Don't wait because of issues with weight
There are many reasons that prevent people from getting in front of a camera.
Don’t let your weight be one of them.
During a recent consultation call with a potential client, she wanted some information about my branded lifestyle portrait sessions.
So, we went through the usual spiel - I asked her to discuss more about who she is, who she serves and why she does what she does in order to figure out how best I can serve her needs.
About 15 minutes into the call, she mentioned that although she is a confident person, especially when it comes to her area of expertise, she clams up in front of a camera because of her weight.
It’s a story that I’ve heard all too many times before - most notably, in my own head.
The reason why she reached out to me is because she saw my behind-the-scenes video post I did with speaker magician Jess Pettitt (thanks again, Matt Bauer, for the lovely footage!).
She also talked about how Jess’s testimonial spoke directly to her and her point of friction with respect to taking photos:
“I legit hate getting my picture taken. I hired John because he seemed to capture personality in his shots - not to mention they are beautiful.
What I 100% was not prepared for is that I never had time to remember how much I hate getting my picture taken because we worked fast and hard and laughed the whole time. I followed direction and answered questions and got shots that needed ZERO photoshopping because they showcase my best self.
In under two hours, I have a ton of shots that can be used for social media, marketing, website, slides, books, and head shots, in multiple outfits, a wide range of emotions, all in about the time it took John to smoke a cigar. Honestly, my lipstick lasted longer than our shoot, but the impact of feeling seen, understood, powerful, and even beautiful will last even longer.”
Although my potential client feels ehhh about her appearance and how she may be perceived by her audience because of the weight, she wants to feel confident and beautiful in front of the camera just like Jess…
...despite the voice in her head that’s telling her that she’s turning potential clients off by how she looks.
They call them “demons” for a reason, folks.
But that’s why it’s so gratifying when you slay them, :)
As I mentioned to her during our conversation - as well as everyone else who is of the same self-conscious mindset:
You’re not turning people off with your perceived issues with your appearance, you’re tuning them in because you’re unapologetically being yourself in the most flattering light possible.
And that’s attractive to many people who need your help.
If someone doesn’t want to work with you because of how you look, screw them, they’re not your people, and that’s okay.
Where there’s a handful of people who say no, there are other people who will say HELL YES!
If you take a look at the reaction to that Jess Pettitt video post, you will see what I mean. Here are some comments:
And here’s one that was sent privately to Jess that she shared with me through text:
It’s not your job to persuade the nay-sayers or the ones who judge you based on your appearance that you’re a solution to their problems.
It’s your job to be yourself based on where you currently are in your business and life to attract a tribe of folks that feel a connection with you as a problem solver and as a vulnerable, yet confident human being.
Own who you are, what you know, and how you can help.
Don’t wait on a portrait session because of your weight.
You have an army of people waiting to discover you so that you can help them with your expertise to get them past what’s holding them back.
Keep that in mind the next time you want to kick the portrait session can down the block for another 6 months.
Turning to you…
Are there any takeaways, insights or question that bubbled up for you while reading this post? Please share in the comment section and let’s talk about it.
PS - If you’d like to learn more about persuasive visual storytelling, sign up for my blog so you will have every new article sent directly to your inbox - why waste time on commuting, right? :)