I hate having my photograph taken – it’s pretty much one of the reasons I’m always behind the camera – so I can completely sympathise with my clients who are nervous in front of the camera.
About 6 months ago I started looking at ways to be able to make being photographed easier for my clients; easier to get candid, natural photographs which captured how they were as people in love. I’m fortunate in that one of my friends works with people in terms of dealing with things like phobias – so we began to have a conversation about the ways in which I could give my clients the tools to ignore the camera and focus on themselves and their relationship with their partner.

It was at a wedding which I was photographing when my second photographer mentioned the Beloved Technique. I’d heard about it before but in the way that things roll when you have your own business, I’d filed it away in the mental filing cabinet – and then completely forgotten about it. The following day after the wedding, I began to have a look at this technique, and the more I looked, the more intrigued I became.

The beloved technique is way to capture beautiful natural expressions even with reserved or shy people. The session becomes more of an experience to those being photographed which is solely about them. Rather than looking towards the camera with cheesy smiles it provides a stage for natural photo-journalistic images which are focussed on the couple.
So, it was 6 weeks later that I found myself along with 6 other photographers spending a day with Ria Mishaal – a beloved teacher and photographic artist to find out more about the technique and to also see it being used in a real shoot with a couple.

The morning was spent talking about the principles, sharing experiences and discussing how to incorporate the technique into a range of shooting styles. In the afternoon, the couple, Nicola and Glen joined us so that Ria could demonstrate the technique first hand to us, and then we could also try the techniques for ourselves.

It was a wonderful eye-opening day and for me made me realise how the technique could fit into the ideas I’d already started. As an artist and teacher Ria made everything easy to understand and it was a great day spent with like-minded photographers. It became clear to me that the Beloved technique was the tool-kit I’d been looking for to transform a portrait shoot into an experience that is fundamentally about fun and happiness. The breaking down of barriers and helping couples focus on the other person to show genuine, natural, emotion was to me the key to being about to take more personal photographs which showed my clients at their best.

It was an amazing day with truly lovely people who I now call friends – as well as discovering a technique which will help my clients be themselves.

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