Arriving before the camera comes up

Most people arrive to a session thinking they need to be ready.

Ready to smile.
Ready to pose.
Ready to know what to do.

But the truth is, nothing meaningful happens the moment the camera comes up.

It happens before.

Before anyone adjusts their posture.
Before the directions.
Before the awareness of being seen sets in.

That’s why I don’t begin by photographing.

I begin by giving people time.

Time to step into the space.
Time to breathe.
Time to let the nervous energy soften into something quieter.

This is usually the moment people realize they don’t have to perform.

There’s no rush to be confident.
No pressure to get it right.
No expectation to arrive as anything other than yourself.

The camera waits.

I watch how someone settles.
Where their comfort lives.
What feels natural before it feels rehearsed.

When the camera finally comes up, it’s not interrupting the moment — it’s responding to it.

That’s how the story begins.

Not with readiness —
but with arrival.