Being photogenic isn’t about changing your face, it’s about confidence, good direction, and learning to stop fighting the camera.
Most people think being photogenic is something you either have or you do not.
You were either born with it or you were not.
Which is nonsense.
Being photogenic isn’t about having a face approved by Hollywood, fashion magazines, Instagram filters, or whoever happens to be setting the beauty standard this week. It’s not about looking perfect. It’s not about having flawless skin, symmetrical features, or cheekbones sharp enough to slice sourdough.
Being photogenic is much more closely linked to confidence.
It’s about being comfortable in your own skin. It’s about not shrinking away from the camera. It’s about looking relaxed, happy, present, and like yourself on a good day.
That matters, especially when we’re talking about headshots and professional portraits.
Your headshot is often the first impression someone has of you. It might be on LinkedIn, on your website, in a speaker bio, in a proposal, in a press feature, or in a social media profile. Before they have read a word about you, they have already formed an impression.
Do you look confident?
Do you look approachable?
Do you look credible?
Do you look like the person they would want to speak to, hire, trust, recommend, or book?
That’s where being photogenic really matters. Not because you need to look like someone else, but because you need a photo that doesn’t get in your way.
The sentence I hear more than any other before a shoot is this:
“I hate having my photo taken.”
A close second is:
“I never know what to do with my hands.”
People don’t always walk into the studio and announce, “I’m not photogenic.” But it’s often there in the background. In the hesitation. In the nervous laugh. In the way they warn me that I have “got my work cut out today.”
Sometimes they say it as a joke, but there’s usually a little truth sitting underneath it.
And I get it.
Being photographed can feel exposing. You’re standing in front of a lens, suddenly aware of your face, your posture, your hands, your smile, your chin, your hair, your clothes, and every tiny thing you have ever disliked about yourself.
No wonder people sometimes freeze.
But freezing is part of the problem.
One of the biggest mistakes people make in front of the camera is holding themselves too rigidly. They find one pose and cling to it. Or they pull the same expression again and again, usually some version of a fixed smile that looks more like a grimace.
They stop moving. They stop breathing properly. They start performing.
Then the negative self-talk kicks in.
“I look awful in photos.”
“I never like pictures of myself.”
“This is going to be terrible.”
That doesn’t help.
In fact, it becomes part of the photo. The camera picks up tension. It picks up discomfort. It picks up that internal argument happening behind the eyes.
So, how do you become more photogenic?
You start by changing your mindset.
Come to the photoshoot with an open mind. Don’t talk yourself down before we have even started. Don’t arrive expecting failure. Don’t decide in advance that you’re impossible to photograph well.
You don’t need to know what to do. That’s my job.
A good portrait photographer shouldn’t expect you to walk in and perform like a model. Most people aren’t models. Most people need direction, encouragement, conversation, and a bit of time to settle.
At the start of a shoot, I chat. I ask questions. I learn a bit about the person in front of me. I explain what the lights are doing, because a studio setup can feel strange if nobody tells you what is happening. I tell bad jokes. Some very bad (dad) jokes.
At some point, almost without making a big deal of it, I start taking photos.
Then, I show you the results.
That part is important because most people are braced for disaster. When they see a strong image on the back of the camera, something changes. Their shoulders drop a little. Their expression softens. They begin to trust the process.
And that’s when the best photos usually start to happen.
I had nearly twenty years as a financial planner before becoming a photographer. That might sound unrelated, but it has been one of the most useful bits of experience I could have had.
Financial planning meant sitting with people while they talked about money, health, relationships, family, fears, hopes, and all the complicated parts of life. You learn how to put people at ease. You learn how to listen. You learn when to guide gently and when to be a bit firmer.
That’s all pretty useful in a portrait session.
Sometimes a person needs gentle reassurance.
Sometimes they need to be interrupted when they start telling themselves, out loud, that they look terrible.
Either way, the aim is the same. Get them out of their own head and back into the room.
The practical side matters too.
Good posture helps. You don’t need to stand like a soldier, but you do need to stop collapsing into yourself. A small lift through the chest, relaxed shoulders, and a slight stretch through the neck can make a huge difference.
Your hands need something simple to do. They don’t need to act. They don’t need to become the star of the show. They just need to look natural, whether they are in pockets, resting on a chair, lightly folded, or moving between small adjustments.
Your expression needs movement. Not one fixed smile held for ten minutes (or even ten seconds!). Real expression comes from interaction. It comes from conversation, little changes, small shifts, and sometimes from laughing at how ridiculous the whole thing feels.
Clothing matters, but not in the way people think. You don’t need to reinvent yourself. Wear something that fits well, feels like you, and suits the purpose of the photo. If you feel uncomfortable in it, that discomfort will probably show.
The same goes for grooming. Make an effort, yes. But don’t turn up looking like a completely different person unless that’s genuinely how you want to be seen.
And please, let us talk for a minute about AI headshots.
You can generate a fake version of yourself now. Plastic-looking skin, strange teeth, dead eyes, weird lighting, and a suit you’ve never owned.
But here’s the problem.
People can tell.
Maybe not always instantly. Maybe not every single time. But they feel something is slightly off. And trust is fragile. It can take years to build a good reputation and seconds to make people question it.
If you’re using AI slop to represent yourself or your business, you’re not solving the problem. You’re creating a new one.
Authenticity matters.
A strong professional portrait says: this is me, I showed up, and I’m comfortable being seen.
That’s far more powerful than a synthetic version of you pretending to be polished.
The truth is, I get good results from everyone. Even the people who arrive convinced they’re not photogenic. Especially those people.
Because the bigger the challenge, the more satisfying the result when it all comes together.
You don’t need to change your face.
You don’t need to become someone else.
You don’t need to know what to do with your hands.
You just need the right environment, the right direction, and a bit of trust in the process.
I love working with people who believe they could never have a photo of themselves they are genuinely happy to share with the world. Because when they finally see one, it matters.
That’s the point of a good headshot or professional portrait.
Not perfection.
Confidence.
