I had a client recently tell me that she’d rather have her tooth pulled than take her photo. I tried to not laugh too loud because not that long ago I would have agreed with her sentiment about being in front of the camera. Especially for a headshot! There is an intensity to the “focus” of a headshot. That focus is on a concentrated area - upper torso, head and face - an area that intensifies body language and expression. Scary huh? I guess that is one way to look at it. A growth minded view is it’s a really awesome opportunity to convey so much subtle detail about who you truly are. To me that is exciting. If you’ve already decided that it's time to update your headshot - which - frankly - you should do relatively often - preparing for and taking the shot can benefit from a subtle but important mental shift. The trick I’ve found that works is to shift mindset from an emphasis on “this camera pointing at me” to “I’m in control of what is conveyed today”. We do this naturally throughout our day without even thinking about it. But as soon as that camera is upon us we can freeze and forget why we’re there. This mental jujitsu is where I like to work the most. Sure - we’ll adjust lighting, angles, expressions etc. AND Let’s work together on relaxing the mind and entering the play state. Before we even stand behind the camera we’ll relax the environment, talk goals, and get ourselves ready for a fun play experience. The things we often want to convey come naturally from the eyes and mouth. Wide eyes convey fear while smiling with the eyes (some call it squinching) convey calm, openness and control. A relaxed mouth also conveys a quiet confidence. It’s not all about the biggest smile - or putting on that photo face we all have. It's about finding the most natural state that conveys those subliminal signals about your true competence and warmth - highlighting your natural charisma. My job is to coach you into that state - and while some of my humor is goofy dad joke centric - to take you out of your self focus and into a play state.