I run into this frequently. I too hate having my picture taken. I don’t know too many people who do enjoy it. Why? The answers usually touch upon personal appearance: “because I look fat”, “I hate the way my double chin shows”, “I don’t like how my stomach sticks out”, “I hate having to get dressed up”, “the kids never behave, they’ll never all smile”. I’ve heard them all and I know I will hear them all again.
I want to take this post to share my answers to these concerns. First off, the truth behind the statement “a camera adds ten pounds”. A camera’s eye sees differently than our eyes do. A camera takes a 3D object and relates it into a 2D flat image. While our eyes see curves, the camera sees only flatness. It causes optical illusions and can make objects appear wider or thicker than they normally are. This is the secret to photography. A trained professional photographer understands this concept and knows how to “trick” the camera to reading reality in a way that matches how our eye works. A trained photographer can pose, use light, angles and perspective to control all of this. It really does make a difference!
As for getting dressed up for a photography…..why? If you are a casual family, then let’s do your photos in casual clothing with natural poses in a location that your family would normally be found! Do you want a family portrait to hang in your living room but you want it to match? Then why not have a portrait done in your living room so it matches perfectly? If you haven’t been happy with your family portraits in the past, ask yourself is it because the image does not represent who you are? My family is a casual family, you are more apt to find us at the playground or laying in the yard than dressed up at a fancy dinner…….so for our family portraits, we are always in casual clothes, in a casual setting, in casual poses. This is right for our family, its up to you to decide what is right for your family! If you need help with this decision, let us help you! It is what we do for a living!
So when I hear “I hate my picture being taken”, I say then you haven’t had a portrait taken with Dragon Hare Studios! Give us a call and we’ll take a family portrait that you will be proud to hang on your wall!
Our latest family portrait:
