Getting photos taken can feel super awkward, especially if you’re someone who intuitively feels really uncomfortable in front of a lens. My internal dialogue usually goes something like this: “Who am I to be making pretty in front of this camera? To be recorded forever on this day? Does my hair look ok? Ugh, it probably looks flat and dumb. Are they getting a dumb angle of my face too? Please make me look good.” But eventually I shake that off and go for my “Hell yes! Check out this sassy, fun authentic ME! I’ve only got one life and I’m living it as ‘alive’ as I can and not hiding!”
Having your portrait taken can even feel selfish, egotistical, or narcissistic. “Getting so many photos of myself. What am I going to do with all these?”
But fear not, it is not narcissism! Narcissism stems from low self-esteem, an unhealthy trait that ultimately leads to unhappiness. Confidence, on the other hand, shows high self-esteem, a positive, life-enhancing trait. So go ahead and enjoy those images of your amazing self!
Appreciating yourself also gives others permission to appreciate themselves. What a fantastic gift to give: self-love!
You deserve it. We don’t get portraits done like people did back in the day. I have gorgeous images of my family starting with my great grandmother and continuing all the way down to my mom, but my mom never had professional photos taken after high school. What did mom look like at 20, 30, 40? I wish I could see those beautiful portraits, images that will outlast me. This is legacy, not ego.
This is appreciating and loving that precious being, yourself. What do your friends and family have of you? What do you have for yourself? I like to have my own session done at least once a year. It’s such a beautiful type of self-care. And now I can look back on each year and remember where I was, who I was then, and how I’ve changed or grown as a human. It’s almost like a diary.
Self-love fills up our cups, and then we have more to give to others. It’s that simple.
From the standpoint of your business: more is better. What do you do with all these photos? Well, the more pages you have, the more social media outlets you use, the more of a public persona you have, the more images you want to have.
It’s simple: the more people see of you, the more they’ll understand you. And if you present an image (aka your ‘personal brand’) that is consistent, tells a story, and looks fantastic, the higher your know-like-trust factor, and the more prospects will want to work with you.
The more prospects want to work with you, the more business you will get, the more business, the more you’ll have to increase your prices (or delegate your duties, hire more to serve more, etc.), the more your good product, work, or service is available for the world. Therefore: more images means greater happiness and world peace! Right? Well, let’s at least go with the greater authenticity and trust factors.
Now off you go, do great deeds, to small deeds, be kind and I hope you have a shiny day.
