Facing camera for the first time as a mom blogger can be quite overwhelming. The way the blogging trends are unfolding there is an increasing need to integrate various visual media to reach out to a larger section of the audience.
And hence we need to talk about the apprehensions, & the fears related to making videos and also the skills and the expertise of making it all work in the video formats on Facebook Live, Instagram Stories, YouTube, etc.
So here, I will talk about the strategies that I learned before I ventured into the Vlogging space. These are also the tips that have worked beautifully for me to get me comfortable in front of the camera.
Facing camera for the first time as a mom blogger
Videos help mom bloggers to connect with their audiences on a more explicitly visual medium. While some mom bloggers think videos, help them express their creativity better, and connect better with their audiences too, some still choose to blog in a more traditional way by writing for their creative freedom.
However, what I feel is that as mom bloggers what works the best for me is a beautiful amalgamation of both mediums. Blogs & Vlogs together help me reach & connect with my readers better.
So if you are also one of the mom bloggers who feel it is now time to venture into Vlogging & start making videos, keep glued because we are sharing some great tips to help you face the camera the first time in this post.
And if you are someone who is sold on the idea of videos but still want some more info on how to use Youtube videos to help your blog, then head here and read this.
Top 20 Tips to Face the Camera Confidently
| 1. Being nervous in front of the Camera is Perfectly Natural |
| 2. Wear something comfortable & bright |
| 3. Choose your topics well for making the videos |
| 4. Don’t be in a rush to make the videos |
| 5. Water is your best friend when you are shooting |
| 6. Keep a mirror behind the camera |
| 7. Do not memorize but familiarize yourself with the content |
| 8. Indulge in a Ritual that makes you feel confident |
| 9. Remember you are speaking to that 1 fan of yours |
| 10. Perfectionism is a Myth |
| 11. Keep off all distractions |
| 12. Be organized and well-planned |
| 13. Invest in good quality Equipment |
| 14. Practice Practice Practice |
| 15. If you mess up – take a note and move on |
| 16. Use Teleprompter if you need |
| 17. Look right into the camera |
| 18. Focus more on your Content |
| 19. Know that you are the expert on the topic you are talking about |
| 20. Watch a few videos of speakers you admire |
Being Nervous in front of the Camera is Perfectly Natural
The very first seed that I want to plant in your mind today is that it is perfectly ok to feel Nervous in front of the camera. We all feel it some time or the other and some of us feel it every single time we sit to record the videos,
Not every one of us is well prepared to face the limelight & attention that comes as being the sole speaker in the video. And more of us are not comfortable with the lights and the other equipment that are associated with recording a video.
There are different kinds of mental blocks that people face when they are to be facing the camera. Like stage fright, voicing your opinions, what will others think of me, fear of getting vulnerable, fear of forgetting the words, and fear of just being the focal point.
- For me, just knowing “What worst can happen if I don’t do well?” has helped me innumerable times to come out of these kinds of situations.
- Also at Times, just focussing, remembering & reliving the times when I had done an incredible job on a speaking gig or a presentation in the past has also helped me feel more confident & positive.
The idea is to accept these fears and work on them. In any way, while making the videos, you can go in for as many retakes as you need, and hence the idea is to talk your way out of these mental blocks.
Wear Something Comfortable & Bright in front of the Camera
Well, looks do matter when you are in the spotlight. But obviously, you would want to look your best and presentable when in front of the camera. Remember, the camera is sharper than any of the eyes of any human being that you know of.
Nothing is missed on the camera. So, from a wrinkle on your dress to a frown on your face; every least detail will get reflected on the screen. This is why it is extremely essential to be comfortable in front of the camera. Make it your go-to point every time you have to make a video. Be at absolute ease; wear clothes that do not make you uneasy and uncomfortable.
- For me, my favorite colors have always been solid bold blacks, blues, greys, and browns but for the purpose of videos, I mindfully work on wearing brighter colors like pink or yellows because they really add on to the overall vibe of the video and hence its likeability.
The dress and the makeup should be such that it does not make you twist and turn in front of the lens. Bright colors are great if you can carry them off nonchalantly. Also, to look your aesthetic best, please make sure that you are wearing a well-tailored, neat and clean, pressed, and crease-free dress so that it all adds to your confidence.
Choose Your Topics Well for Making the Videos
Pay attention to what you speak about. The first few topics, especially! The objective is to create a comfortable ambiance because any aspect that causes you discomfort will directly reflect on the camera.
So, along with your dress, you need to choose a topic that you are comfortable talking about. It is almost like a topic that you can talk about with yourself seamlessly. However, you also need to focus on choosing a topic that is aligned with your blog or vlog and one that should create an effective impression on your audience.
Don’t be in a Rush to Make the videos
Filming a video or a vlog should not be a rush-rush affair. At least not the first few ones! Of course, once you are comfortable with facing the camera, and it becomes a part of your system, you will be over-and-out with a video within hours.
But, the first few ones are going to be difficult. So, it is always ideal to start with having a good amount of time on your hand. You should logically keep a day or two assigned for the shoot. Remember, it takes time for setup, to test, takes, and retakes. Be prepared to invest a lot of your time in getting used to the camera being around.
- I always keep 2 days of my work week on creating videos and editing them. The first day is spent on creating content & shooting it and the second day goes on for the ditting & posting it.
Water is Your Best Friend when You are Shooting Videos
Facing a camera for the first time as a mom blogger, this is my one tip that will come in most handy to you. Keep a water bottle handy because you will need to keep yourself hydrated, time, and again. Also, if you are interviewing someone or it is a live session, remember to keep a glass of water on the table for the guest as well as yourself.
- On my Video shoot days especially, I am extremely careful about eating healthy & drinking a lot of water. Lighter & easily digestible meals along with water helps me stay at ease with my body and keeps me productive.
Water is the best liquid that will help you keep your throat quenched throughout and do I need to say that water helps you in looking good too?
Keep a Mirror Behind the Camera
Many professionals do this. A mirror behind the camera helps you keep checking on yourself, from time to time. Starting from your body language to your dress, your facial expressions, sitting or standing posture, and lip-syncing if there is any such need, are some of the ways that you can keep a watch over yourself.
Sometimes, some people treat the mirror as if it is another human with whom you are conversing. This also works great; especially, if you are someone who loves to have company around.
However, some other people say that they feel the presence of a mirror distracting for them. You will need to try this tip practically, and see for yourself what makes you comfortable.
- I personally don’t use this technique but I also need to admit that I like my videos to have a natural authenticity to them. So I am ok with small mistakes that I make and I don’t want to be “The perfect woman doing perfect things perfectly.”
So try this out and see if this works for you or not!
Do not Memorize But Familiarize Yourself with the Content
Memorizing the script would be a really bad idea. It would make the entire video look very unrealistic and unnatural.
Your audience who wants to feel connected with you would feel left out and disengaged. While your intention in memorizing the script is to look more confident in front of the camera, you won’t be able to impress the viewer if it all appears unauthentic.
The best thing to do is to get acquainted with the script and appear as if you are in a conversation with the camera, and the audience, of course. It’s okay if you forget few lines, here and there – you can re-shoot the part or edit accordingly so that the essence remains.
Indulge in a Ritual that Makes You Feel Confident in Front of Camera
It is a good idea to feel relaxed in front of the camera even if you are not, from within. To bring in an enhanced feeling of relaxation, make sure that you practice simple rituals like deep-breathing, listen to your song, get into a quick meditation, or just have a session of positive Self Talk before the start of the shoot.
- Stand in front of a mirror, and just talk. You could talk to yourself on any topic. This is what helps me before I get into the video shoot. When you see and hear yourself talking, from listening to your voice to looking at your face, your reactions, and mannerisms, you feel confident about making that video and also get cues to self improve.
Remember You are Speaking to that 1 Fan of Yours
One great way of feeling confident is to pep up. It is a good idea to keep in mind that you are sitting in front of the camera and speaking to just one of the biggest fans of yours. That one person who is interested in what you have to say and that one person who likes to see you.
- This tip has really helped me move out of self-doubt and give in my best in every video. While you are just starting out the numbers like video views and likes can be discouraging for all the natural reasons. But focus on that one like that you have got and that one person who has heard you. And this is the way to move forward and then keep adding that one person if not more every time you publish a new video.
Try to come up with such positive thoughts to keep your confidence levels ebbing!
Perfectionism is a Myth
This is what we spoke of earlier too. It is natural to be nervous –we all have our times. So, it is okay to be just normal. Don’t try to be a perfectionist because there is no end to improving and trying to be perfect in your videos. This just makes the entire journey of Vlogging boring and exhaustive.
- I learned this tip 3 years back from one of my mentors. The concept of marginal value created by putting in all the extra efforts that we do put in, in name of perfectionism. The only thing that we need to care about in this is whether all those efforts are worth it? Whether they are creating enough value that we should continue working towards being perfect. And once you start thinking of it, you would also realize just like I did, that the number of efforts put in to be perfect and the extent of value created definitely don’t match up.
Remember it is your sincerity and natural self that is going to connect you with your audience.
Keep Off All Distractions
Anything that distracts you should be out of the room! It could be your smartphone, your laptop could be your kids or spouse, pets, or anything that can digress you, or rob you of your focus and energy must be away from you when you are to shoot the video.
Be Organized and Well-Planned
Treat it like a project, no less, no more. So, it is important to approach the shoot with lots of planning and organization. You need to prepare the scope, design the action plan, prepare the script, decide the setting, your dress, down to your makeup, how you will talk, walk or sit; plan every minute details for flawless execution.
Invest in Good Quality Equipment
Having quality equipment can actually help in churning out the good quality video and also lead to greater confidence in your own abilities to handle the entire video shooting project.
Practice Practice Practice
Facing a camera for the first time as a mom blogger? Heard the adage, ‘practice makes people perfect’ well, it’s true. The more you practice, the better you get. It is like a surgeon who keeps practicing the art of making an incision with every surgery, and then finally after some time becomes an expert.
If You Mess Up – Take a Note and Move On
It is natural to mess up or go wrong. No issues, such incidents should not be given much importance – treat it as trivial; learn your lessons and move on. If the learnings are very important, write them down and put them on a whiteboard somewhere.
Use Teleprompter if You Need
If you feel that due to your nervousness, you are prone to forget the dialogues or the lines, you can use a teleprompter. A teleprompter is a digital device that offers electronic cues and visually shows you the text, making it easy to keep you synced with your script.
Look Right into the Camera
Facing a camera for the first time as a mom blogger? Practice speaking by looking directly into the lens of the camera. Treat it as another person sitting in the room, face-to-face, therefore show positive body language by maintaining eye contact with the camera.
- A simple tip is to take a very small cut of a sticky note and paste it just close to the camera lens on your laptop. This helps you remember to look in the camera while shooting.
Focus more on your Content
The content has to be the king; at the center of the video. This is but the essence of making the video. You cannot compromise on the quality of the content. Make sure that you keep the content interesting and entertaining; relevant and topic-appropriate.
- Before shooting for the video, I always spend some time typically an hour to create an outline and write down the points I want to cover in the video. This helps me in staying focused and covering all the relevant information in my video.
Know that You are the Expert on the Topic you are Talking About
Be confident because the topic is yours. But obviously, you would have selected the topic after much debate and deliberations. Therefore, treat yourself as an expert on the selected topic and make your video accordingly.
- This is one tip my husband always gives me when I am ever feeling under-confident. He always tells me to remember that I am an expert. And I agree with him. Because we often get into self-doubt not because of lack of knowledge and skills but because of under confidence. So just reassuring myself that I have studied this topic or experienced this topic enough and that is why I am talking about it has really helped me feel more in control of things while shooting.
Watch a few videos of speakers you admire
One way of learning the art of public speaking is to listen to speakers who motivate you and inspire you. You can search online for the names of some good motivational speakers, and go ahead and watch those videos and learn the art. When you hear them speak, you will pick lots of cues on your body language and the way to speak confidently.
So this is all I had to say about Facing Camera for the first time as a mom blogger. Try these tips for your next video and let us know if they worked for you or not. Get ready to shoot your vlog and drive more engagement with your audience.