10/11/2025
“Why do you make us walk when you take pictures?”
That’s what one of the guys asked me during HOCO photos. It was a curious question, quietly intelligent. It wasn’t defiant. It was perceptive.
He probably didn’t realize what he was really asking, but I did.
So here’s the answer… for him, and for anyone who’s ever wondered why I ask people to move when I’m photographing them.
When we’re nervous, we stiffen. The sympathetic nervous system kicks in. - fight, flight, freeze, or fawn. - and the body responds. Smiles look forced. Eyes glaze. Shoulders tighten. People freeze and try to “pose right.”
But when we move, even just a simple walk or a bump of the hip to the other person, the tension breaks. Stress releases. We return to ourselves. Movement builds trust. Not just between couples, but between the person and the lens. Between the client and the photographer.
And when that happens, we stop trying to look perfect and start being real.
That’s what I’m after every time. Not performance. Presence.
So yes, I’ll make you walk. I’ll make you move. Not to get a better angle, but to help you get out of your OWN way. To help you show up as YOU. Because that’s the only thing I ever want to photograph.
And to the kid who asked why….keep asking. That single question will serve you more than a thousand right answers ever will.
Keep learning to be your real authentic self everywhere you go.
