If you’re new to the portrait session game, chances are you may feel a little bit nervous about what to expect. That’s completely natural, so don’t think you’re strange for feeling that way. In fact, we hear from our clients all the time that they’re apprehensive to get their pictures taken for all sorts of reasons, ranging from being “unphotogenic” to feeling awkward in front of the camera and beyond. To help you feel a bit more at ease leading up to the day of your session — and during the actual shoot — we’ve given you some pro tips below.

Chat With Your Photographer Before The Session

Sometimes simply talking through the process with your photographer can help you feel much more at ease. For starters, they’ll walk you through each step of the session-day process so that you know what to expect. Second, getting to know the person who’s going to be photographing you can help you feel much more relaxed and yourself on the day of.

Be Authentic to Yourself

Have you ever packed for a vacation and decided you were going to bring four different novels and a couple workout outfits even though you rarely read or workout? That same sort of mentality can occur when you’re prepping for a photo session as you try to reinvent who you are. Instead, relax and show up on session day as your authentic self. Wear clothes you feel beautiful and comfortable in — this is all about capturing the essence of you!

Go Ahead and Glam it Up

It’s a fine line between not being true to who you are and wanting to look amazing the day of your shoot. The key to feeling amazing and comfortable on your session day is to elevate the traits you really like about yourself. If you love flowing dresses, find one that you feel incredible in. If your hair is your favorite feature, go ahead and get a blowout or spend the few hours beforehand focusing on your hairdo. If you feel more comfortable with a bit of a color, schedule your spray tan. Do these things only if you feel like it will make you feel your best and not because you feel like you “should.”

Know That We’re Pros at This Stuff

One of the reasons why people experience post-photo stress is that they might not have had the best images taken. Because of the lens, selfies create a distorted image of your face. Also, lighting and angles seriously matter. We’re pros at this stuff. We know which poses to put you in that’ll make you look and feel amazing and we know how to position you against the light (and use extra light) to create a stunning portrait.