Last updated on August 12th, 2025 at 10:25 pm
Lose your fear of being in front of the camera.
Models are brave people, and you can learn from them how to be confident on camera.
They pose with snakes, get painted on and cut their hair often.
Of course, no one expects that from you, but if you take your photography seriously a little preparation is expected.
Being afraid to get on camera shouldn’t hold you back.
Shame and fear of looking bad are the biggest enemies of reaching your maximum potential.
Whenever you are scared, remember no one begins as a pro.
The eye gets trained to capture beautiful things and the body gets trained to pose well.
And training is nothing but practice.
You need to start doing to do well.
– The Princientist
Also, you are your own person and the discouraging things people tell you aren’t necessarily true.
You can ignore other people, and do your thing anyway until you’re brave enough to stop asking for opinions.
How to be confident on camera.
It’s 100% practice.
There is no other way around it.
But having a method and being deliberate about the actions you take help you build the confidence to succeed.
Read my 7 top tips on how to be confident on camera below:
1. Talk to yourself
Before starting, during the photoshoot and after when you’re done.
This is reassuring yourself you are doing well.
If you want to be confident on camera talking to yourself positively is the first step.
It works.
Usually, you have other people tell you how beautiful you look or how well you are doing.
Those words of encouragement give you the confidence to continue.
Except this time, the encouragement comes from within and from yourself.
By saying positive things, you’re more likely to remain positive despite setbacks and look for solutions to problems instead of giving up.
2. Be prepared.
If you are not a natural, you can compensate with hard work.
Prepare this in advance:
– Have inspo images.
You can use Pinterest to help you with that.
Create a shotlist so you won’t need to improvise.
– Pick 4-5 different poses from the inspo images.
Train your poses in the mirror before shooting to help you know your angles.
If you don’t prepare any poses or ideas, you’ll feel silly because you are unsure of what to do.
– Choose the clothes and makeup to look good.
The last thing you want is to feel self-conscious about your appearance.
If you look good, and take pictures that you know are going to look good you will feel confident.
Confidence shows.
If you are shy it’s okay.
Shy people can still be confident on camera.
It is not a character flaw.
3. Start by taking photos inside the house
The best place to start is the most comfortable place where you can relax.
At home you can be as silly as you want and play with poses and angles to see what’s best for you.
You can photograph yourself, or ask someone to take your picture.
After you master this step, it’s time to get out of your comfort zone.
Take those 4-5 poses that you know for sure look good and go outside.
Don’t procrastinate.
Pick a time, a place and a day.
It makes it more real and more likely for you to go forth with the plan.
Choose a street where people don’t know you and barely have any people passing.
Bring your tripod or photographer and start.
Photos taken at home by myself
Related: 20 At Home Photoshoot Ideas
Related: How To Create a Photo Set at Home
Photos taken alone in the street by myself
4. Know what you want
Tell the photographer exactly how you want the picture and take a test shot.
How? Pose the photographer where you want to see yourself and take a picture of him/her.
And then tell him/her that’s how you want yours.
Easier showing than telling.
If you are taking photos of yourself take a test shot of the set with a self-timer.
Take one photo of yourself and see if it looks good.
If you like it, take more using different poses.
5. Begin.
In case you are using a photographer ask him to count to three out loud and then take the photo – 1,2,3, shot.
This way you don’t miss the shot, blink or move.
Photograph your go-to poses.
Check the photos that were taken.
If you don’t like something adjust the angles and photographic plan.
Try again.
Remember that it takes only a few seconds to take a photo, and you are not bothering anyone.
Don’t stop until you get the shot you envisioned.
Confidence comes from success, so having little victories goes a long way to keep you motivated.
Don’t forget tip one and keep the encouraging words coming.
Beware that not everyone has the patience for it and you may end up feeling bad/annoyed because they don’t care as much as you do.
So use someone patient and willing.
Ask your photographer to compliment you when you do well and the picture looks nice, and to say something good first before pointing out your mistakes.
This will help you be bold and even more confident on camera.
Positive reinforcement works better than criticism.
6. Bring sunglasses.
I have taken so many pictures outside but I always forget you can’t control the sun.
Those squinty eyes, because the sun is in your face, are not pretty.
Sunglasses help a lot and look good.
7. Don’t be hard on yourself
Give yourself room to make mistakes and grace to not let mistakes defeat you.
Keep the positive words coming at every step.
Replace negative words with positive ones.
Instead of “I look bad in that photo” you can say “I can do better next time” or “Let’s try again, but better”.
Beat the imposter syndrome.
Whenever you feel you are not good enough, keep going.
Everytime ypu push past the doubt you prove to yourself that you capable and build self-confidence.
To be confident on camera you have to be your own biggest fan and encourager.
Final Thoughts
Confidence is the belief that you are capable of achieving positive results despite any problems.
A lack of confidence is a mental block you cannot overcome by just thinking about all the things you could do differently.
So to be confident on camera you have to change your mind about not being capable.
You have to take action and take many photos.
It is the good photos that will convince you that you are capable.
Not the other way around.
You won’t feel capable until you have good photos.
So start with the little confidence you have, and build yourself to meet those high expectations.
As you can see most tips to be confident on camera are about changing the mindset in which you approach photography.
This is a system you can use every time you want to take photos.
Once you take one good photo, you will reinforce this positive approach by yourself.
Your confidence will rise naturally.
Part of being comfortable comes from being in control.
You can take photos of yourself before working with someone else to take your pictures.
Read the self-photography guide below to help you get started.
Self-photography allows you to take control of every aspect of the picture and make it look exactly how you want it.
Disclaimer: This article is informational only. I am not a professional photographer so the knowledge presented is from my experience throughout the years. All the picture examples in this article were a result of self-photography and cannot be used without the creator’s permission.
Self-Photography for Beginners – Article Series
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