Grow your confidence in front of the camera and in yourself
As a queer woman, I understand that being comfortable in front of the camera isn’t always easy, and the same can be said about being comfortable within yourself and your body.
What if I told you it doesn’t have to be that way?
Throughout the years of self-exploration, discovery and my personal journey to living as my most authentic self, one consistent thing made all the difference. It is something I now call ‘photo-therapy’.
Self-Portrait Photo Therapy, as I describe it, is simply a personal therapy using the medium of photography. Instead of a psychologist, it’s a camera. Instead of a cold, unfamiliar room, it’s your safe space.
What is Self-Portrait photo-therapy?
Photo-therapy is your gateway to self-discovery and confidence, transforming the way you see yourself and how you engage with the world. It is so much more than just taking pictures; it’s a tool that helps you break free from insecurities, embrace your uniqueness and individuality, and celebrate your authentic self. By stepping in front of the camera, you’re starting on a journey of self-acceptance and empowerment. So grab your phone and get ready to unveil the beauty within you, one photo at a time. Remember, every photo brings you closer to loving who you truly are!
Who can use Photo-Therapy?
You can. Anyone can use the photo-therapy toolkit to grow more confident in front of the camera and within yourself and your body, no matter what your journey of self is. I have worked with cisgender men and women, transgender, and non-binary individuals to help them take their first steps in photo-therapy, whether for confidence, gender expression, or finding their true selves. At the end of the day, if it helps affirm you as the person you are, or helps you on your way to finding that person, it is inclusive of gender affirming care–you don’t need to be trans to benefit from gender affirming care and tools.
Before you get started on your photo-therapy journey
Before we really get there, though, I have a few questions for you to ask yourself.
- When was the last time you took a photo of yourself?
- When was the last time you took a photo of yourself that you really loved?
- What did you love about the last photo of yourself you took that you loved?
- When you take a photo of yourself, are you taking a full-body picture, or just your head?
- If only one or the other, why is that?
- How do you feel when someone else is taking a picture of you?
Hopefully, in answering these questions (even if it is hard to do), you have a better understanding of what might be holding you back from capturing the beauty in yourself.
Getting started with Photo-Therapy
Start small. The problem many people face when starting photo therapy is that they want to instantly love the photographs they take of themselves and portray themselves exactly as they feel on the inside. Photo-Therapy will work when you take time for yourself, be patient with yourself and take it in small steps, like any other therapeutic practice.
Begin by setting achievable goals based on the process rather than the result, or feeling more comfortable taking pictures as a whole. For example: 'I will take a self-portrait twice this week', or 'In a month I will ask a safe personal friend to take a picture of me'.
As you progress, allow yourself the freedom to explore different styles, settings, and lighting. Pay attention to how each setting and approach makes you feel. Use this exploration as an opportunity to discover aspects of yourself that you may not have considered before. For instance, you might notice that you feel more confident in natural light, or perhaps you find joy in taking pictures of yourself while engaged in activities you love.
Keep in mind the importance of self-compassion throughout this process. It's natural to feel vulnerable when sharing your image with the world or even just with yourself. Give yourself the grace to acknowledge that not every photograph will resonate with you immediately, and that's perfectly okay. By taking it step by step, you can gradually build a positive relationship with how you see yourself, allowing your confidence to grow organically.
Ultimately, photo therapy can become a powerful tool for self-discovery and acceptance, but it thrives on patience and small, deliberate steps. Trust the process, enjoy the journey, and give yourself the permission to evolve at your own pace. Embrace the learning experience, and over time, you may find that your ability to capture and appreciate your true self will flourish.
Things to remember
- It is important to focus on the process rather than perfection
- Trust the process
- Be kind to yourself, and show that kindness with patience
- You can keep these photos private; there is no pressure to share them
- The photos can be full body, just head, or just body
- Not every photo is going to be a 'perfect photo' that you adore, don't let that discourage you
- Photo-Therapy is about focusing on the things you love about the photographs, and yourself
- Reflect afterwards. I'll touch on this a little later, but it is worthwhile to reflect on each photo and find at least one thing you liked about the photograph
Let's get started
All you really need to start is yourself and your phone. Set a day to start your photo journey. If this blog as a whole has resonated with you, I would recommend setting that start date within a week of now, while things are fresh. Remember, you can also bookmark or save this blog to come back to.
Add your start date to your phone calendar. Also set a reminder that aligns with your goals. This could be once a day, twice a week, or even once a week. Now you have these reminders saved; even if life gets in the way, you can work on building the habit.
tips and tricks
Here are some tips to consider that would help you on your journey to self-empowerment and growing more confidence in front of the camera and within yourself.
1. Build yourself one or two mood-based playlists on your favourite streaming app.
In my portrait and boudoir empowerment photoshoots, I advocate for people to share their playlist with me for background music during the shoot, as it can have such a positive impact. Many individuals that I have worked with in photo-therapy workshops and empowerment sessions have expressed the benefits of having multiple playlists that match a specific mood that inspires them or the mood they want to embody for a specific photo session.
Feeling dangerous
Think of Femme Fatales or characters from Peaky Blinders, or imagine striding confidently through the city in Doc Martens with a lit cigarette.
Feeling sexy
This playlist should include tracks that make you feel alluring and empowered. You can choose radio edits or original versions, depending on your preference.
Feeling euphoric
Create a collection of songs that uplift you and make you feel elated—perfect for blasting and singing along to during a road trip.
2. Ground yourself
Stand up, ground yourself, and breathe deep, slow and intentional breaths while you let yourself be your own company for a few minutes. Others have found that doing this for a song's length (from your playlist) can help you take on that mood more so than using it purely as a distraction.
exercise one
Today is the day you start your journey to grow your confidence in front of the camera and in yourself. Take 10 minutes for yourself in a space where you feel comfortable and safe.
One thing to remember is that you shouldn't take the photo and instantly check if it was a 'good' photo.
One thing to do is take a selfie of yourself the way you normally would, or in whatever way comes naturally in the moment. Then take several more in a way that flows. Don't overthink it. Once you have quite a few pictures, you're done.
Reflecting on your photos can be a different experience for everyone. You may find that you're kinder to yourself if you reflect on them later, rather than straight after. Whenever you decide to reflect on these photos, please pick at least one that is your favourite. You're not going to delete it either. Remember, it doesn't have to be a perfect photo for you, but it does need to be the one you like the most out of all of them. Think about why that is from a positive perspective. Now move the chosen photo(s) into another folder on your phone. This is where you're going to collect and view your progress over time. Well done for starting your journey into growing your confidence in front of the camera and in yourself!
exercise two
Day one was focused on how you would instinctively take photos of yourself. Day two will take that and tweak it a little. Like before, take 10minutes for yourself in a space where you feel comfortable and safe.
One more thing to remember today is that this journey you've started is worth the 10minutes each time, because you're worth it. You deserve to feel empowered and confident in yourself!
One thing to do is to take a selfie of yourself slightly differently to how you would normally. By this I mean, if you always take pictures at eye level and face on, focus on taking them from a higher angle, or from a slightly side profile angle. Like before, let it flow, and don't overthink it. Once you have quite a few pictures, you're done.
Reflection on photos that you typically don't see of yourself is another challenge. In the same way as before, you may find that you are kinder to yourself if you reflect on them later, rather than straight away. Upon reflection, pick at least one that is your favourite, and you're not going to delete it either. I understand this might be different to how you normally see yourself, and that is okay; it is a step in the right direction, and the benefits of following this process will amount. With the one that you like the most, reiterate to yourself why this one is the one you like the most, again, from a positive perspective. Now you can move your chosen photo(s) into the photo on your phone that you created in the last exercise.
Heck yeah, great job!
Exercise three
I know it hasn't been long since you started this journey, but have you noticed anything yet? Day Three will focus on combining the two previous exercises to increase your own fluidity. Through challenged repetition, we grow. You're rocking it! Keep going!
One thing to remember today is that you're doing it! You should genuinely already be proud of yourself for taking on this challenge. Whatever your experience or your goals. I believe that photo-therapy can help everyone.
What you're doing today is combining the two previous exercises and expanding: you took selfies as you normally would, then introduced a slight variation in angles. Today, you're going to take several (the more the merrier) in which you start by taking the selfies as you normally would, then introduce the slight side profile angles, then transition to vari-angle selfies. To help visualise this, imagine an arm's-length circle in front of you; it's big enough that if you reach for the bottom of the circle with your phone, you may need to bend. This is a good thing because our goal for today is to work on your fluidity and help you loosen up. So, get that camera shutter going as you follow that imaginary circle with your phone, taking pictures (and posing if you want to) as you trace that circle clockwise, and then anti-clockwise. Then, put your phone in your other hand, and repeat. Hopefully you will have quite a few pictures for reflection!
Upon reflection of the photos from this exercise, be kind to yourself. As always, if you feel it would be better to reflect on these photos later, please feel free to do so. From this series of photographs, I want you to now select three (3) photos that you like for one reason or another. Once you have, reflect on what you like about them, then move your chosen photo(s) into the photo album you created in exercise one.
Way to go, that's another exercise done, and more photos created!
exercise four
Welcome back to your photo-therapy journey! It's Day Four, and by now, you've hopefully begun to explore taking pictures of yourself and reflecting on your experiences. Today, we'll focus on embracing your personal perspective and celebrating the journey you are on. Like before, take 15minutes for yourself in a space where you feel comfortable and safe. If you've been struggling with your self-image in any way in the past, you should be extremely proud of yourself for challenging yourself like this.
One thing to remember today is that this journey is personal, and everyone moves at their own pace. Trust that each photo you take is a step toward understanding and accepting yourself more fully. Keep reminding yourself of your goals and the positive changes you're aiming for.
The exercise today is going to shake things up a little bit, so give yourself patience. The goal today is to take several low-angle shots to give yourself the sense of power and confidence. These don't have to be from the ground up–do you remember the imaginary arm wheel from the previous exercise? Think back to how the angle was influenced when you had your camera stretched out to the bottom of the circle in front of you.
Here are some things you can try to expand on this exercise:
- Take several shots while sat down on a chair, sofa, or your bed; play with your position, posture, and creative angles
- Try to take several while sat on the floor; play with how you position yourself. Perhaps sitting on one leg, cross-legged, or even sat with your legs extended (try this also with one leg bent towards you).
Upon reflection of the photos from this exercise, as well as the past and future ones, try to pay attention to how certain backgrounds, your outfit, or general choices make you feel. Are you noticing that certain colours uplift you? Perhaps an outfit or makeup choice transforms your confidence level? Take stock of your emotions, whatever they might be, but either way, don't let that stop you. Don't forget to add 2-3 photos that you like the most to your growing folder that you created at the start. You're doing fantastic, and you are beautiful; you just are, OKAY?!
exercise five
Welcome to Day Five of your photo-therapy journey! By now, you've likely started to find a rhythm in your practice. Today, we're going to delve deeper into celebrating your uniqueness and how it reflects in your photographs. Exercise five is all about celebrating the individuality within yourself.
Take a few moments to reflect on your progress and the past four exercises. Consider your feelings as you've taken photos of yourself. What changes have you noticed, if any? Are there aspects of yourself that you're beginning to appreciate more? Feel free to write down any thoughts or feelings that come to mind.
One thing to remember today is not to rush yourself or this process. It is okay to allow yourself to feel comfortable in the moment, and don't shy away from embracing all that you are.
For this exercise, you're going to choose one feature or aspect of yourself that you love and focus on it to create a series of self-portraits that highlight that feature or aspect. It could be anything from your hair, smile, or even the way that you carry yourself. Remember to play with angles and how you position your body, like in the previous exercises.
It's reflection time again. Remember you can always come back to reflect on the photos later; you don't have to do it straight away. Upon this reflection, I want you to select 2-3 photos that you like the most, and add them to your photo-therapy photo gallery folder on your phone. Then, have a fantastic day! You're doing wonderfully! Don't forget to set a reminder for your next photo session!
As you embark on your photo-therapy journey, it’s vital to remember that this process is not a quick fix but a meaningful exploration that takes time. Embrace the idea that growth and self-acceptance come from consistent practice and reflection. Here are some key takeaways to keep in mind:
Here are some things to remember:
- Focus on the process, not perfection. Each step you take is valuable regardless of the outcome. Celebrate your progress regularly.
- Trust the process. Understand that every photo you take contributes to your journey of self-discovery, even if you don’t love every shot you take.
- Be kind to yourself. Show yourself patience as you navigate this experience. Growth takes time.
- Privacy is your choice. Remember, these photos are for you. There is no pressure to share them unless you choose to.
- Reflect on your journey regularly. After each future session, take a moment to reflect on what you loved about the photos, and save the ones you love into your photo-therapy album. This reflection will build a positive connection with your self-image.
Here are some tips and tricks to keep in mind:
- Create mood-based playlists. Use music and playlists that resonate with you, and that set the vibe for your photo session. The right music can uplift your spirit and enhance your confidence, and as a result, the photos too.
- Set achievable goals. Start small and commit to specific goals, like taking a self-portrait twice a week even outside of these sessions. Or even ask a trusted, safe friend to take your photo, which can be really good exposure therapy.
- Schedule your sessions. Make sure to carve out time for your photo therapy in your calendar, and set reminders to help build a consistent practice. I would recommend that you do this even after the first five exercises. Even having a few extra can be fantastic as you grow.
Each of these exercises is not meant to be one-and-done; they are stepping stones onto a much longer path, and that is okay! Repeat them regularly, allowing yourself to grow more comfortable in front of the camera, and, ultimately, within yourself. With patience and acceptance, you’ll gradually uncover more layers of your authentic self and become empowered to explore deeper facets of who you are. Remember, this journey is yours to navigate at your own pace. Embrace it with love and an open heart, and watch how your self-confidence blossoms over time.
Thank you for taking the time to explore the transformative journey of photo-therapy with me. I genuinely hope this blog has provided you with insights and inspiration to grow more confident in front of the camera and within yourself. Remember, the path to self-acceptance and empowerment is unique for each of us, and every small step counts.
If you're ready to take your empowerment to the next level, please do reach out about the Empowerment Sessions that I offer. More information about these can be found on the Empowerment Session page.
I would love to hear your thoughts, feelings, and any progress you make along the way. Feel free to share your experiences with me; I would love to hear from you. Your journey matters, and your story could inspire others. Remember, there is absolutely no pressure to share any photos; it can literally be you sharing your experience!
If you're interested in more curated exercises or personalised guidance, don't hesitate to let me know. I would be happy to create more exercises to help people grow and thrive into the most authentic version of themselves, with confidence and together, we can continue to uncover the beauty that lies within you.
With Love, FromEden
