Photoshoots for women over 40 who don’t feel confident

Midlife can be a challenging time. A lot of women, especially women over 40 and women in peri-menopause, can lose confidence in themselves and the way they look. As a result they often feel uncomfortable having their photo taken. Many women will put off having photos taken, even when they know this will help them to promote their business.

That’s where I come in. I’m here to encourage and support you every step of the way, from the pre-planning to the shoot itself. I understand how you feel and you can trust me to create gorgeous, flattering images of you that you are proud to share.

Lack of Confidence

Women lose confidence in midlife for many reasons. This can be down to low mood as a result of peri-menopause and hormone fluctuations, or the of result of illness or fatigue from juggling too many responsibilities. Most commonly however, this can be due to poor body image. Poor sleep quality, weight gain, skin that is showing the signs of ageing, all these things can dent our confidence. I can relate completely having felt this way myself. Looking in the mirror can be depressing and the thought of having a photoshoot can be daunting.

Societal pressures

Women know that no matter how we feel about ageing personally, the media is constantly promoting youth and showing us images where skinny is the pinnacle of beauty. We are bombarded through films, magazines and social media – weight loss jabs, botox, fillers, celebrities having face lifts, the list goes on. The messages that women should not be ageing are everywhere.

You are a fabulous, successful businesswoman, own your power.

The women I meet are brilliant. Inspiring, intelligent, successful, empowered women. These women are running incredible businesses. They are helping others succeed and yet so many of them view themselves negatively when it comes to how they look. Then they worry about putting images out into the world. Old stories come in, old beliefs, worries about what other people might think. Too often we let fear win – fear of rejection, fear of judgement, fear of criticism.

Don’t let the negative thoughts win

Every time I do a personal branding session with a midlife woman, I adore seeing them relax. Guiding them as they begin to trust the process and start to enjoy the photo session. The truth is, it has nothing to do with the camera and everything to do with the way we view ourselves, how hard we are on ourselves, how self-critical we can be as women. There are lots of examples of branding shoots on the blog.

All the women featured on this blog post told me they were “nervous about the photoshoot,” or they were “unphotogenic.” They said they “hated having their photo taken,” or they “always look terrible in photos.” Afterwards they told me that they enjoyed the shoot far more than they expected. All these fabulous women ended up choosing more images than they expected.

Some of the business women featured here are Claudia who is a celebrant. Sharon who is a leadership coach. Hayley who is a neurodiversity coach and Caroline who is an independent nurse.

If you need images for a business or you would just like some lovely shots of yourself that aren’t phone snaps, please get in touch.

Let’s chat through your ideas and any worries you may have. We can have a coffee in person or over zoom. Get in touch here and we can talk through all the options. Don’t let old stories or worries hold you back.