Self Esteem Photo Shoot

In June of 2015, I was contacted by Lizzy asking If I photographed people who have never modelled before. Of course, I replied. We then started up a conversation which lasted well over a year. Lizzy told me she wasn’t happy with how she looked and was working hard to change, not only how she looked but how she felt about herself. No mean feat, I’m sure you’ll agree! Lizzy came across as a driven lady who was really motivated to make it happen. She explained she wanted to arrange a photo shoot when was in the right place to reward herself and boost her self esteem. I have to admit I have heard this story before from others, and never heard anything from them again.This is where Lizzy was different, she kept in contact even over the long period and maintained her determination. I was routing for her and was really pleased when she eventually said I am ready to book something. The initial booking had to be cancelled so it was a few months before we were able to reschedule.The day came and she arrived for the shoot with her supportive friend in tow. It was apparent that Lizzy was extremely nervous about the session, so I did the only normal thing I could. I put the kettle on and made her a cuppa. After 15-20 mins and some tea she calmed a little and we discussed how the shoot was going to go and my ideas for her. The shoot had a glamour bias, however when shooting glamour I am very much in the classy department. Less is definitely more.I wanted to ease her into the shoot slowly so I used a simple warm up photo booth process. I got her to pull faces at me, its embarrassing, which is the point. Nothing you can ask them to do is as embarrassing from there on.We worked through our ideas and produced some great results, which can be seen below:Here’s what Lizzy had to say about the shoot:

Had my first photoshoot with David and it was fantastic! I was made to feel very comfortable and the whole shoot was great. We discussed ideas of what we were going to do and what I wanted to achieve. The photos say it all. Everyone has commented on how amazing they are and I’m very happy with the edits. Can’t wait for our next shoot!

Its great as a professional to be able do shoots like these, not only for the obvious reasons, but to be able to help people. I felt like Lizzy had really increased her self confidence in the space of an hour and half. That is worth more than the images, however its great to get some wicked photos at the same time.She has already booked me for another shoot for summer where she tells me she is going to be even more in shape. I can honestly say I believe her too! I will be blogging about another awesome shoot shortly, so until next time…I am available to hire for portfolio sessions, to enquire or book get in touch on dg@davidgreensmith.co.uk or call me direct on 07590 901488.