Why “I Hate Having My Picture Taken” Means You Need a Pro Photographer
The people who say this the loudest almost always end up with the best photos.
I hear it at least once a week. Sometimes it comes through in an email before someone even books; a preemptive disclaimer, like they’re warning me about a condition I should know about. Sometimes it comes out in the first thirty seconds of a session, delivered with a nervous laugh. And occasionally it arrives mid-shoot, when someone freezes up and just says it plainly: “I’m sorry, I just really hate this.”
I get it, I really do. Being photographed can feel extremely awkward in a way that’s hard to explain. There’s some real psychology happening in real time. You’re standing there, aware of every inch of yourself, while someone points a camera at your face and asks you to look natural. It’s not natural. And for a lot of people — smart, accomplished, confident people — it triggers something that feels a lot like vulnerability.
Here’s what I’ve learned after years of photographing professionals: the people who say “I hate having my picture taken” aren’t the problem. They’re actually the ones I enjoy working with most.
What’s really going on?
Most people who dread being photographed aren’t actually camera-shy. They’re self-aware. They’ve seen unflattering photos of themselves and they’ve internalized the idea that this is just what they look like on camera. However, this is not the truth.
A casual snapshot and a professional portrait aren’t even in the same category. One captures a random fraction of a second with no direction, no lighting, and no consideration for how you naturally carry yourself. The other is a collaboration. My entire job is to find the version of you that you’d actually want people to see.
That takes a few minutes of warming up, some direction on where to put your hands, maybe a bad joke or two, and the understanding that we’re going to take a lot of frames before we get the right one. None of that happens in a selfie.
The people who surprise themselves
Some of my favorite moments in this work happen at the monitor. Someone shuffles over, bracing themselves, half-convinced they’re about to cringe at every frame. And then something shifts. They see a photo where they look relaxed and capable and like themselves, maybe more like themselves than they expected!
That moment never gets old.
I photographed a team session a while back where one of the employees was genuinely anxious about being in front of the camera. She’d spent the whole session cheering on her colleagues, fixing hair, offering encouragement — doing everything she could to be helpful and, I suspect, to delay her own turn. When it was finally her time, her coworkers gave back everything she’d given them. And she walked away with a headshot she loved.
That’s not an unusual story. It plays out in some form almost every time I work with someone who comes in dreading it.
First Impressions Form Faster Than We Think
Research in social psychology shows just how quickly this process happens. Studies have found that people can form impressions about traits like trustworthiness and competence in as little as 100 milliseconds after seeing a face.*
Because of this, the visual impression created by a headshot begins shaping perception almost instantly. By the time someone starts reading your job title or professional summary, their brain has already begun building a narrative about who you are. That narrative may not be accurate, but it still influences how the rest of the information is interpreted.
Why discomfort is actually useful
People who are uncomfortable being photographed tend to be more engaged in the process. They’re paying attention. They want to get it right, and that’s an advantage, not a liability.
Compare that to someone who assumes they’re naturally photogenic and doesn’t think they need any direction. Those sessions can be harder, honestly. Ease and self-consciousness aren’t as far apart as you’d think when it comes to making a good portrait.
What matters is trust. If you’re willing to follow some direction, try a few things that feel a little awkward, and not bail after the first five frames, we’re going to get there.
Your headshot has a job to do
A professional headshot isn’t about vanity. It’s about the impression you make before you’re in the room. It’s your LinkedIn profile, your company website, your speaker bio, your email signature. It’s often the first thing a potential client or employer sees when they look you up. And trust me, they will look you up.
Leaving that first impression to a blurry phone photo, or a cropped image from a wedding three years ago, or no photo at all, is a real risk. The 10 minutes of mild discomfort is worth it to get a great photo and increase the odds of making a great first impression.
If you hate having your picture taken, I’d argue that’s the clearest sign you’ve never had it done properly. Come in, give me a half of an hour, and let’s change that.
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Pizzuti Creative is a headshot and commercial photography studio in Lowell, MA. If you’re ready to update your professional headshot — or finally get one worth using.
An Experienced Studio In Lowell, MA
Our studio at Western Avenue is located in downtown Lowell, MA. Alongside our studio lighting and backgrounds, we have access to big windows and funky mill architecture, not to mention urban landscapes for endless creative opportunities.
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