Whether it’s your wedding day, your engagement session, or you just want that perfect ‘gram, most of us do not know how to feel confident in front of the camera. And I’m truly the worst – ironic, I know.

The camera goes up and my hands start to sweat, my bangs fly wild and my confidence slowly … er … immediately dies. That’s normal though, right?

In the past, when I’ve had to get my photo taken, it helps to remember some of the ways I bring that confidence and comfort to my clients on a shoot. Here are sure fire ways to feel more confident in front of the camera and get photos that you love.

+take a deep breath

Let’s take a cue from your yoga class and b r e a t h e.

Take a nice long inhale through your nose, close your eyes & then exhale through your mouth. This is science you guys. nerd stuff. your heart rate will slow down and you’ll feel instantly more relaxed. This will also help your body to have better posture.

+for blinkers / sensitive eyes

If you tend to blink in photos, close your eyes just before the picture is taken and open them slowly before the camera clicks.

+ignore the passer-by’s

Chances are that your photographer wants to take your photo outside. But that means … people will see me! No thank you! Plenty of people may stop and stare, but really who cares? Will you ever see that person again? Nope. Release the distraction of passer-by’s and focus on the task at hand. Getting that fab photo.

+elongate the neck

To avoid a double chin, elongate your neck and push your face forward a bit. Think of sticking out your forehead and tipping your chin slightly down. It might feel like an alien, but it will look great—promise.

+when in doubt, prune it out

This trick comes from my childhood icons – the Olsen twins. Rumor has it, whenever the two of them hit the red carpet, they whisper the word “prune” right before the shutter snaps to slightly pucker their lips and relax their mouth. The expression will make you look da bomb dot com.

+get to know your photographer

This is more important than you might think. It’s not a camera taking your picture after all, it’s a person. Get to know who they are, engage in conversation with them, look at their work online. That will build your comfort level with the camera because you’ve built a relationship and a foundation of trust with them.