What If I’m Not Photogenic? How a Professional Photographer Helps You Look Your Best

“I’m not photogenic.”

Photographers hear this all the time. Usually it’s accompanied by supporting evidence: I hate having my picture taken. I never know what to do with my hands. My smile looks weird. I always look awkward.

Or my personal favorite: “You’ll have your work cut out for you.”

Excellent. No pressure.

Here’s the good news: being photogenic isn’t a personality trait or a genetic lottery you somehow lost. A good photograph is built.

You Don’t Have to Know What You’re Doing

This may come as a surprise, but I don’t expect clients to arrive at a portrait session knowing how to pose. Why would you? Unless you spend your Tuesday afternoons practicing poses in front of a mirror, and if you do, no judgment, you probably don’t know exactly what to do when someone points a camera at you.

That’s my job. Where you stand, where you look, what you do with your hands, whether your chin comes up or down, and whether you face the camera or turn away can completely change a photograph.

You don’t need to perform for the camera. You need a photographer who knows how to direct you.

Light Changes Everything

The photographs accompanying this post come from a recent editorial project created with my creative partner and image consultant, Harmony Arnold.

We deliberately worked in some challenging environments with wildly changing light. One minute there was beautiful blue illumination. Move several feet and there was practically nothing. Add neon, overhead lighting, deep shadows and Seattle after dark, and suddenly the camera and I were renegotiating the terms of our relationship, but that’s also the point.

Look at how dramatically the people in these photographs change depending on the light. A face can become softer, stronger, mysterious, glamorous, cinematic or downright dangerous simply by changing where someone stands in relation to a light source.

Nobody became more or less “photogenic” between photographs. The conditions changed. Knowing how to work with those conditions is part of what you’re paying a professional photographer to do.

You Also Don’t Have to Smile

Somewhere along the way, we learned that having our picture taken meant looking directly into the camera and smiling. It doesn’t.

I love a great smile. I also love a raised eyebrow, a quiet expression, a belly laugh, a distant stare and occasionally a look that suggests you know where the bodies are buried.

A portrait should tell us something. That’s why I spend time watching people during a session. Certain expressions, angles and gestures naturally work better than others. Once we find them, we build from there.

And if something isn’t working, we stop doing it.

Revolutionary, I know.

What If You’re Uncomfortable in Front of the Camera?

Good.

Well, perhaps good isn't quite the word. How about completely normal?

Most of the people I photograph are not professional models. They’re executives, entrepreneurs, artists, actors, musicians and people who simply want an extraordinary portrait of themselves.

You are allowed to feel awkward at first. A portrait session should give you enough time to settle in, experiment, laugh at the occasional spectacular failure and discover what works.

Harmony and I also help with wardrobe, styling and the overall visual direction before and during the session. You’re not expected to walk through the door having figured everything out yourself. That would rather defeat the purpose of hiring us.

So, Are You Photogenic?

Maybe. Maybe you simply haven’t seen the right photograph of yourself yet.

That’s a much more interesting question to me.

I’m interested in creating a photograph of you that makes you stop when you see it. One that feels interesting and powerful. One that perhaps shows you something about yourself you hadn’t noticed before.

Because the goal isn’t to prove that you’re photogenic. The goal is to make a photograph you love.

And that, we can work with.

Lucky MACK Studios creates distinctive portrait photography in Seattle for professionals, creatives and anyone ready for something beyond the ordinary. If you’re curious about what we could create together, get in touch and let’s start with a conversation.

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