The first time I sat in front of a camera, I couldn’t talk at all.
I was in my 4th or 5th semester of BS Computer Science. A friend doing BS Media Sciences asked me to be a guest on a talk show for a semester project. The host was a friend. The other guest was a friend too.
Didn’t matter.
After 15 to 20 minutes, my friend replaced me with someone else.
It was really difficult.
Today I watched a Short by Danie Jay, a YouTube coach. She calls this the best exercise she has found to help her clients feel comfortable in front of the camera. Her video is at the end of this post.
The exercise
- Make a “weird” video when you’re alone. Vlog something you do every day.
- Before you delete it, watch it. See what it feels like to just be yourself and talk about silly things on camera.
- Then delete it. It’s not going anywhere.
- Do this every day for a week.
That’s it. Watch her explain it in the video below.
Her point is simple. Because you know nobody will see it, you relax. And when you finally start showing up in videos for social media or your business, she says it changes the game.
What actually made me confident
The podcast. My podcast series on YouTube.
That is where I learned the one thing nobody can skip. You have to face the camera fear to become confident.
By the time I announced 2025 as The Content Year at Uptech Sol, I was comfortable on camera. Not really confident. But comfortable.
And no, the camera wasn’t why that year went off plan.
Money was. Our main business, software development services for clients in the US and Canada, was struggling because of AI and other reasons. I wrote about it in 2025: The Year “Content Year” Turned Into “Survival Year”.
Stage fear and camera fear
They have one thing in common.
You have to face the fear to become confident and comfortable.
Practise a lot. The more you practise and face it, the more confident you get. On camera or on stage.
If you are starting on camera, try her exercise for one week. Record. Watch. Delete. Repeat.
– Umar H.
Exercise and video credit: Danie Jay’s YouTube Short (@DanieJay). Embedded from YouTube.
