Being camera-shy is a common thing for many people, so if you're one of those who feel slightly uncomfortable about getting your picture taken, it's okay! However, there may be some instances (e.g. social events, travelling with friends) where you’ll need to step out of your comfort zone and be in a photo so you can capture memorable moments to look back on.

Some universities may even require you to shoot a video of yourself presenting a report instead of giving a physical one, so you might need to overcome your camera-shyness. Here are a few tips on how to be more confident in front of the camera.

#1. Identify why you’re camera-shy

First of all, be honest with yourself about your refusal to be in photos. Are you self-conscious about your looks? Or perhaps you don’t want to appear vain?

Once you’ve narrowed down the reason you’re camera-shy, you can work on a solution so that you can take pictures easily without worrying what anyone else thinks. Always remember that it’s okay to be happy about the way you look and you shouldn’t let anyone stop you from doing the things that make you happy.

#2. Be positive about the way you look

If you’re self-conscious about your looks, boost your confidence and self-esteem by giving yourself a compliment. Tell yourself you have a warm smile that shows off your reassuring personality or that your hair is looking good today. It may seem a little difficult at first and self-doubt might creep up, but lap up the positivity; you deserve it!

If that doesn’t work, give yourself another reason to be in the photo. Tell yourself that you'd love to have a physical keepsake of your memory with your friends and family and that it doesn’t matter how you look.

#3. Fake it till you make it

While pretending to be someone else is called impersonation and it isn't a good thing to do, in this case, faking it till you make it will help you be in a better, more responsive state of mind that can help you overcome your camera shyness.

Before you get in front of the camera, imagine a role model whose confidence you admire. Channel their personality while saying positive phrases such as "This is going to be a great picture" or "I'm going to conquer this presentation video". Little things like sitting or standing up straight, smiling a little wider, using props... they work!

#4. Pose in front of the mirror

A little practice goes a long way, so prepare yourself to face the camera by doing poses in front of a mirror. Don't fret about pulling off different angles or expressions like a supermodel; the key is to experiment and find your best, most flattering side so you can be more confident when having your picture taken.

If it's a little awkward, make things more fun by blasting cheerful pop music and posing with a friend. Lighting makes a difference too, so play around with photos taken in bright daylight and compare it to dim evening shots.

#5. Take pictures of yourself

Make full use of your smartphone and snap as many selfies as you can. Don't worry about getting the best picture of yourself as a result of your mini shoot; instead, the motivation is to get you used to having a lens capturing your every angle and move.

Later, briefly browse through the photos you’ve taken and pick the ones you like best before deleting the ones you aren't happy with. Remember; no one has to see your selfies! The goal is to overcome your camera shyness and make photo-taking a fun experience, which doesn't make you nervous or anxious.

#6. Be yourself

Ah, that age-old predicament of just "being yourself". As clichéd as it may sound, this statement does work, and it works wonders. After getting yourself used to being in front of a camera and discovering all your best angles, you can now relax and be yourself in front of the camera without worrying about how you’ll look. This will translate to you looking more natural and confident in photos and videos.

These 6 tips will get you started on the right path to overcoming being camera-shy, and hopefully you’ll be more confident when you have to produce a video presentation or take pictures with people. Have tips of your own you’d like to share? Reveal them in the comments below!

Now that you’ve overcome camera shyness, it’s time to fight stage fright with these tips.