Love & Photography

Obviously, love is romantic. There’s countless amounts of movies and real life examples to choose from. Not to mention, you’re probably singing your favorite love song in your head right now! What about when you hear self love? Does something come to mind immediately or do you have to think about it? Now just because it may take you a minute, it doesn’t mean you don’t love yourself and vise versa, but I‘m sure we‘ve all questioned our appearance at some point. We’ve all looked in the mirror and picked ourselves apart. We‘ve all went out with friends, looked at their outfits and immediately felt self conscious about the way we look. On top of all that, having your picture taken feels like it’s the worse thing ever in life! Even though I’m a photographer, stepping in front of the camera feels like such a chore sometimes. No matter the gender, circumstance or weight I promise you, you’re not alone in the self love struggle.

Think about this, have you ever seen a picture of someone you love and felt like they’re most beautiful person in the world? No one could tell you different. You could literally sit and stare at that photo all day. You want to put it on your wall immediately. That’s the power of a picture. A well taken photograph can make all the difference sometimes. What if I told you photography is all about self love? What if I said the way to truly accept yourself as you are, is to take a photo? You can feel the same way about a photo of yourself, as you did with the photo of your loved one.

My job as a photographer is to make every single person who steps in front of my camera feel like a supermodel. I want you to forget all of your insecurities. I want to create an image worth staring at. I want to make you feel like the king or queen you truly are. Whether I’m capturing families, couples or singles, creating a comfortable environment is my number one priority. What sets me apart from my peers is, I want everyone to feel like this. Even though I’d love to have each and every person who reads this book me, I understand that’s not completely possible. So here’s some tips you can use at home or with another photographer to get your confidence up!

Groom Yourself

Do your hair, shave, touch up your nails, wear your best makeup up look, shower and put on your best fragrance!

Wear Your Favorite Outfit

We all have that ONE outfit that makes us feel like finest person to ever walk, so put it on!

Get a Friend or Family Member to Help

Now, if you don’t want to work with a photographer to take your picture, ask someone you know to help out! It helps if you bribe them with food ;)

Put On Your Favorite Music

Music is always the best way to get your mood up! Make a fire playlist and blast that music!

Don’t Think About Social Media

As tempting as it is, don’t add pressure by thinking you need to make these good enough for social media! This is simply a exercise to help improve your self confidence!

For all my people who do photoshoots all the time, challenge yourself by doing one showcasing a part of yourself that you’re most insecure with.

If you choose to take these tips and post them online, tag on me on Instagram @lyfestylephotos with the hashtag #embracingmylyfe. I would love to see your beautiful faces throughout my mentions!

If you want to see the full photo series I did on this topic, visit my “IG Unveild“ page! The link is on my homepage. Thanks to everyone who took the time to read this article, and I hope I gave you the confidence to #embraceyourlyfe!

- Symone Michelle

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