How to find your own body positive photographer
“Oh, I’d just rather be behind the camera.”
Does that sound like you?
Are you at the back of every photograph, making sure you’re hidden by as many other people as possible? Or simply refusing to be in photographs at all?
For many, many years, that was me. In fact, one of the reasons I picked up a camera and started doing hobby photography as a young adult was so that I could use the behind-the-camera excuse to keep from having to be in photos.
It wasn’t until I started learning to love and accept my body that I was able to start voluntarily appearing in photos — more and more comfortably as my body image improved, as it turned out.
For some of us, we know when we’re ready to start seeing ourselves in photographs, and we seek out a photographer to capture this stage of our journey through life and self-love. But for others, we need photos for a specific purpose, and ready or not, here we come.
Finding a photographer you can trust to respect whatever body you live in — no matter its size, shape, ethnicity, level of ability, hairiness, or age — is the key to getting photos you love through a process that makes you feel safe and confident.
That’s where body positivity comes in. Body positivity is the belief that everyone deserves to feel good about their body. Seeking out photographers who specifically speak and practice and create from this belief is a great way to narrow down prospective photographers and find one who’s great to work with, especially if you live in a body that doesn’t happen to be thin, young, white or abled.
Why work with a body-positive photographer?
What does body positivity have to do with a photography business? Everything.
The way your photographer feels about bodies will affect every part of your session, from reviewing a beautiful portfolio of images to receiving your own photographs. The farther away your body is from mainstream standards of beauty, the more your experience will be affected by how much your photographer appreciates and respects all kinds of bodies.
Choosing a photographer who’s experienced in working with all types of bodies, including those who aren’t models, may not be a life-or-death decision, but it can change your entire experience from a stressful to an uplifting and joyful one.
I’m so excited to bring you this guide, friend, because it’s a compilation of everything I’ve learned from being on both sides of the lens about how to find and work with a photographer you can trust with your most precious partner in life — your body.
In this free e-book, we’ll explore:
- ⭐ Why it’s important for your photog to be body positive
- ⭐ What to look for in any photographer
- ⭐ How to determine whether a photographer really is body positive
- ⭐ The right questions to ask before your session
- ⭐ How to handle seeing your body in photos
Hi there! I'm Lindley. I create artwork that celebrates the unique beauty of bodies that fall outside conventional "beauty" standards at Body Liberation Photography. I'm also the creator of Body Liberation Stock and the Body Love Shop, a curated central resource for body-friendly artwork and products. Find all my work here at bodyliberationphotos.com.
