Asheville Photographer at Biltmore | My Experience in Front of the Camera

Winter photos at Biltmore with Jessica Merithew Photography

You’ve heard me say many times before that it’s not easy to be in front of a camera by yourself, and it’s so true! For most people it’s tough to be in the spotlight, and when we add on the idea that any moment (regardless of our expression or pose) can be frozen and saved, it is scary! The best thing though, is to relax, be yourself, have fun, and know that your photographer has it handled. In my case of recently being in front of the camera, I did just that! 

A few weeks ago my photographer friend, Ashley, and I got together at Biltmore in Asheville to take head shots of one another. We both know that being alone in photos is tough, but we all have to do it, and we WANT to do it. We want to do it for the end results of course, photos of ourselves (which doesn’t happen often when you’re always the photographer) to use for professional reasons- website, social media, ads, etc. We also want to do it periodically so that we can stay in touch with what our clients feel in front of our cameras. Being in tune with this helps us communicate with our clients better, be more understanding, and truly be more helpful. 

Even as a photographer who knows the tips and tricks of posing to help flatter the human body, I had to actively talk myself through it. It’s a challenging task to remember to pop my front leg, keep a bend in my front elbow, lean forward at the hip, and goodness yes keep that natural smile! It’s a bit of a humbling reminder that it’s okay to be nervous about this, this being in front of the camera thing that I see someone do and help someone do almost every day. My biggest advice though, is to always have FUN in front of the camera. Let yourself be YOU. Not the standing in front of a camera you, but the REAL YOU. The you that laughs out loud and tosses her head back when something’s really funny. The you that has the courage to walk like a model on a runway while you’re really walking on the sidewalk with strangers only a few feet away. The you that is willing to be silly at any moment because you love having fun! This is exactly what Ashley and I did, and the outcome was amazing! Not only did we have a great time together, but we also found some extra courage in ourselves to show more of our personality in front of the camera, which is exactly what we were striving for! 

I believe having fun at a photo shoot is the best thing anyone can do for many reasons. It brings out our best expressions, it provides a real connection with the people around us, it helps us to relax and enjoy it, and most importantly it lets our true selves be captured in the moment. That’s why we get in front of a camera in the first place, right? It’s to capture what’s really happening in our lives, so be genuine, have fun, and rock those photos! 

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Photographer: Ashley Ricci
Editing: me

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