Kick the Fear, Kill the Shoot

Photography by: Anna Reagan Chronister

“Oh no, I can’t shoot here!” How many times have you found the perfect shooting location to convey your style story, but when you arrived, you cringed at how large the crowds were? As a result, you ended up shooting at a less desirable spot just to get “a” shot instead of “the” shot. I get it! The fear of public anything is definitely real. On a couple of my first photo sessions, I was terrified for cars to casually pass by if I was shooting on the streets of downtown or for someone to walk past us on the sidewalk and stare. So, if you were counting on me to enter into a heavily populated restaurant or bar and pose in front of a camera, the answer was absolutely not, lol! The more important my content, visuals, and business became, the more I had to learn how to kick the fear and kill my shoot! Here’s a couple of tips on how to do the same.

Get You a Photographer Who’s About That Life!

Sometimes, we need to be pushed out of our comfort zones in order to produce great results! If you have a photographer that’s as passionate as you are about bringing your style story to life, then the magic is bound to happen! The truth of the matter is, if they’re about that life, they desire a great outcome just as much as you do so they can use your photos for marketing. They’ll encourage you to push through the fear and push throughhhh!! During this shoot, I was surrounded by people. Tons of eyes, tons of comments but tons of cool places to shoot. It was almost too packed to not get glimpses of someone else in a few of the photos. My photographer even kindly bought a couple of girls drinks so they would let me use the area that they were sitting in to get a few shots. Talk about being ABOUT that life!!

Use the Eyes as a Marketing Tool

If you look good, you’re dressed well and you have that essence about you that gathers a crowd, just accept it, bask in it and utilize it as a marketing tool. Whatever it is that you’re taking pictures for, rather it is for your blog or your business, the eyes are out so give them a show! People will inquire about who you are and what you do. This is your time to pitch yourself, pass out a few cards, gain some new followers and make some new friends. During this shoot, I had people walking up to us asking what we were doing, wanting to take pictures with me, just wanting to hold conversations and complimenting the hell out of my outfit! I gained a new follower, made some new friends and left there with people knowing who I was and what I did.

Go Into Your Zone & Remember the End Result

In life, there will always be people around that may intimidate you or possibly frighten you out of pursuing what it is that you want to do. You have to remember that your life is not about them and what they feel or think. The same applies to you shooting in front of a crowd. You can’t allow others to deter you from completing the task at hand. You have a goal to accomplish and no matter who may be around, you still need to pursue the vision for YOU! Not only do you need to remember the end result, you need to keep that thought on rotation in your mind in order to get things done!

I truly hope that these tips have been beneficial to you and your journey to conquering your fear of public photography. If you have any other suggestions or comments, make sure to leave them below. I would love to hear your thoughts. To stay updated with all things NEW HGG, don’t forget to Subscribe. If you wish to get a more personalized help on curating your perfect look for your next photo shoot, visit my Wardrobe Services and pick your package. Until next time, Grab your Garb!