What to Do When You Hate Having Your Photo Taken (And Still Need a Great Headshot)


You need a headshot. Maybe it's for LinkedIn. Maybe you're starting a new job and your corporate profile demands one. Maybe you're speaking at a conference, and the organizers need a photo for the program. You know logically that a good headshot matters. But the thought of sitting in front of a camera fills you with a particular kind of dread that most people don't talk about.


This isn't vanity. This isn't a confidence problem you can solve by standing straighter or smiling wider. You hate having your photo taken, and you've probably hated it for years—maybe since that awful high school portrait, or that wedding where the photographer made you do the same fake laugh seventeen times, or simply because you've never understood why your face looks nothing like what you see in the mirror when someone points a camera at you.


You're not alone. At Ground Glass Photography in Kent, Washington, we photograph professionals who feel this exact way, and here's what we know for certain: the problem isn't you. It's almost always the process.

Why Photo Sessions Feel Awful (and It's Not Your Fault)


Most photo sessions are built around performance. You sit down, the photographer says "smile," and you're suddenly responsible for producing an expression on demand—like you're performing a trick you've never rehearsed. The pressure is immense. Your face freezes. Your eyes go dead. You end up looking nothing like yourself, which defeats the entire purpose.


This happens because most photography treats subjects as objects to be posed rather than people to be understood. You're positioned, directed, and asked to hold an expression while the camera captures it. The photographer is looking for the shot, not looking at you. That's a fundamentally different thing.


Add to that the self-consciousness that comes with being watched and evaluated, and you're already in a compromised mental state before the shutter ever clicks. Your shoulders tense. Your jaw clenches. Your eyes narrow. None of this is a reflection of who you actually are—it's a reflection of the pressure you're under.


For people who already hate being photographed, this process doesn't feel like an exception. It confirms everything you've always believed: that you simply don't photograph well.

What Happens When You Remove the Pressure


Nicholas Redick, who runs Ground Glass Photography, built this studio specifically for people who don't like being photographed. After more than ten years of making portraits, he noticed a clear pattern: the best photographs came when subjects had stopped performing.


So we designed our process backward from that observation.


There's no "say cheese." There's no holding a smile while we adjust the lighting. There's no performing. Instead, we start with conversation. We're genuinely interested in your work, what brought you here, what matters to you. While you're talking—not trying to look good, just having a conversation—we're quietly working. We notice things. We notice that your eyes change when you talk about the project you're most proud of. We notice the shift in your posture when you're speaking about something real to you. We notice the exact moment you stop thinking about the camera and just exist.


That's when we make the photographs.


This approach sounds simple, but it's the opposite of how most sessions work. We're not trying to extract an expression from you. We're creating conditions where your actual self has space to emerge. That means pacing matters. Genuine direction matters—not "tilt your chin" or "power pose," but actual guidance that helps you feel present rather than policed. And crucially, you don't see your face on the back of the camera throughout the session. That feedback loop—seeing yourself, judging yourself, adjusting yourself—is exactly what creates tension.


By the end of a session at Ground Glass, people often say the same thing: "That didn't feel like I thought it would." Usually they mean it felt less awkward, less performative, more human. The relief is visible.

5 Things That Make a Difference for Camera-Shy People



If you're dreading your upcoming headshot, here are the things that actually matter:


  1. Session pacing and rhythm — A good session doesn't rush. You need time to settle, to remember how to breathe normally, to stop thinking about the camera. Budget at least 30–45 minutes for a headshot session, even though the actual photos might only take 20 of those minutes. The rest is acclimatization.
  2. No real-time feedback during the shoot — Resist the urge (or the photographer's urge) to show you images as you go. Every time you see yourself, you're reminded that you're being evaluated, and your tension returns. Save the review for after the session when you can look at proofs with distance and perspective.
  3. Genuine direction instead of posed direction — "Turn your shoulders left" is instruction. "Tell me about a project you're proud of" is direction. One reminds you that you're being watched; the other invites you to be yourself. Your photographer should be skilled enough to guide your energy, not just your position.
  4. A photographer who sees you, not your surface — This matters more than lighting or equipment. A photographer who has done this work before knows how to read what's happening beneath your expression. They know the difference between the smile you're performing and the one that emerges naturally. They know how to earn that difference.
  5. Permission to feel however you feel — The worst part of hating photos is often the shame that comes with hating photos, especially when everyone around you seems fine with it. A good photographer will make clear that your anxiety isn't an obstacle or a character flaw. It's just information. We work with it, not against it.

What a Session at Ground Glass Actually Looks Like


Here's the practical reality of how we run a headshot session:


You'll arrive about fifteen minutes early. We'll offer you water, coffee, tea—whatever helps you feel settled. There's no immediate posing. We start by talking. We want to know what you do, why you're here, what brings you to this point. For many people who dread this, this opening is the most surprising part: the photographer is genuinely interested in you as a person, not just as a subject to photograph.


Once we're chatting naturally, we'll move to the photography area. You'll sit or stand depending on what works best for your headshot. We'll talk about the lighting, the background, and what we're going for—all of this in plain language, no photography jargon. We're being transparent about what we're doing and why.


Then we'll start. But we're not directing you into positions and holding you there. We're photographing moments. You're talking, thinking, responding to questions or conversation. Our direction is about your presence, not your pose. "Think about a time you solved something for a client" or "Tell me about the work you're most excited about right now." While you're engaged in those thoughts, we're working.


You won't see the back of the camera. You'll have space to exist without constantly monitoring yourself. After about thirty to forty minutes, we'll be done. You'll see the best images later, when you're ready to look at them fresh.


The whole thing is designed to be the opposite of what you're afraid of.

 

You don't have to love being photographed. You just need one good photo. One that looks like you. One that you actually feel okay using.


If you've been putting off a headshot because you hate the process, that's not a reason to skip the photo—it's a reason to book with someone who understands why the process usually feels awful and has built a different one.


Let's talk about your headshot. Book a consultation or session at Ground Glass Photography, and come prepared to have a conversation instead of a performance.