Some athletes walk into a photoshoot and look like they were born ready.

Others walk in looking like they were born yesterday and someone forgot to give them a manual on how to stand, breathe or what to do with their hands.

At GameFace GB, we meet every type. The shy ones. The fidgety ones. The ones who zip up their jacket because they feel awkward. The ones who talk at triple speed because they are nervous. The ones who stand still like a statue because they are scared to move. The ones whose parents say, quietly but desperately, “Please get at least one good photo.”

And we get them all there. Every single time.

This post reveals exactly how we take an athlete who feels anxious or unsure and guide them into the confident superstar they truly are, both on camera and inside themselves.

Why Athletes Get Nervous In Front of a Camera

Before we talk solutions, you need to understand the problem. Most athletes are not actually camera shy. They are uncertain. They are unsure of:

• How they should stand

• Whether they look silly

• Where they should look

• How their kit sits

• What expression is right

• What everyone else looks like

• What the photos are used for

• Whether people will judge them

Sports are full of structure. Warm up, drills, game, cool down, done. A photoshoot feels unstructured to them. They feel exposed, even if they are brave on the field.

Our job is to remove uncertainty and replace it with clarity. That is the secret.

The GameFace Calm Down Strategy

We do not just point a camera and hope for the best. We use a progressive approach that relaxes even the most nervous athlete.

1. Your First 20 Seconds With Us Matter Most

The initial greeting is everything. An athlete will decide whether they feel safe or judged the moment they meet us. So we keep the first interaction simple, friendly and low pressure. We do not force poses. We do not jump into instructions. We introduce ourselves and explain that their only job is to relax, because we guide everything else.

Once they realise they are not expected to perform on their own, shoulders go down, breathing settles and the confidence door cracks open.

2. We Never Start With the Camera Pointed at Them

This is a rule in our team. The camera does not go up until the athlete is comfortable. We start with conversation, a joke, a small win, anything that breaks the tension.

For younger athletes, we talk about their favourite player or ask about their latest match. For older athletes, we talk about technique, training or how the season is going.

Humans always relax when they talk about something they care about.

3. Micro Wins Before Macro Poses

We do not immediately go for the big dramatic hero shot. We start with micro wins. Easy wins. Zero effort wins.

We ask them to stand in their normal stance. We make a small adjustment. Then we show them the back of the camera.

Instant transformation.

The moment they see they already look good, the anxiety melts away and we can start building confidence layer by layer.

4. We Control the Environment So They Never Feel Exposed

Athletes get nervous when they feel watched. This is why our setups, lighting, workflow and directions are built to give them the sense that it is just them, the photographer and the moment.

We position lights and props in a way that creates physical and psychological boundaries. They feel tucked into the scene. Safe inside the set. Free to experiment.

5. Expression Coaching That Actually Works

A confident athlete on camera is not performing. They are feeling something. We do not tell them, “Look strong" or “Give me fierce." That rarely works.

Instead, we use emotion triggers that athletes deeply understand. For example:

• Think about the second before the whistle goes

• Think about your best-ever moment in sport

• Think about the moment you knew you won

• Think about the teammate who pushes you the hardest

• Think about how you feel when coach says, “You are starting"

These create real emotional responses, which create real expressions. That is why our photos look authentic, not forced.

The Magic Moment: When Nervous Turns Into Natural

Every athlete has that moment when something clicks. It is visible. You can actually see it happen. It is the point where:

• They stop thinking and start feeling

• The pose becomes comfortable

• The expression becomes real

• They breathe again

• They stop worrying about mistakes

• They start trusting the process

We see it every day. The athlete settles in. Their eyes shift from uncertain to focused. Their shoulders square. Their stance becomes solid. And at that moment, we do not interrupt, we capture.

This moment is why we do what we do.

What Happens When an Athlete Finally Relaxes

Once the nerves disappear, athletes start to show real personality. And when personality comes out, magic happens.

They Move More Naturally

Nervous athletes freeze. Relaxed athletes move, shift, lean forward, turn their shoulders, change stance and experiment with poses. These movements create dynamic, powerful images.

They Give Us Real Emotion, Not Pretend Emotion

A fake game face looks forced. A real one has intensity in the eyes. There is a world of difference between the two. Relaxation allows emotion to come through.

Their Confidence Boost Carries Beyond the Photoshoot

This is our favourite part. Relaxing an athlete in front of the camera gives them confidence long after they leave. Parents tell us their child stood taller. Coaches tell us the quiet athletes came out of their shell. That confidence ripple is real.

The Techniques We Use That Work Every Single Time

Here are the practical tools our photographers rely on, developed through thousands of shoots.

1. Anchoring

We help the athlete anchor themselves to a strong memory or emotion. It allows them to tap into the same mindset they use in competition.

2. Pattern Breaking

If an athlete is stiff, worried or overthinking, we change pace suddenly. A quick joke, a different angle, a step forward, anything to break the mental loop.

3. Precision Cueing

Instead of vague instructions, we give micro corrections such as:

• Turn your chin one inch

• Drop your left shoulder

• Shift weight slightly forward

• Rotate the ball four fingers

• Lean into the stance

These tiny adjustments instantly elevate the pose without overwhelming them.

4. Positive Mirroring

We show them what they are already doing well. When an athlete sees they are close to perfect, the fear of doing it wrong disappears.

5. The Parent Bubble Rule

If a parent hovers too close, the athlete tenses. We have polite, friendly ways of guiding parents to a position where they can watch without applying pressure.

Real Moments We See Every Week

We keep athletes’ privacy, but here are the types of stories that happen constantly.

The shy goalkeeper who became unstoppable

A young keeper walked in barely speaking above a whisper. After ten minutes of building micro wins, he was demanding to try every pose, experimenting with stances and giving the strongest expressions we shot that day.

The fidgety sprinter who would not stand still

She was energy with legs. So we built the shoot around her movement. Instead of forcing stillness, we channelled her speed into dynamic poses. Her photos became some of the most powerful of the entire session.

The teen rugby player terrified of looking silly

He was tall, strong and confident in sport, but afraid of looking awkward in photos. After anchoring him to the moment before a match kick off, he transformed instantly. The parents almost did not believe the final images were him.

Why This Matters To Us

We do not photograph athletes for the sake of pictures. We capture identity. We show them their strength, their focus, their potential. Helping them go from nervous to confident is not a trick, it is a partnership.

Seeing an athlete relax is seeing the real them. And when we show them what that looks like, you can almost feel their confidence grow.

That feeling is why we do this job.

The Final Whistle

Every nervous athlete has a confident version of themselves waiting just behind the nerves. Our job is to guide them there. Through communication, environment control, expression coaching, micro wins and genuine encouragement, we turn anxiety into authenticity and hesitation into presence.

The result is not only better photos, it is a better experience. One the athlete remembers, one the parents cherish and one that builds confidence far beyond the studio.

Helping athletes see the strongest version of themselves is not a service, it is a responsibility we take seriously. And it is a privilege we never take for granted.