The Kids’ Confidence Campaign with Makenzie

It was July, 2020 – Makenzie was booking in and ready to come into the studio. We’d had a pre-consult, picked out some outfits, and chatted about how to make a photoshoot a fun experience for her. But then, 2020 being 2020, Melbourne Metro was thrown into a lockdown that lasted nearly four months!

Luckily, by November, things had calmed down and we were finally able to have Makenzie and her Mum, Michelle, in the studio for some fun!

The Kid’s Confidence Campaign is all about working with young people to allow them to build self-esteem, see their self-worth, and have fun being themselves. It’s a process to try and break down any barriers young people may have, and let them indulge in beautiful portraits of themselves. So many of us grow up ‘hating photos of ourselves’, and with the pressures on young people with social media, this project was all about combating those societal pressures.

Makenzie is only 10 years old!

At such a young age, Makenzie was fabulous in front of the camera. She has had some experience with photoshoots before, but mostly outside and not in a studio environment. Coming to my studio was a little bit of a new experience for Makenzie, and with it she was fantastic.

With skills in cheerleading, Makenzie told me it’s one of her favourite things about herself. She said she doesn’t give up, and she’s really strong. These are awesome things for a 10 year old to acknowledge!

She’s a great dancer, reader, and a great friend too. Her kindness really does shine through, and Makenzie is so mature for her age as well.

My favourite things about working with Makenzie:

Not only was Mckenzie really kind, but she was also very patient and followed my directions perfectly. She was willing to try new poses, as well as bring in some of her own ideas too. It was so much fun!

I asked Makenzie what her favourite music was, and we put on a soundtrack to some of her favourite movies. She sang and danced the whole way through our session – so much so that her Mum told me she exhausted herself into a nice afternoon nap when she got home! This isn’t surprising for me – it is actually exhausting to be in front of a camera, and Makenzie was a champion trying on different outfits and allowing me to bring in different backdrops too.

Let’s have a look at how Makenzie felt about her experience.

Makenzie told me she went into the photoshoot feeling excited and wasn’t nervous at all. She said, “I am so proud of myself for doing the photoshoot. The photos were amazing!”.

How Makenzie felt about her photoshoot:

Having a great experience during a photoshoot is all going to come back to how a person was feeling during the process.

“I felt happy, excited and energetic. I felt so comfortable, I was able to sing and dance and do poses, without even feeling embarrassed or anything” Makenzie said.

When asking her what she liked most about the images we captured together, she said “Just everything!”. I love it when people love their photos – when they can see how amazing they are! Makenzie, you have no flaws, and never will. You are gorgeous inside and out!

Working with Makenzie is one part of the process, but it’s also important to me to work with Mums & Dads who are just as involved as the little ones! Michelle was fabulous, and such a caring, thoughtful parent who loves being able to help Makenzie with new opportunities. From modelling to dance and cheerleading, Michelle has been with Makenzie through every step.

She said “I wasn’t really sure what to expect in terms of how confident Kenzie would be, considering she was in a new environment. She has done lots of outdoor photo shoots, but not much in the studio. However, Julia made Kenzie feel comfortable and relaxed by letting her choose her favourite music! And any butterflies that were hanging around flew straight out the window!! The photoshoot was fun and easy-going, and produced the most amazing array of photographs, with a combination of happy, dancing relaxed photos, and serious, arty, glamorous portraits.’

Can a professional photoshoot help increase confidence and self-worth?

With the Kids’ Confidence Campaign, I wanted to look at how people felt the photoshoot aided their confidence. Everyone is going to feel a little differently, so let’s see how Makenzie felt:

Do you think having a professional photoshoot has given you more confidence in yourself or helped you in another way? Tell me a little bit how: “Yes, because it’s has given me a chance to do a photoshoot in a studio, which I haven’t really done before! So now if I get a modelling job I will be able to feel more comfortable and confident know how it’s all done”.

If you were to encourage another child/teenager to have a professional photoshoot to build their confidence, what would you say to them? “Definitely do it because you will feel really proud of yourself!”.

And with a few thoughts from Mum, this is what Michelle said: “Kenzie has definitely become more confident within herself! She has even gone into some uncomfortable situations (like going into the dentist her own due to covid!) that she would normally be terrified, with a lot more confidence.”

Check out Makenzie’s experience with the behind the scenes video:

There’s no better way to sum up a photoshoot than with a behind the scenes video!