If I had a pound for every time someone said, “I just don’t know what to do in front of the camera,” I’d probably be typing this from a quiet Dutch island—surrounded by long sandy beaches, wind in my hair, sipping something warm while watching the tide roll in.
The truth is, being photographed can feel weird. We’ve all been on the receiving end of a stiff, awkward photo—where our face doesn’t quite look like ours and our body suddenly feels like it belongs to someone else. So if you’re already bracing yourself for that same old “stand here, turn there, smile!” routine… I get it.
But here’s the good news: I don’t really pose people.
Instead, I guide. Gently. Kindly. Naturally.
My headshots and branding photo sessions are designed to feel more like a conversation than a photoshoot. We chat, we move, sometimes we even dance. The focus isn’t on posing—it’s on helping you feel like yourself. Because that’s where the magic happens: when you relax, laugh, and forget for a moment that the camera is even there.
Here are four of my go-to ways to help people feel (and look) more like themselves in front of the lens:
Posing Tip 1: Move, move, move.
That frozen “camera face” thing? We ditch it right away.
I might have you walk slowly toward the light, turn in place, shake out your shoulders, or dance a little if the music is good. Movement isn’t just good for the body — it helps you think less about the camera, loosens up your energy, and brings a sense of you into the frame.
The in-between moments are often where the best images happen. Not the posed shot you held your breath for, but the split second after, when you dropped your shoulders and smiled at something silly. That’s the one.
A good playlist helps enormously with this. Something that makes you feel like yourself, that shifts your energy and gets you out of your head.
I’ve written about using music during your brand photoshoot, including a confidence-boosting Spotify playlist you can use to get in the right headspace before we even start.
Posing Tip 2: Talk about what you love.
Seriously. Whether it’s your dog, your business idea, your last holiday, or that one book you keep coming back to, I’ll ask you about the things that light you up.
Why? Because when you talk about something you genuinely care about, something shifts. You soften. You smile. You forget to feel self-conscious. Your eyes change. Your whole face becomes more you. That’s the moment I’m waiting for, and it’s not something that can be manufactured by telling you to “look natural.”
This is also why the conversation we have before and during the session matters so much. I’m not making small talk. I’m learning what makes you tick so I can draw it out of you when the camera is pointing your way.
For entrepreneurs especially, talking about your work is one of the most powerful things you can do in a session. The passion and belief you have in what you do is visible, and it’s exactly what your ideal clients need to see.
If you’d like to think more about why showing up visibly as an entrepreneur matters, I’ve written about that here: The Importance of Visibility for Entrepreneurs
Ready to show up with authenticity and confidence?
Posing Tip 3: ….and breathe.
Sounds obvious. Surprisingly easy to forget.
When we’re nervous, we hold our breath without realising it. And when you hold your breath, everything tightens, your jaw, your shoulders, your chest. It shows in photos more than you’d expect.
One deep breath changes everything. Inhale slowly, exhale fully, and notice what happens to your posture. Your shoulders drop. Your jaw softens. Your whole body settles. That physical shift is visible in the image, and it happens in less than five seconds.
I’ll often ask you to take a breath before I shoot, or between poses. Not because I’m trying to slow things down, but because I know what a single breath can do for a photo. Sometimes it’s the simplest things that make the biggest difference. Try it—inhale, exhale, soften.
Posing Tip 4: gentle prompts, no rigid poses
Sometimes I’ll offer a soft prompt like, “just lean in a little,” or “look toward the light,” or “rest your hand here.” But I’ll never contort you into something that doesn’t feel right, or hold you in a position until it becomes uncomfortable.
The best photos aren’t about performance. They’re about presence. My job is to create the space where that presence can come through naturally, not to direct you like a traffic warden.
If something I suggest doesn’t feel right, say so. There are no wrong answers in a session. What matters is that you feel comfortable and at ease, because that’s the only way to get images that genuinely look like you.
I also pay close attention to the small things, the angle of your chin, the position of your hands, where your weight is sitting, so you don’t have to think about any of it. You focus on feeling like yourself. I’ll handle the rest.
It’s worth thinking about what you’ll wear and what props you might bring too. Both make a bigger difference to how at ease you feel (and how the images look) than most people expect. I’ve written guides on what to wear for your professional headshots and how to find story-driven props for your portraits.
Tip 5: Choose a Location That Feels Like You
Where you’re photographed matters more than people realise, not just for how the images look, but for how you feel during the session.
If you’re photographed somewhere that genuinely makes sense for your work and your personality, you’ll relax into it. A baker in their kitchen. A coach at the cafe where they do their best thinking. A creative in the corner of their studio. When the setting fits, you stop trying to perform, because you’re already in your natural environment.
So before we even talk about posing, we talk about location. Because the right place makes everything else easier.
I’ve written a full guide to choosing the right location for your brand photos, worth reading before your session.
You Don’t Need to Know How to Pose. You Just Need to Show Up.
If you’ve been putting off booking a session because you’re worried you’ll feel awkward or “not photogenic”, I hear you. But photogenic isn’t a fixed quality some people have and others don’t. It’s a feeling. And it’s one that a good photographer helps create.
You don’t need to arrive knowing what to do with your hands or which is your good side. You just need to show up. I’ll take care of the rest. And if you’re curious about investment, my branding pricing page has full details.
