Note: Photographers’ Friday is a weekly blog series directed toward professional photographers, and in some instances, serious amateur photographers. All Photographers’ Friday blog posts will assume that readers have a basic working knowledge of digital SLR cameras, but if you’re left with questions or don’t understand any of the information, don’t hesitate to ask. We love e-mails!

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For me, it still happens, but with far less frequency and far fewer heart palpitations than in the early days of my photography career. On a wedding day, I think a few butterflies in the photographer’s tummy are a good thing. Those butterflies keep us on our toes and keep us from getting complacent. But when those butterflies are rawring, clawing, and raging inside us? No thank you! That’s a recipe for an awkward photo shoot. Not to mention a frazzled photographer.

Danny never seems frazzled when he’s shooting. Even when he’s loaded down with a lot more than just camera gear.Here’s what helped me overcome photographers’ stage fright whenever I headed to a shoot or a wedding:

1. Learn, learn, learn! The more you feel in control of your camera — in any lighting conditions — the more you’ll feel in control at a shoot. So develop your appetite to learn, devour everything you can to build your knowledge base, and keep your camera in your hands.
2. Shoot, shoot, shoot! Even if you’re a seasoned pro, if you get nervous, you’ll benefit by scheduling low-pressure shoot with your family or friends — shoots where you’re simply having fun interacting with people, not worrying about your paying clients’ expectations.
3. Prepare yourself and prepare your client, too. Before you show up for a shoot, make sure your client has a good understanding of your style and your goals for the session, and conversely, make sure you have a good idea of what your clients hope for. Then make sure you’re going to be comfortable in the surroundings where you’ll be shooting. If you need to, scout the location several days before your shoot; if you’re more comfortable with your aptitude in varying lighting conditions, just arrive half an hour ahead of your clients to get the lay of the land and map out a plan of where you’d like to take them during the shoot.
4. Don’t be afraid to “cheat” — because it isn’t really cheating. One tip I heard from numerous photographers was to take pictures of posing ideas you love so you’ll have them with you. Have those pictures pre-loaded on your camera’s memory card, or put them on your phone. Then, if you feel uninspired when it comes to posing, you can quickly flip through the photos to refresh your creativity, and your clients won’t have to wait awkwardly while you stumble over your directions.
5. Act confident even when you don’t feel it. Confidence is contagious. Lack of confidence is even more contagious. So even if your knees are knocking, try to keep your voice stead and a smile on your face. Affirm your clients. If they sense that you’re uncomfortable, they’ll become uncomfortable, and if you sense they’re uncomfortable, you’ll become more uncomfortable. It’s a vicious cycle you definitely don’t want to get into!
6. Shadow other photographers. I don’t care if you’ve been shooting professionally for twenty years or two months — you will benefit from watching other (excellent) photographers at work.
7. Remember that you are your own worst critic — so listen to other people’s opinions.If your clients consistently tell you they love their photos, squash one butterfly. If other photographers tell you that your work is strong, squash two butterflies. If an internet troll tells you they don’t like the way you framed a specific shot, squash the internet troll (just kidding!). My point is that we’re often so critical of our own work, saying, “If only I had ____ instead!” that we get even more nervous for our next shoot, instead of simply filing each new lesson away as a valuable data point to help us on our next shoot.

I hope you don’t have uncomfortable butterflies when you head out to shoot! Nervous excitement is great when you’re going to a portrait session or a wedding — and I think for most of us, they’ll never fully go away. But they are far different from the kind of nerves that make us feel sick to our stomachs as we pack up our camera gear. So keep working to better your craft — and keep working to build your confidence.

~ Laura