Why it's time to stop being camera shy

How many times have you turned the other way when someone pointed a camera in your face? Deleted or untagged a photo that you felt wasn’t flattering? Or avoided cameras altogether at parties and events because you hate how you look in pictures?

Turns out you’re not alone if you’re uncomfortable having your photo taken. In fact, new research from Dove reveals over 80 percent of women feel this way — and we’re sure you agree that just sucks.

Here at Chatelaine, we recently spent a day posing for pictures. Going into it, almost every person picked out some detail about herself that she didn’t like (big nose, double chin, bad skin, you name it — we’re so damn critical). And yet as our photographer clicked away, onlookers oohed and aahed over how great everyone looked — proof that nobody else sees the things we just can’t see beyond.

The shots on this page are from our shoot. They’re all completely natural and not retouched. The idea was to help us feel confident in front of the camera. (Strength in numbers, right?!) And the best part? It worked. At the end of the day, nobody focused on the negative stuff. Instead we laughed and joked about the experience and the special moments we’d shared. Because that’s the real beauty of photos: They build and extend our memories.

Now we hope you’ll do the same — and share a real photo of yourself as part of our Camera Proud Challenge. We may even feature your shot in an upcoming issue of the magazine. Go to chatelaine.com/camerashy. Happy snapping!

This month, we also kicked off our annual KindCycle campaign in support of the Canadian Women’s Foundation. Visit kindcycle.ca to find out how you can help change a life with a simple good deed.