My top tips for being in front of the lens!

Hello lovelies! Hope you’re all well and enjoying August so far!

Today’s blog post is all my tips on being in front of the lens!! When I first started blogging I felt extremely nervous about being photographed in the street and especially being photographed by someone I didn’t know.

I used to freak out so much I’d be non stop weeing before hand (not sure if it’s just me that this happens to when I’m nervous) but I ended up just staying down ally streets or indoors, however I really wanted to explore and had so many ideas for outdoor shoots. Shooting in the street can be extremely nerve racking at first- with people watching and the occasional weird comment. But in all honesty people are just extremely interested and they are only there for a split second and then you’ll never see them again. Also if it’s  doing what makes you happy, no one should stop that!!

One thing I always remember that helped is to just look past the stares and focus on your photographer, taking a pause moment while people walk closely by can also help. People are just a tad interested and are probably thinking ‘oh who’s she/he?, ‘What’s she/he up too?’. It’s also important to be mindful whilst shooting too, like don’t stand outside someones house and chat really loudly for ages, as people may be in and don’t really wanna hear that.

Also cat calling can and does happen…I’ve dealt with all sorts being said and it is extremely frustrating and boring but you need to just ignore them. It’s so horrible that’s what people think is okay, but my advice would be to ignore it and walk on or just stare back. But just a little tip if it’s builders or company owners, take a picture of the company sign they work for and email the company with a complaint.

Outfit details below. Movement: Here I walked back and forward on the stop towards the camera! 

Anyway here are a few of my tips on being in front of the camera…

Start with working with a photographer or someone you feel comfortable with. I started by sticking to shooting with friends or family, yes my dad has had to take some pictures for me before, which was always hilarious as it ended in mostly me with a double chin.

I think finding someone you click with is important. It’s okay to not feeling 100% confident at first but just ease yourself in, do maybe one of two outfits to start with; plan your locations before hand and work out changing spots so you don’t have to worry about that on the day. But usually if you ask politely to use a pub or cafe toilet it’s usually always okay, or if you fancy it buy yourself a changing tent off amazon! I’m debating the fact I need one in my life after I spent a day changing on the seafront with a load of people on the pier watching and laughing, which is usually the reality of all shoots changing in doorways and streets under t-shirts and dresses.

If your feeling worried about people staring try organise a time after 9am when people have gone to work… I mean unfortunately there will always be people around and about who do stare, but they have gone in a second!

After a while shoots will get easier and I’ve found that working with new photographers is so lovely and exciting when it comes to creating new and different content/images! I have met some of the loveliest people through stepping out my comfort zone and doing this! but honestly it’s all about practice, It will come!! If you ever feel stuck for a vision or an idea on how you’d want your overall style or feed to be, I’ve always found Pinterest extremely helpful as it allows you to be creative and moodboard the things you love and see it all visually.

MOVEMENT. My goodness it’s important. It wasn’t until I did a shoot with Lydia Collins a year ago now, that I realised just how important movement really was when it comes to shooting. Moving back and forward on the spot, which actually can make you wobble so much. It’s surprising how moving back and forth on the spot can cause you to nearly fall over on the spot! But it looks great on camera! Also laugh!! Even if it’s fake you will 100% end up laughing, I find my best photos always seem to be me caught of guard and laughing with whoever is shooting me.

Outfit details below.  Movement: Again walking past the camera within the frame of the shot to get this image. 

Always have a prop! Mine tends to always be a bag or sunglasses or my hair! Just something to make sure you don’t have awkward hands flying about. However, coffee cups, necklaces or earrings, food, flowers anything works!!! It’s also nice if something tells a bit of a story, so experiment with your props and locations.

Don’t be afraid to work with your photographer on creating the angles and shots you want to achieve- it’s all about communication. I think sometimes I was always to scared to speak about a vision I had in mind, but if you’ve got one speak about. I’m sure whoever you are working with would love to discuss your vision and any ideas they have too!!

Enjoy it and have fun with creating new and exciting content. I tend to plan a lot of my shoots, in terms of outfits and locations. Sometimes it’s hard to plan a location as I find my favourite ones and ones I stumble across when I’ve chosen a certain area, so I usually decide on coloured backgrounds or more street style or plain backgrounds! It really depends on your own individual style, but experiment and enjoy your shooting days. Also it’s important to wear clothes that reflects you and your personality, wear clothes that you feel comfortable in as it will really show on camera.

Basically just have FUN!!! enjoy it all and be YOU. It’s such a creative thing and a lot of work goes into peoples images so enjoy the process. I also thought I’d add in a little about how I work in terms of shooting as I’ve had a few questions about it lately! So I shoot on a Olympus Pen EPL8 with a 45mm lens and recently have been using my 17mm (which I love)! I tend to shoot  6 outfits weekly on one day a week, as I have a lot of uni work so one day a week right now is all I can manage.  But it’s just what works best for me, I know a lot of people work differently so it’s about finding a balance and working in a way that allows you to feel relaxed and excited about it all. If you ever have any questions about any of this please do send me a message, I’ll happily answer anything!

Outfit details below. Real laughs with the beautiful Cree Bashford, who I met up with to shoot some outfits together, and I couldn’t be happier with how they turned out! 

In this post I thought I’d include some images from my favourite outfits this week which I feel super lucky to receive from one of my favourite brands NA-KD. which honestly have pieces for every occasion, at any time. I must admit my holiday wardrobe is slowly growing from browsing on their site!

First off is this stunning suit set, I fell in love with these beautiful wide leg trousers , which are absolutely perfect for weddings and special occasions or dressing down with a white tee and pair of chunky trainers and then I saw the blazer!! If you’ve noticed I’ve fallen for anything belted recently so I was sold on this suit! CLICK HERE for the stunning trousers and CLICK HERE for the perfect pink blazer!

For the second outfit I thought I’d try something a little out of my colour comfort zone, and go for a full satin look, I mean who doesn’t love a statement satin outfit! (another obsession of mine) but how gorgeous are these shorts!! CLICK HERE to shop. (they come in black and green too!)

These satin shirts have become my new best friend, I wear them everywhere with shorts at the minute and I can’t wait to lay on the beach and throw this on over a bikini in September! CLICK HERE for the Satin shirt.

Thanks so much for reading lovelies, hope it was slightly helpful, even if I did rant on about it all!! I also want to say a huge thanks to the lovely Cree Bashford for being a wonderful photographer and taking these images for me! Her website is HERE and her Instagram is HERE if you wanna check her out!

Love, India Moon. 

P.S. Also if you want to treat yourself to any NA-KD fashion pieces I also have a 20% off code which is valid for two weeks ‘india2018’ !!