There are some clients who walk into a shoot already thinking about their best side. And then there are clients like Debbie Taylor, who told me, quite honestly, that having her photo taken by someone else sat right up there with fire and snakes on her list of fears. Debbie is the Messy Life Coach, a workplace menopause consultant and coach who helps women and organisations talk openly about a stage of life that is too often brushed aside. She was having a new website built, and her web designer was right: she needed proper photographs, not selfies. Images that would let people see who she really is before they ever pick up the phone.

The problem was trust. Like so many women I photograph, Debbie had spent years avoiding the camera. Selfies felt safe because she was in control of the angle. Handing that control to someone else felt like a big ask. We shot at Higherford Mill in Barrowford, a beautiful studio space with big windows and a pulley system that let us hang bold orange and pink backdrops. Those colours suited Debbie perfectly, because she is not a quiet, beige kind of woman. She is warm, loud, funny and full of energy, and I wanted the photographs to feel exactly like that.

Woman with red curly hair and floral blouse rests her chin on her hand at a desk with a pen, notebook, 'Send Coffee' mug and stacked books.
Smiling woman with curly red hair in a burgundy top laughs while holding a red microphone against a pink background.

So we brought props that matched her personality. A bright pink megaphone. Confetti. Plenty of laughing. At one point, we were both shout-singing 'Don’t You Want Me' by The Human League, which I can safely say is a first for a brand shoot. When someone is nervous, the worst thing you can do is ask them to stand still and smile. The best thing you can do is give them something to do, something to laugh about, and enough time to forget the camera is there. That’s when the real person comes through.

Stressed woman with curly red hair clasps her face in shock at a desk covered with scattered colorful sticky notes against an orange wall.
Smiling woman with red curly hair and glasses holds a pink notebook reading Real Change and Big Ideas at a desk with a plant and pens.

Debbie later admitted she was scared to open her gallery. That’s completely normal, and something I hear often. But what she found when she did was the thing I’d hoped for all along. In her words, I had “captured my spirit on film.” Her favourites are the ones that look like outtakes: Debbie laughing because she couldn’t keep a straight face, Debbie going wild with the megaphone. Those are often my favourites too. They’re the images that make people feel like they already know you.

If you hate having your photo taken, you’re not alone, and you don’t need to feel confident to book a shoot. My job is to make the day relaxed, enjoyable and completely about you. We’ll plan it together beforehand, so you know exactly what to expect, and on the day we’ll go at your pace. You don’t need to look like someone else. You just need photographs that look like you. Thank you, Debbie, for trusting me, and for being such brilliant fun. To find out more about Debbie’s work as a workplace menopause consultant and coach, visit Messy Life Coach. If you’d like to talk about brand photography for your own business, get in touch here.

Smiling woman with curly red hair rests her chin on a stack of books labeled work, family, menopause and me beside a Meno Fuel mug.
Woman with curly red hair laughs while shouting into a bright pink megaphone against a vivid orange background.
Woman with curly red hair in an orange top holds a white mug at a wooden desk with a stack of books and a potted plant against a pink wall.
Woman with curly red hair in a flowing burgundy sheer-sleeved dress sits on a sparkly white chair against a pink background.