Perfection Doesn't Exist! What to do instead to have Impactful Branding Photos

I get it. Getting pictures taken tends to bring up a lot of anxiety in people. What do I do in front of the camera? How do I hide that thing I’m self conscious about? Do I look natural in this pose? All perfectly normal feelings!! But I’ve noticed a trend lately and I’m not sure where it’s coming from. There seems to be a focus on unattainable perfection. My body must be perfect, my clothes must be perfect, my smile must be perfect. And if the image that they have in their mind doesn’t match the reality in the camera, then there is a turning inward with self condemnation and critique. 

I wonder if some of this comes from constantly perusing glossy accounts on Instagram. Or is it the proliferation of AI images being produced? Maybe us photographers have added to it with our promises of “taking 20 lbs. off with the right posing” and constant focus on creating the most flattering images possible. Don’t get me wrong, I take such joy in creating images of people that they love and this does involve helping them with flattering lighting and posing. My clients come to me to help them project the best version of themselves. But I’m worried this has strayed from being “the best version” to being “the perfect version”. And perfection doesn’t exist! Maybe what we should all be striving for is our “most authentic version”. 

There have been times when I’ve seen photos for the first time from my own branding shoots and thought “is that what I really look like?” The vision in my head didn’t quite match the reality. But once I stepped back for a minute, I realized that my personality was coming through. My warmth, my kindness, my genuine care for people. And that’s SO much more important than looking thinner or having every hair perfectly in place. Sometimes it’s the emotion and connection that trumps simply being a flattering image. 

So as you’re planning your next branding shoot, try to let the self judgment go. Try to let go of this idea of perfection. And really focus on how you want to make people feel in your presence. What kind of image do you want to convey to the people you serve? I promise that this will be so much more impactful than worrying about every single detail of your appearance!