on your day, Dawn is IT!"
"Dawn might be the hardest working woman I've ever met"
- Kathryn & Tony
"As other reviews have said - Dawn is the absolute BEST !!! We had an absolute dream team of vendors and Dawn was the leader of the pack. Her photos are absolutely gorgeous but take a look at her website or Instagram and you already know that. What set her apart for us was her awesome personality. I will openly admit I am very "type A" and planning a wedding made me a little crazy. I sent her about a hundred messages asking for input on suit colors, day of timing, my makeup, etc. I'm sure other vendors would not have been nearly as patient as Dawn. We received our wedding photos last week and all I can say is wow. There have been endless compliments and multiple people have told me that they look straight from a bridal magazine. I am over the moon and will treasure these for many years to come"
"We had an absolute dream team of vendors and Dawn was the leader of the pack"
- Mallory & Andy
"Dawn is so absolutely amazing! She was recommended to us by a friend, and we are SO glad we booked her! Dawn is very accommodating and understanding. We told her that my fiancé didn’t like getting his picture taken. She posed us and snapped the pics efficiently and quickly. The photographs from both our engagement session and wedding are absolutely stunning. Dawn is very quick to respond and willing to help you with anything she can. She gave me recommendations for other vendors, provided feedback, gave advice and was a listening ear when we needed to vent. We got married in September 2020. Many of our plans changed due to COVID-19. Dawn was so empathetic and helpful throughout. I got ready with just my mom and Dawn in the room. Dawn was a stand in friend and bridesmaid to me. I will never forget those special moments. We have received nothing but compliments on how beautiful our pictures are and how fantastic Dawn is. She has a super fun personality, kind heart, and exquisite photography skills. We cannot say enough about the wonderful Dawn Derbyshire!"
"Dawn was a stand in friend and bridesmaid to me"
[…] Being in front of the camera can feel weird for a lot of people. I know the feeling. But I will do my best to make you feel more comfortable. Read more about what I do to embrace the awkward. […]