Um, every time I turn around today Steve is poking a camera in my face.
(We are getting ready to shoot the video for the camp classes.)
The problem is I am terribly camera shy.
But I’m comfortable in the classroom!
So I need help:
How do I pretend a camera lens is 24 smiling women?
* * * * * * * * * *
In other news, our sons Wes and Christer arrive to Seattle tonight after a long Colorado visit (Wes 3 weeks, Christer 2 months).
(Time to clean house.)
Help!
carlasonheim.wordpress.com 
Are there a couple of kids in your neighborhood that you could borrow for a few hours?
I was once in a similar situation, and I think the answer is to have him triple the number of pics he takes of you. I found that eventually, I got completely used to it:-)
Ha — this wasn’t the answer I was looking for!!
Like the first comment, I would suggest inviting some ‘guinea pigs’ to be your ‘class’. I wouldn’t suggest children though. Chose some friends who are in the age category of your prospective students (you’d probably address young people differently than you would adults) . And then just pretend the camera isn’t there. haahhaa Easier said than done, I know, I hate cameras too.
maybe make the camera look like a sockpuppet 🙂
Put eyelashes on the outside of the camera lens and have Steve wear a skirt!
I can’t help you there, I am always the photo taker, hate having my picture taking, lol. I would say, just have fun and picture talking to friends and not the camera and just be yourself.
Debbie
Hi Carla, I taught nursing for many years but every time I had to do a demo video I would shake like a leaf. My solution was to have a few others present. One or two usually did the trick. I could interact with them and forget the camera. Just a thought….you can do it! Mary Ann
Just pretend Wes has the camera and you are fooling Steve about filming a Christmas movie you and Wes wrote while walking around Pioneer Square.
I’m picturing you spending some time with the camera (and no Steve!), making drawings of the camera until it turns into a Ridiculous Creature. Then it can be your little friend….
I like Isabel’s idea but from what I’ve seen you have no reason to be camera shy. You look great on camera! I’m really hoping to take one of your camps but I need help, too. I can’t decide which one! Wish I could afford to take the whole bundle but can’t do that right now, so somehow I will have to choose.
Carla, I would like to suggest to you to concentrate on your passion, your creativity, your focus is misplaced — focus on the product at hand instead of Steve’s camera. You want to be as natural “you” as you can be, and that is teaching your product, not focusing on — “how do I look” or “am I smiling enough”, or other chatter to yourself, just focus on what you are teaching and demonstrating — pretend that Steve is not even in the room, it is just a show and tell by Carla show!
Instead of thinking about the camera look at you -reverse the though. Think that YOU are looking at the camera. Look straight into the lens and talk to your students – they’re in there.
When you are with your live students it’s not about them looking at YOU. It’s about you looking at them and showing them your art and techniques. It’s just the same with the camera.
If you have a script or want to say something – practice it out loud a number of times. In front of a mirror is best – but I end up talking it through when I’m driving. the kids think I’m nuts. I am. Who cares.
Mary Ann Moss (dispatch from LA) just points the camera to the project she is working on-you get her voice and the lesson but not her 🙂
Why wouldn’t there be 24 smiling women in the camera? Or 36? And you are talking TO them. We’re in here, we’re just really really small right now. And we’re all sitting around in our underclothing because it is HOT! Not the sexy date night stuff either. With our hair sticking out because of the humidity. And bug spray layered on from pretending to try to garden earlier. Anyway, that is how some of of us are sitting around in the camera. Or maybe that’s just me and everyone else is all polished up when attending workshops inside a camera. And just so you know, my 11 year old did the SIlly4 workshop with me and her latest missive from camp has five creatures, including a Pulump, with some kind of accent over the first u. So she’s here too. We really are having fun.
HI Carla -Jessica here
I really hate pictures of me, and have always done my video workshops as “Looking Over My Shoulder” videos. What the student gets to see is a close-up of the project instead of me being a talking head and them seeing the demo upside down.
Never had a complaint. Of course, you are so gorgeous . . .
Oh, believe me, there won’t be MUCH of my face… just a little bit!!! Thank you for your encouragement!!
Ha… love the image here, thank you! (I especially love the part about not being sexy underwear, and the pretending to garden comment!)
And I’m so glad your daughter is continuing the Silly… yay!
ask Steve to use a longer lense so you have less of that “in your face” feeling and then look deep inside the lense to talk to him via his eye that is looking at you.
For future attempts try this. Make a cardboard cutout to tape to his camera with a host of imaginary faces looking at you and a few discrete holes for his lens and viewfinder. that way you see the smiling faces rather than the camera. plus any awkwardness on your part can be counterbalanced by a bit of awkwardness on his part in balancing the camera with the attached cutout.
You did a great job. Thank you, Carla!