I was recently interviewed by Harley on her podcast, The Doulapreneur Podcast, to talk about what is brand photography and why it’s worth the investment.

One of the things that we talked about was a common insecurity that I hear about in the photography space, “It’s outside of my comfort zone, I already feel really vulnerable in front of the camera.”

This is something that’s not brand photography specific but something I talk about with my family photo clients, maternity clients, newborn clients, you name it, this comes up as a stumbling block for many individuals when it comes to getting photos taken. I loved addressing it with Harley, so I wanted to put it permanently on my blog as well.

What is brand photography and why invest in it, when it’s outside of my comfort zone and I don’t feel comfortable in front of a camera?

First I wanted to share Harley’s experience that she mentioned on the podcast. She talked about despite a lot of preparation for her own brand shoot, she felt really vulnerable during her last brand shoot a couple of weeks ago.

In her words, “I’m 8 months postpartum and am nowhere near the same shape I was before Freyja, my youngest, was born. My stomach is pudgy and rolls over my jeans. My arms and legs are bigger than I remember. My acne has never settled down and was flaring up.”

I’ve taken photos of hundreds of individuals of all shapes, genders, ages, etc., and what I’m going to tell you is that you are human and your clients are human. No one is expecting you to be flawless. You, as you are, is a part of your brand story, and sharing your authentic self is going to build more trust with your clients.

You get to choose what you focus on and realize that nobody else has been analyzing your body your entire life like you have. They likely won’t even notice the things that stand out to you, but they will notice how fun and carefree you look, how you present yourself with kindness, and the confidence you emulate.

That is someone they want to work with.

You’re a real person with a story to tell! My job as a photographer is to help business owners tell that story and feel confident telling it. That means confidence in where they are at that moment.

Now it’s not a quick fix. It’s something that I sometimes struggle with during family photos and during my own brand photography sessions. It takes a lot of positive self-talk and recognizing that it’s worth the investment.