An important thing that makes a social media influencer successful is having a great on-screen presence.
Many of us may have what it takes to be Instagram influencers, but often, we become camera conscious, which discourages us from doing it.
Being camera conscious stems from low assertiveness, social anxiety, or feeling self-conscious in public. A camera conscious person can become nervous, awkward, or tongue-tied on screen, which translates to them not being able to present and focus.
Getting over this and learning how to speak confidently on camera is a work in progress and is something you have to consciously do until it happens naturally.
We spoke to Natasha Patel, an Instagram influencer and the Deputy Features Director at MissMalini Entertainment, who shared some easy hacks on how to be confident in front of the camera.
7 ways to gain camera confidence on Instagram
Many people feel camera shy because they don’t see themselves as the ‘ideal’ social media influencer they usually come across. But a good way to get camera friendly is to start slow.
Taking things one day at a time can help relieve anxiety and build the courage to become more camera confident.
Before we get into building your camera confidence, here are four steps for beginners to create their social influence on Instagram:
Step 1: Take a selfie and add some text over in relation to what you’d like to convey to your audience. Once you become comfortable with that,
Step 2: Take a boomerang with a facial expression, again in relation to the message you’re conveying. It can even be just to express the mood you’re in that day.
Step 3: Slowly start progressing to a video without saying anything, just with action shots, like you would a tutorial with music in the background.
Step 4: Once you’re comfortable with all these formats, try talking for those 15 seconds on your Instagram Story and gradually build that camera confidence and start your influencer journey.
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Some best practices to follow are:
- Know that it’s normal to fumble on camera. Even the best actors do! Simply retake the clip or brush it off – the more relatable you are on camera, the more your audience will be drawn to you.
- Get your photographer friend to help you. This will allow you to let your guard down, and you’ll be able to ease into the shoot.
- Don’t memorise every line. Learn the concept and not the script, so you can speak in your own tonality, words, and gestures while keeping it real.
- Practice. Whether in front of the camera or the mirror or your mom, make sure you’re comfortable to speak confidently on camera.
- Be comfortable. Try not to wear clothes that restrict or distract you from putting your point across. Pick something that is your go-to and something you feel at ease wearing.
- Slow down while talking. Sometimes, our brains work faster than our mouths. But it’s very important to take in that information, calmly sort through it, and slowly get your point across when the camera is on.
- Just be yourself. This one’s most important! The more natural you are, the easier it will be for your content to flow. Even if you fumble, don’t take yourself too seriously. You can use your hands while talking or twirl your hair. Do anything that makes you feel comfortable and less camera conscious.
Just by following these steps consistently, you’ll be well on your way to becoming an Instagram influencer! The camera is not your enemy – the more you practice, the more comfortable and less camera conscious you will become. So, take out your phone and start shooting!
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