You keep saying you’ll do it one day. When you lose a bit of weight. When your hair behaves. When life magically slows down and everything falls neatly into place.
Spoiler alert: it won’t.
There is no perfect time. You’ll blink, and another year will have gone by, and the only photo of you that exists will still be that one slightly blurry wedding pic from 2017 where you’re holding a glass of prosecco and pretending not to be sweaty.
Here’s what happens. People put it off because they don’t feel ready. Then they finally book the shoot, and every single one of them says the same thing. Why didn’t I do this sooner?
Every time. Without fail.
It’s almost a ritual. We take the last shot, they look at the screen, and I watch their face change. Suddenly, they see it. The confidence, the warmth, the spark that everyone else already sees.
You think you’re waiting for confidence to appear before you step in front of the camera, but confidence shows up after the click. That’s the secret.
You can’t build it by hiding. You build it by being brave enough to show up and say, “Alright then, let’s see what happens.”
Here’s the thing about photos: they’re not just for today. They’re tiny time machines. You’ll look back in ten years and think, “I looked incredible, why was I worrying about my arms?”
You’ll laugh at how you thought you weren’t ready when you were absolutely in your prime.
Future you will want to travel back in time, slap you lightly on the shoulder, and shout, “Just book the bloody shoot!”
And don’t give me the classic excuses. “I need to lose a stone.” No, you don’t. The camera doesn’t care about your bathroom scales.
“I’m not photogenic.” You are, you just haven’t had the right person behind the lens yet.
“I hate having my photo taken.” So does everyone, until they’ve had a shoot that feels like hanging out with a mate who just happens to have a camera.
Photography isn’t about perfect faces or forced smiles. It’s about catching you in a moment when you forget to be self-conscious. That’s when the magic happens.
When you laugh, when you breathe, when you stop trying so hard. I’ve seen people go from frozen statue to radiant human being in the space of five minutes. Sometimes all it takes is a terrible joke and a bit of trust.
Putting it off doesn’t save you from feeling awkward. It just delays the moment you realise you didn’t need to feel awkward in the first place. Every day you wait, you’re missing the chance to see yourself the way other people already do.
And here’s the uncomfortable bit. Photos gain value with time.
You might not love everyone right now, but in a few years, you’ll treasure them. The smile lines, the crinkles, the little details that prove you’ve lived.
You’ll wish you had more of them. You’ll wish you’d said yes sooner.
So please, stop waiting for perfect. Perfect is boring. Perfect never shows up. Real is far better.
Real is what makes people stop scrolling. Real is what makes you feel something when you look at the picture later.
If you need someone to help you get out of your own head and finally get those photos done, that’s where I come in. I’ll make you laugh, guide you through the poses, and make sure you leave thinking, “That was actually fun.”
Go on. Book the shoot. Do it for future you. You can thank me later.
