I Am That Content Creator Podcast

Ep#88 Camera Confidence for Content Creators: How to Look and Feel Great on Camera with Katie Kaars

• Kristen Werner & Mia Steel • Season 1 • Episode 88

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In this episode of I Am That Content Creator, we’re joined by portrait photographer and camera confidence mentor Katie Kaars. 

While Katie has photographed big names like Rose Byrne and Florence Welch, her true passion lies in helping everyday women feel confident and empowered on camera using just their phone, a little mindset work, and some seriously smart tips.

We dive into how to overcome the fear of showing up on camera, how to use your iPhone to take stunning content without fancy gear, and why connection always wins over perfection. 

If you’ve ever felt awkward taking selfies, hated how you look in photos, or avoided being the face of your brand, this conversation will give you the tools and confidence to finally be seen.

⏱ EPISODE TIMELINE

[2:17] | Why connection matters more than perfect content
[5:36] | How Katie’s journey started with her grandfather’s love of photography
 [7:20] | The shift from hiding behind the lens to becoming the face of the brand
 [10:22] | Why raw, real content works better than curated perfection
 [13:57] | Letting go of old-school posing rules and embracing your real self
 [16:05] | What Katie learned from photographing high-profile women
 [19:40] | Simple mindset mantras to help you show up consistently
 [24:20] | Katie’s viral moment and why numbers don’t always matter
 [30:19] | Four practical tips to look better in photos without filters
 [34:31] | iPhone settings and angles that elevate your content instantly
 [36:55] | Posing advice for real bodies at every stage of life
 [40:26] | How creating content can be healing and build confidence

If this episode gave you the confidence to show up and be seen, don’t forget to follow the podcast, leave a rating and review, and share it with a fellow creator who needs a push. 

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Speaker 1:

Are you ready to master the art of creating content that converts? Hey, I'm Mia, a mum of two who went from being a burnt out ambo to six-figure content creator in less than a year, all while navigating a late ADHD diagnosis.

Speaker 2:

And I'm Kristen, also a mum of two and a former corporate branding queen, turned entrepreneur.

Speaker 1:

My dyslexic brain sees marketing very differently, and that's my superpower, and together we're showing women like you how to master video marketing and create content that generates income, whether you're just starting out or ready to scale we are breaking down everything from landing brand deals to building your own empire.

Speaker 1:

Welcome to. I Am that Content Creator podcast where we turn scroll stopping content into serious income. No filters, no fluff, just real strategies from two neurodivergent mums who get it. So let's turn your phone into a video marketing machine and let's go, let's go, guys, be professional guys. I'm going in Okay there's that intro done.

Speaker 2:

Welcome to the I Am that Content Creator podcast. We're cutting through the noise to show you exactly how to create scroll-stopping content, land premium brand deals and build a thriving online business. No beers, just proven strategies. And today we are bringing you such a cracking episode. But Katie Kars come into our membership and share with so much generosity, her skill set around how to show up confidently on camera and how to use your iPhone as one of the greatest tools you can have to do so. She opened up some tips around what settings to use on your iPhone and, yes, she does really use an iPhone. So, if you're into Androids, still an incredible. Listen Some of the women she has worked with.

Speaker 2:

She dropped some names, like Elle Macpherson, katie Tunstall, like there's some name dropping going on. We were just so honored to have her. I met her online, as always, but you're going to hear the full story today. Take some notes, listen up. This was a masterclass we had for our Hive members inside the Hive Hub Collective, so you're just getting a little bit of a taste of what goes on inside our membership some of the mentors and incredible women that we discuss incredible topics with. So I hope you enjoy today's episode. Buckle in and let's go.

Speaker 1:

Like me and I, we've never met in person because we meet online all these incredible people in our world, which I absolutely love. Katie was someone that I think I came across you when I first started kind of TikTok and connected there and just loved what you stood for and your story and what you were doing in terms of helping people really build that confidence on camera and show up and things like that.

Speaker 3:

Firstly, I just really want to say thank you to Kristen. I came across her on TikTok as well and she changed my life because she did actually. She talked about Stan's store and giving out a freebie and I did both of those after just watching her on TikTok and I'm part of the collective hive at all. So, and also, thank you so much for your amazing words. Yesterday I had loads of feedback from my followers resharing what you were saying about me and I was like I was really flattered. So it's really nice to hear that I am resonating, not just in my brain, I'm actually resonating with other people. I mean, I know I do resonate, but sometimes you can't help but second guess yourself and think what am I doing at all? But I think that's just what being an entrepreneur or being a freelancer is like. You just sometimes go, why am I doing this? Again, a little bit about me. Yes, my name is Katie Kars, although that's not my real name. My name is Catherine and don't ever call me Catherine. I was named after my grandmother and I've always been Katie Kars. It just rings really well. My mother-in-law absolutely hated the fact that I didn't take my husband's last name and it was probably her dying wish that I did and I still haven't.

Speaker 3:

I grew up in Sydney, in a very privileged part of the city. I first came across photography through my grandfather. He was an engineer. He was an engineer for World War II planes. He wanted to fly planes but he had a heart murmur so he wasn't allowed to do it. But he was always good with making things and tinkering with things and so he ended up, you know, looking after war planes. But he was also very interested in photography and there are some beautiful photos of him in Panama actually, where America's trying to take over or something, and he would, yeah, look after planes. But there are these beautiful portraits he would take of himself in mirrors and I just, he was the catalyst. He had this little thing called a box brownie and he had these beautiful little black and white photos and as a child I remember thinking this is just such a beautiful thing. So that's where my passion for photography first started.

Speaker 3:

My first role of film was in high school. It was completely blank. I still have no idea what I did, but I don't care, because there was something about photography for me which was a way for me to get to more people, a way for me to just be like a bit nosier than I already am. My husband says that I'm really nosy. It was just, and also I really liked light. I wasn't good at anything else, so this was just the best thing for me. I guess Started out taking photos of friends and family and photos on beaches and old cars and all sorts of random things, and I quickly realized I really loved people and people were my passion, and so I was just trying to take as many photos as possible of others.

Speaker 3:

And I think another catalyst to me becoming a photographer was my sister was a performer. She was in front of the camera, she was in she'd camera, she was in, she'd been in movies, she'd been an actress, she'd been a model and I felt like she was a great muse for me. So and I my purpose was to document her, her journey. So, and I also just never liked having my photo taken I always so many photos of me, even in my 20s as a photography and assistant, just standing there like a grumpy you know what just hating seeing what I would see, you know, on the polaroids or or later on it. Just I felt very uncomfortable and very awkward and not like I deserve to be in front of the camera, and I think that's how and why I decided to put myself in front of the camera, because I felt like other people probably felt the same way as me, and that's how my social media journey started. Really, I have photographed people from Florence and the Machine to Peter Andre to Katie Tunsell. I've photographed so many Rose Byrne, so many amazing people in my time.

Speaker 3:

But once I moved back to Sydney, I realised that there wasn't.

Speaker 3:

I lived in London for a long time.

Speaker 3:

I realised there wasn't enough of that kind of work here for me and having children, I needed to sort of shift how I was going to be a photographer, and so what I did was I started sharing my tips and tricks on social media instead of hiding behind my product, which I think a lot of entrepreneurs tend to do, and I know there are people out there that manage to create a really strong brand without showing up on camera.

Speaker 3:

But I found that whenever I put a photo of myself on my socials, I would get the most engagement, and I realized that if anyone's going to sell myself, it was going to be me. So that's how I started giving tips and tricks which I had been teaching myself, which I had experienced. For you know, 20 years behind the camera, I started teaching myself how to be comfortable and confident in front of the camera and to forget about the fact that you know I might not like it, things about myself, but other people don't see those things that you don't like. They just see you for you. And being able to show up authentically and really just own how I am as the person has really helped my business and my self-esteem and my self-confidence and my understanding of myself.

Speaker 1:

I was going to say did you find that when you worked with kind of those famous people or those bigger names, did you find that they have the same potential insecurities that you and I have of the world when we show up on camera for photos and things like that? Did you find that was the same or it was a bit different?

Speaker 3:

It depends on how you're photographing. But one person that really comes to mind is like there are some people who don't care, like Florence from Florence and the Machine, she's very sure of herself, she's very like confident in how she is. She sort of just doesn't care, and so she would be very out there and you know, she brought her own clothes. She just didn't. She's just like fly by the seat of a pants type person. But then Rose Byrne, for example, she's a very serious person and very quiet and she didn't want to smile. It didn't matter how many jokes or how I tried to get that smile out of her. She didn't want to have a laughing, smiling shot. And so to me that shows like how insecure or how uncomfortable she feels in front of the camera. So I think it's not just you know, you and I that feel that way. They feel that way. It's just that they've done it more. So they experience it over and over again.

Speaker 3:

And that's why I always say to people practice, it won't make it perfect, but it will make it easier. The more you do it, the easier it'll get. It'll never be perfect. You'll always find something that's wrong with you. Know that latest self-portrait or that latest reel that you've created, or it's never going to be perfect, but people don't want perfection. They just want you to be yourself and try and just show that. And that's what I've tried to do, as much as I possibly can, without showing my family, because I'm very conscious that I've got two young children and a husband and they don't want any part of this. I love it, but they don't. I would never put them. I mean, occasionally I make my husband do things with me and he hates it.

Speaker 1:

And that's why we love UGC too, because it's not supposed to be perfect. It's supposed to be real and authentic and raw. I think a lot of creators get caught up in their head like, oh, the editing's not perfect and I don't look a certain way and my house isn't aesthetic but people don't want that.

Speaker 3:

No, no one cares. Like I do most of it in here Like hardly ever change. I follow all these other social media people and they say, oh, you should do it in your car and stuff. And I'm like, I don't think about doing in my car, I just do it Like when I think, oh, I need to. I've got something I really need to say right now and it's going to happen now. And that's another thing.

Speaker 3:

For me is some people like to plan things out and, you know, have a specific idea about what they might need to talk about, but for me, it's very, it's spontaneous. So that's what, how I keep it as authentic and as real as I possibly can, because it's just how I'm feeling at the time and it's something that might light me up or a pain point that I've come across with a client I hate having their photo taken, hate showing up in front of the camera. But I can promise you, once you start practicing, you are going to completely change the way you see yourself and the way you show up online. The more you do it, the easier it's going to get and it's going to feel good after a while You're going to. I don't know, have you found that as well, kristen and me? I'm like the more you do it, the better it feels, the more in the flow you get with it. It doesn't matter if you're creating a speaking to camera content or if you are creating a photo of yourself. The more you do it, the easier it sort of gets. So and I want to empower as many people as possible to get in front of the camera and to really actually kind of enjoy seeing their photo. That is my ultimate aim.

Speaker 3:

So camera shyness there's so much fear around having a camera pointed at our faces and I think that's a hangover from I'm Gen X, x, so my mum used to take so long to take a photo and you know the school photos. We're all sort of. We didn't grow up with what our kids have grown up with, where they've had this powerful iPhone in their back pocket that can create fabulous images in the click of a button, all through AI. It's there's, there's no. There's light traveling through a lens, but there's no, there's no sensor, it's all AI. It goes into the lens and it's AI generated, basically the f-stops, all that kind of stuff. This we've been using AI for such a long time. When people say they're scared of AI. I'm like it's been in this camera forever. That's how they made this camera so good.

Speaker 3:

So I think understanding your fear and understanding why that was a big thing for me. So I realized that my mom would take a really long time. She's a perfectionist. It was a film camera, so the light meter had to be in the middle and the focus had to be perfect. And she's looking through and so you're standing there as a kid like this.

Speaker 3:

That's a hangover. That's a hangover and so that, to me, just forget about that past, shake that off. That's no longer. That's not how digital photography works. Digital photography allows you to move, be flexible, create shapes, create a bend in your arm. You don't need to stand still and look straight down the camera. So once you've let go of that sort of fear of like I've got to stare straight down the camera and I've got to smile like this for as long as possible in order to get it right, that's where we're going wrong. We're not robots, we're humans. So understanding if you're letting go that's the past. Now we've got these amazing devices that we can all use, that we all have access to.

Speaker 3:

It's not the same Embracing your uniqueness. I think this is really important. So many people say they just like I don't like this about myself, I don't like my, I don't like this about myself, I don't like that about myself. Embrace those things of yourself. It's easier said than done, but I have found it to be a healing process for myself. Look, I know I'm. I'm not hard to look at, but I always just thought I was a bit awkward. I've realized that the awkwardness came from not letting go and not just being very present, and so letting go and just being really present has helped me to show up as authentically as I possibly can and to be able to create as many unique, different images of myself and express myself in the ways that I like to, whether it's through clothing, hair and makeup. All that kind of stuff makes such a big difference in you know how your final image or how your images are going to come out.

Speaker 3:

Practice I've talked about practice so much. I mean you can practice standing in the mirror and looking at your body and how you pose. But I really highly suggest that and you all probably own one of these is getting a Bluetooth selfie stick. Practicing that way, because actually taking photos of yourself, you learn stuff about yourself learning how to stand, learning where to look, learning what side of your face you like better. You know this is just down to practice. The more photos you take, the easier it gets Like. I know that this is my favorite side of the face. I always sort of point this towards the lens. I know that I don't like to look too big through the waist, so I always sort of lean forward into the camera and I push my bum back. So that all came down to just practice. I'd seen all these models like Elle Macpherson and all these huge models that I've worked with in my time as an assistant mainly how they would pose, and I was like, wow, okay, I see what you're doing and I'm going to try that.

Speaker 3:

Making movements, leaning into the camera, extending your chin out, that's all down to practice. And so many people write to me and say, oh, how do I make movements? Just make little micro movements, whether it's looking around, looking back to the camera. Be loose, don't be tense. That's how I. That's why I was so awkward, because I was just staring straight down the corner. Wear something fabulous.

Speaker 3:

Oh, my favorite time to create a great portrait of myself is when, before I'm going out somewhere nice, I get dressed a little bit earlier. My husband's like I'm not going out for two hours and I'll be like I need to do a photo shoot. This takes a long time to get ready and then I, you know, I go off and I take all my photos and I've got content for later, you know. And then I go out and I enjoy myself wherever I might be going. So it's a great time to do it, because you're feeling your best, you've got your best outfit on, you've done your hair and makeup, you know where you're going to take your photos. My neighbours think I'm quite strange because there's like this beautiful green wall that I'm quite often standing behind, like to go, like I'm like what the hell is this woman doing? Walk past me with their dogs. It's like, yeah, right.

Speaker 1:

That's a confident thing too, doing it in front of other people, like out in public. I struggle with that so badly, I think.

Speaker 3:

I mean, I think that's just down to just not caring. You've just got to let that go. And that comes with practice. It really does, yes. So that's my number one tip If you are engaging with a photographer, make sure you are talking to them.

Speaker 3:

So many people might engage with a photographer and then they would just not talk or they'd go silent, and that's because they're so up here, because they're so worried about having their photo taken or how they're feeling. A lot of it does come down to the photographer that they're going to work with. So make sure you choose your photographer wisely. Make sure there's someone that you know that you can connect with and feel comfortable with it's. Once you've found that right person, you should keep them in your cohort forever. You know I have a lot of repeat clients where I will shoot for them. I'll shoot for their brand and I'll shoot reels for them, and they keep coming back to me because we have a good rapport. I know what they like. They feel comfortable having their photo taken and you know they're people just like me in their 40s, never liked having their photo taken, pick on themselves about the things that I don't like about themselves, feel really awkward in front of the camera, but they know from me I'm going to be able to tell them what to do and help them feel really comfortable.

Speaker 3:

Focus on the moment. This is my big thing. I would quite often stand in front of my camera and be a million miles away and you could tell by. You could just tell by my eyes like she's not concentrating. Really think about putting, placing your feet on the ground and being really available. I know it's so hard these days. Our brains are like constantly going. There's so much going on. But be in in the moment, be there, know that you're doing. Keep on saying you know I deserve to be seen, I'm worthy, I'm doing this for a good cause. You know, just whatever mantra might come into your mind, that is just. My mantra was I deserve to be seen. Because I always felt like I didn't deserve to be seen. I thought it was all about my sister. You know, know, everyone used to fawn over her and you know it's gorgeous, but it's like she's not that good it's like her now.

Speaker 3:

It's like her now and, you know, celebrate the journey it's going to be. The first shot is always the hardest. It's always the most awkward. Whenever I'm working with someone, the first thing I do a new person is I work out which side of their face we like best and then we start shooting together. The reason being is it just takes out a little bit of time at the beginning and it's like a warm-up exercise. So having that at the beginning of a session is a great idea.

Speaker 3:

So if you are engaging with a photographer, try and work out which side of your face you prefer, you know, and just tell them I'm going to make little movements, I'm going to try and be as authentically me, and that might mean thinking of something silly, thinking of something serious. If you want to look serious, you know all of those emotions they read through your eyes. So thinking about those things are really important. If you want to look like the boss, keep on saying I'm the boss, I'm the boss, and you're looking straight down the lens, I'm the boss. Or you want to be the boss, I'm the boss. Just, you know, owning those phrases makes they go such a long way. I cannot begin to tell you the potential that it has for you to show up on camera and I know you guys are always talking about this, mia and Kristen and being able to show up authentically as yourself is a game changer, and some of you may already be able to do this with no problem at all, and some of you may be struggling with this, but the sooner you can take photos of yourself and put yourself out there, the easier it's going to get. So there's no wrong time to start. Starting now is a great time to start, even if it's just that one selfie you're going to take today. Take one selfie today, take two tomorrow, take three the next day and just build it up. It's like flexing a muscle. So it's been amazing for me because my opportunities have grown. Yeah, so trust I have so much more trust from my clients because they see me.

Speaker 3:

Before I was hiding behind my portfolio and, as great as my images are, I guess I got a bit lost about how I could speak about my portfolio. So turning up and showing photos of myself and that's how it started was I was just taking portraits of myself and putting portraits up and talking about myself. I wasn't really talking about the posing or how to show up on camera. That's how my engagement went up. I mean, you guys probably find this as well.

Speaker 3:

You probably hid behind your products for quite a long time and you both realize that the more you put yourself out there, the the more you've got clients coming to you because they know who they're buying from. They've got this parasocial relationship with you and it works. It really works, and no one's you. You're selling. You Put yourself out there. Your Instagram bio should be a photo of yourself. You should have lots of photos of yourself on your website. You should be creating reels and talking about yourself, and you know whether that brings back into your real life experiences, brings back into the product you're selling or the service you're selling. You've got to be doing it, and the more you do it, the easier it's going to get. Look, and to start off with the first few times that I was recording TikToks, I was terrible and I hated them, but you know it gets easier as you go along, doesn't it?

Speaker 1:

For sure. Yeah, and I was the same too Before I did UGC. I was hiding behind. I would come up with these business ideas and have the product, but I wouldn't put my face on social media, no way. It would just be photos of the product or what have you, and the logo as the picture. But the minute I put myself out there with UGC, everything just exploded. The opportunity just fell in my lap.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, that's amazing, so good, and you know it's connection. People want to see connection. So, yeah, in 2020, I don't know, something went nuts. One image, one video went absolutely nuts. It was watched, I had 900 followers and then I grew to 100. It went to 195, and then all the bots get cleared out and it's now at 176,000.

Speaker 3:

Now you don't really want to go viral anymore. You really want to just find your cohort, because a lot of my followers on Instagram are actually in America and that doesn't help me, because people need to see me one-on-one, although I do offer coaching courses for a lot of those people where I have a Zoom session, courses for a lot of those people where I have, you know, a Zoom session. But really I want a high value ticket item, which is someone that lives in Sydney or in Australia who wants to shoot with me and create reels with me. So going viral is not the aim. The numbers don't matter. Don't get stuck on numbers. Get stuck on, you know, reaching the right people and resonating with the right people. This is this image here of me 4,000 likes, because one image of me Like that is just that's nuts. You know, like that's how many people saw that image. So that's what I mean. Like, whereas you know here's a client, it's got 120 likes. So see the disparity. Like this is a portrait client and this is me.

Speaker 1:

I think what's so interesting is that particular photo. It's got its own story. Like you already feel connected to you because of that photo. Like there's something in there that is intriguing and curious and kind of exciting in a way for someone to see and I think that you know from looking at it straight away who is this Like. It breeds that curiosity and intrigue.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, definitely, definitely. I mean, it was me basically complaining about how, where is everyone? And I try so hard and where is everyone? Basically, you, you know, the algorithm's always changing and it can be really frustrating because you, you know, you grow to this huge amount of numbers and then you don't get any engagement and this is this is the result I get. So the proof is in the pudding the more you show up, the more engagement and, you know, hopefully, the more clients you get.

Speaker 3:

That's the one that went viral, and that was me answering a question on TikTok. Yeah, right, I reposted on Instagram. I mainly I used to do separate videos, tiktok and Instagram but then I was like, why am I doing this twice? It is a lot. I felt like Instagram needed prettier, sort of you know, and it's fine, it it does. But then I was like I'm just gonna pick off what I get from TikTok, which I think is going to do okay, and then I'm going to put it on Instagram. Yeah, it just, it obviously got pushed out by the algorithm.

Speaker 3:

So I'll never forget it was my mum's 50th birthday. I was away with my brother and sister and my mum and dad Opened my phone after a two-hour birthday lunch with my family and I'd grown from 900 to 10,000. Wow, I remember saying to my brother what is this? He goes oh mate, you've been hacked. And I was like, okay, and then I put my phone away. I think I'm playing beach cricket at this stage and um, and then later that night I checked and I was up to 30,000.

Speaker 1:

So and it just kept on growing yeah, I just hit a big pain point here for people and I don't even think it's like my best video.

Speaker 3:

I've tried to make it better over time, but for some reason that one just really resonated. But you know what the algorithm's like? It's always combing. The next big thing.

Speaker 1:

That's great.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, so that's how to smile if you don't know how to smile. And my next big one was this one has been watched 2 million times and this is just how to shoot a portrait on your iPhone. So I thought I'd just show you all the ones that have been quite popular. But you know, like 2.5 million times. I think it's about the information more than it is about how I'm actually speaking. I think there's definitely got to be a cadence. You've got to be very quick in delivering your information. Make it really bite-sized. Don't overcomplicate it, like I've done. You know long five-minute videos on TikTok and, like no one watches them, everyone gets bored. I must be boring after five minutes. I think we all are, I think with Instagram. Keep it under 30 seconds. Make it really quick, make it really snappy and, like I said, studio mode on your portrait, in your portrait setting. Find some nice light, move your face around, take some photos. You don't need any equipment. You don't need all these people like you need a ring light. You need a bluetooth selfie remote. You don't, although they're handy to have. Don't waste your money on a ring light. I actually think they're a complete waste of money. Find a nice window, find some nice light and just play okay, this one's opposing video. This is another one that has been watched two million times. Um, okay, and this is another one which has been watched one one times. So another good one, and I think this is a good tip as well.

Speaker 3:

I know I wanted to. I always used to take photos of myself and think, oh, I look absolutely terrible in that photo. But you know what I've taught myself how to be more photogenic, and this is how you do it. One, when you are having a photo taken, you've got to be in the right mindset. If you're not in the right mindset, you're not going to get a beautiful photo of yourself. Two, make sure you present yourself like you're going out on a first date or you're going somewhere special and you want to look nice. Three, make sure you light yourself up. If you are taking your own selfies at home and you want to look more photogenic and your lighting is terrible, you're not going to look great. Make sure you know how to light yourself properly. Choose a big window or choose some shaded light and, lastly, smile. Enjoy the process, keep moving, keep engaging with the camera, take as many photos as you want, because you know what, especially if you're doing it at home, you can delete them.

Speaker 3:

So what are you waiting for? If you don't know me, my name is Katie Kikas. I'm a portrait photographer and I have been for 20 years and I want you to look fabulous and look photogenic in every photo. So, yeah, you get the vibe. So what are you waiting for? There's nothing to wait for. Warm up your fingers to and get into it. Like it doesn't have to be perfect, like I said, just do it. Do it for your brand, you know. Make it messy, make it neat, do whatever you feel is right for you, because I really think that the more you do it, the easier it gets. Love it.

Speaker 1:

Right, so you do reels as well. So you go out on scene somewhere and just capture all the B-roll and stuff for people as well.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, somewhere and just capture all the b-roll and stuff for people as well. Yeah so, and also, if you want a coaching call, I can coach you if you still feel really awkward.

Speaker 1:

I was going to say I know you put it on portrait mode and the studio lighting any other camera settings that you like to play around with f-stops if no one knows where the f-stops are.

Speaker 3:

An f-stop there's ai in here but an f-stop will just give you a lower depth of field behind you. So if you've got a really busy background, you want to blow that out because you want to be the focus of your image, and so you just need to play around with it. So you need to go into portrait mode. I already look better on my own phone. Look at that. There you go and then at the top here see that number.

Speaker 3:

That's your f-stop it's a little f yeah, and then there's a little dial there and you can dial it down or dial it up and you can just see how much focus is happening in the background. Well, that doesn't really work for me clever so that's, that's ai.

Speaker 3:

That's not. There's not a real lens in there, so play around with that. I like studio light. I just look younger in it not that there's anything wrong with looking old, but I like to look young and fresh and as hot as possible. It's all about my self-confidence and like don't be ashamed of that either. You know, like I used to say, I'm filter-free, but I'm not ashamed to say that I do actually use studio lights, my favorite one. There's something about this changes, brightens it up a bit doesn't.

Speaker 3:

It makes your skin look really good. So, um, right, there are loads of. You can do contour light as well, which is quite intense it'll. It'll make it even darker around around your head. I'm not really into that. It's a bit too full-on for me, but you know, just play. Another really good tip is to turn your phone upside down and take selfies of yourself upside down. Um, use your front camera. You'll just find that your eyes look bigger and brighter. It It'll change the shape of your face. So, holding your camera upside down, it should stay that way. Some new cameras aren't doing this for some reason. Some of the new ones aren't doing this, but you'll see that you look different. Your eyes will look I don't know brighter, I don't know. It's a nice look, so have a play with that, if that works.

Speaker 1:

I found that too, when we's a nice look, so have a play with that. I think that works. I found that too when we were on our we did a caravan trip around Australia and I took a lot of photos with my phone, upside down, kind of like close up ones, and I don't know what it does to it. It just makes it more depthy or something. I don't know what it does, but it.

Speaker 3:

The shape of the lens, the way the lens is in the front camera, so that's AI. So I had a one-on-one with one of the Apple techs and I was taking photos of myself like this. He's like, oh, you do that too. And I was like, yeah, I don't know why, I just look better. And he's like, yeah, it's the way the tech is shaped, because it's so high up here.

Speaker 1:

It's got a different shape to it, so that's why you look different. I wonder if it works for video as well. You want me to set it down. It does.

Speaker 3:

I was gonna ask if there's any video kind of settings that you'd recommend, especially for our creators that are doing ugc and things like that, even reels yes, so I like to use um cinematic, and cinematic is like using portrait mode, so there's a cinematic option, and the reason why is because you have your f-stops as well.

Speaker 1:

I have an iPhone 12. I've got an ancient one.

Speaker 3:

So there's f-stops at the top here so you can change your f-stop. So I'm on f-point 2. So it's going to change the level of focus behind you. Depth of field is about focus, so you want you want to be the main focus, especially if you're speaking to camera. I say for reals I try as much as possible to use this camera. You've talked to part of your camera. The reason why that it's. This is like the best kind of glass you can buy in a camera in the world, like it's a Carl Zeiss they use like the best technology. This is why I don't talk about any other phone Carl Zeiss lens. So it's amazing glass. The clarity is so much better than using your front camera. And if you can practice doing that like I don't have any fancy tech you can plug it into your computer and see if you're in line and all the rest of it. I just have a mirror so I can see the reflection in the phone. I can see if I'm in shot. That's all I do, yeah.

Speaker 1:

I find it's a hard habit to get into because I'm just so used to just looking at myself, so you get into that habit of setting it up.

Speaker 3:

But yeah, it's just so much clearer, isn't it? Yeah, yeah, and you can also shoot your portraits that way as well. You've just got to stand a long way back. You can't use your arm. You've got to use a Bluetooth remote in order to shoot your portraits using your back camera. But cinematic for video most definitely is going to give you the nicest look. I think you sort of get it in your own head. It's the same with taking photos of yourself you get into your own head. You know, I always just thought, no, I can't be in front of the camera. I'm like, no, I'm awkward, I look weird, you know. And so I had to just let that go and just try and look.

Speaker 1:

The first few times it was average, but the more more I did it, the easier it got if you've got any questions, I'm sure you can jump into Katie's DMs and drop them in there if you're, if you're creating and you've got any questions. I don't know. And I think you know you've clarified in terms of you've just got to get uncomfortable and just do it.

Speaker 2:

But do you?

Speaker 1:

have anything for? You know, those of us women that are perimenopausal that now we've got stomachs that we didn't have before or we've got like do you have anything that like the leaning over, that you can give us suggestions of how we can take some better full body images that are just a little bit more comfortable? Maybe?

Speaker 3:

Yes, I'd demonstrate, please do so. When I was in the UK I lived there for quite a long time I used to work for loads of women's magazines and it became a thing to shoot plus-sized models and they were like size 12. I hated it. They were plus-sized compared to the size 6-0 waifs that we were shooting before that and I really workshopped with a lot of these models and like, although they weren't even that big, but and some of them were maybe the one thing that really would help them is creating shape with your legs.

Speaker 3:

So things like, you know, using pockets and I don't know, you're probably my legs, but, uh, bending your legs, leaning in, turning to the side, you know, leaning in, that kind of thing is going to help, but it's all about just playing because everyone's body is different. So, although I can go in and I can say to these models I'll stand like this, stand like that, it might not work for every single girl that's bigger or wants to hide something. If you don't feel confident about your middle section, sit down. Sit down and lean into the camera. You're just going to sit on a chair and you're going to lean into the camera like this. You're hiding your belly. No one can see your belly. And look, no one's looking at your belly.

Speaker 1:

That's it yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 3:

No one's looking. Everyone feels the same way about their body. They've got something that about their body or their face you don't like. No one's looking at that.

Speaker 1:

They're just looking at you and wanting to get to know you and even, like you said before, if you're in the moment, it's the joy in your eyes, it's's the joy in your smile. That's what they're looking at, is kind of, if you're opening up to the camera and letting people in that way, that's what people are connecting with, is that look into your eyes and your soul and all kinds of things like that. If you're in your moment, like you said, then that's going to be key to getting that connection with people. When they actually see your photo and they scroll past it. That's the bit that keeps them and that gets to know you.

Speaker 3:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 3:

Take a great portrait of your face, write something that means something to you and that's what's going to make that person stop and that's what's going to make them go. I want to follow this person because I feel the same way as them. Talk about your feelings. Don't talk about you know something that doesn't relate to you. Talk about something that means a lot to you, be personal, be open and be vulnerable, and that's how your authenticity will show through.

Speaker 3:

I think it's good to video yourself just doing things, definitely, and that's something like you could video yourself just on your computer. I know Kristen does that. I've seen her do that. I do videos of me taking photos. You know. Videos of you in action, I think is also a great way for you to realize what looks good and what you like and what you can tolerate putting out there. Like I said, it's all about. It's a bit of exposure therapy to yourself, seeing yourself in a still image. It's like the more you do it, the easier it gets. I mean I call it exposure therapy. I don't know if that's a thing, but the more you see it, the more you get used to it. And same with video. I hated my voice when I first started off and then I realized this is my voice, can't I? You know you get over it.

Speaker 1:

It's sort of an ego thing. Do you want to not open yourself up to all these beautiful opportunities just because you don't want people to look at you, or you just get past that and things just?

Speaker 3:

yeah, yeah it is. It's definitely been a bit of healing for me as well, like you know. Yeah, it's, it's been a journey.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah. I think content creation is like that. You learn about yourself. And I'll just throw Bettina's comment there about the trolls they're always going to be there, no matter what you do.

Speaker 3:

There's so many of them.

Speaker 1:

It's the best person in the world and they would have something to say.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, and the thing is is that that's just their shit? They and the thing is, that's just their shit. They're talking about you, so you win, throw me all you want, but you're still talking about me. Sometimes I write back going. Thank you for your comment. I really appreciate the time you took here.

Speaker 1:

I've taken time out of their life for whatever reason, and that's healthy. So whatever that drives my engagement up, keep commenting.

Speaker 3:

Well, katie we won't take up any more of your time. Thank you so much for joining us. It's been an absolute pleasure. Can't wait to see your selfies. Please dm me. We will thank you, kristin, and I'm so glad we managed to make this work pleasure.