don't panic*

I don't really like to talk about being nervous.

[...]

But I get nervous a lot as a photographer.  I'm an ENFJ-ish type, so I think a WHOLE LOT about other people and their feelings and their reactions and blah blah blah and not so much about myself, which is another reason why I don't like to talk about how nervous I can get walking into a photo shoot.

I get really nervous.  

I wonder, gee, will I connect with these people?  Will I be able to bring about something really truthful, authentic, special?  Will I be skilled enough to capture it, even if I do see it happening?  WHAT IF MY SHUTTER DOESN'T WORK AND OMG IS THAT DIRECT SUNLIGHT UGH WHAT WILL I DO EEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!

I have to tell myself to stop thinking a lot.  It usually works, but even more so, I say to myself: if you are panicking, there is no way you will be able to connect to anyone else because you're not connected to yourself. I stand up a little straighter, compulsively take a few extra test shots and then:

I take some pictures.

*that's good advice from Douglas Adams