Sometimes you have to be silly...
To get that one sweet & sincere shot...
Sometimes you have to be awkward and cold...
To get the photo you want to frame...
Sometimes you look like a real brat...
When you should've trusted your photographer all along...
And as important as it is to be yourself...
Sometimes it's better to be a prettier version of yourself ;)
A concept I came across was how important it is to trust the person photographing you; this gives you the most authentic and sincere finished photos. They're not going to give you the lazy eye pics, the double chin pics, or the ones where you look like you hate your life (These are usually accidental! See my photos above, Haha). And they would probably tell you "you're welcome" for that simple fact!
We only have these outtakes because Delyn works for the company that shot them... it is NOT normal to get every single photo, and trust me when I say that you probably do not want to see every one. Unless you are physically flawless, they might give you a bit of a complex (eek, this happens almost every time I see a full shoot). And your photographer doesn't want to do that to you! They want to give you as many shots as possible, but they don't want to give you unflattering photos. I could literally start an entire blog series on unflattering photos... please take my word for it, and trust the reasoning behind the few shots that your photographers didn't include from your session. I've had people ask me for "more photos" before, and it is hard for me to not reply "Do you really want a photo with an eye half closed just to say you saw them all?" Nope, didn't think so. I gave you the best of what I took, and would never purposely withhold a great image... I want you to love the photos! And I want you to respect me for not giving you a less than desirable product.
The reason I included these is so you can see the process in getting the amazing shots requires you to stop worrying so much about how you think you look, and letting the professional behind the lens tell you what works and what doesn't. I trust that my husband and his friends would never intentionally post an unflattering photo of me, and you should have the same trust for your photographer. Whatever the occasion may be (wedding day, engagement shoot, family photos) I urge you to stop trying to control and perfect everything... find a photographer you trust, someone who will direct you only as necessary, and will give you the best of the best when presenting his or work to you.