When I first tried to get into doing portrait work I had this strange, almost crippling anxiety associated with it. I don't know if it was a fear of looking like I didn't know what I was doing, or a fear of not getting good shots, or not being able to direct properly, whatever it was it literally kept me from pursuing this type of work. Finally, after doing a few shoots, I've learned that it was just a lack of confidence in myself that, no matter what, I would produce quality images that not only my client would be happy with but also myself.
When Brenna and I first started talking about doing a shoot she was nervous because she didn't really know much about modeling but was willing to take direction and do whatever I thought was going to make for great photos. Instantly this brought back those feelings of anxiety that I felt before except this time they only lasted for a fleeting moment. This time, I knew I was going to be able to power through and direct her well enough. I knew that, as long as she were really willing to do what I said, we would get great shots. I told her that it's my job to make sure we get good photos. If I do a shoot and come away with nothing, it's because I've failed to pull whatever is needed out of the model not because the model failed to deliver. These are things I'm learning along the way that are adding to my list of skills that have nothing to do with photography. I could be the best "technical" photographer in the world. But if I fail to engage with my subject and fail to get them to be comfortable enough to show me their true self then none of the technical stuff matters.
Well, she did everything I asked of her. She learned as much as I did this day and I think we got some great images out of it.
