Why are students so camera shy?

As a school photographer for the yearbook and Highlander staff, I’ve noticed that much of our student body has become increasingly camera shy.

This has become more and more of an obstacle as I try to focus on getting photos of a wider variety of students, not just the well-known ones like ASB or athletes. It’s important to get a variety of students in the yearbook, otherwise every page is composed of the same students doing different things, when we’re aiming for a mix of students doing unique things.

Some students might be concerned what I or other staff members are taking photos for. The only places the photos taken will end up is on a yearbook page among tens of other photos, or the newspaper. Others might be concerned about how they look in their photo. You don’t need to! People will not look through every photo in the yearbook, they’re primarily looking for themselves, their friends, and their teachers. The yearbook staff won’t intentionally use a bad photo of you. So there’s no need to worry about how you look in the picture. 

Being camera shy is fine, I’m awkward in photos too. But it’s important to get over having your picture taken. There will be many times in your life where your photo will be taken, so pretty please, don’t shy away from the camera.

From a camera subject’s point of view, suddenly seeing someone point a camera at you while you’re chatting with your friends can be awkward.  I get it. The student life photos I take are usually spur of the moment, unless I’m photographing an assembly or lunch activity.  When out and about in the school, I might see a unique photo opportunity. If I come across one, I have to try to take a picture before I miss it. A lot of photos don’t end up being put on a yearbook page because of spacing issues or too many photos.

Instead of becoming flustered and shying away from the camera while giggling with your friends in your shared camera shyness. You could try hitting a silly pose with your friends, or simply giving a smile. You don’t even need to look into the camera for a good photo. For a surprising amount of photos, the people in the photo look better when they’re not looking into the camera.  If anything, just be yourself. You will look amazing.