How to take good pictures of yourself effortlessly
When people ask me: how to take good pictures of yourself? My immediate response if what’s the picture for? It’s important to know how you want the picture to be used for. If you’re a business person then you want to be relaxed, attractive, trustworthy and competent. Whereas, if you’re an actress you want still want to be attractive, and trustworthy, but you want to be versatile, showing glamour and down to earth. This is why people in the entertainment world have lots of headshots.
Before you start you’re going to need to make a few decisions about your picture:
What type of picture do you want to take?
- Traditional Headshot which can be great for an instagram profile pictures or bios.
- Environmental or lifestyle picture
- Business in action – storytelling
- Glamour
- Self portraits vs Selfies – A selfie is a quick snapshot. Self-portraits need insight and planning.
The question is which one suits you best?
How to take the shot?
First off you’re going to need something to stabilise your camera. Obviously, tripods are a great way to safely secure your camera, but you can also find other ways to stabilise your camera, like a friend. Which ever way you choose to do this, just make sure its at eye level or just above.
Next you’re going to need a trigger to actually snap the photo. You could use a timer or bluetooth Remote like Canon’s Camera Connect app (iOS, Android), Nikon’s Wireless Mobile Utility (iOS, Android) or a bluetooth remote for your smartphone’s camera.
Best lens for Portraits
Depending on what type of camera you’re using, you might want to consider using a different lens. Remember that mobiles have multiple lens and you can always use a
Most commonly preferred focal lengths are 85-100mm, because they have a good compression rate, allowing for a shallow depth of field / blurred background with minimum lens distortion. However, it depends of the type of portrait you’re shooting. Some lifestyle photographers prefer to go as low as 35mm because it allows them to shoot wide and capture
Don’t know where start, here’s some ideas to get you started.
Creative Self Portrait Ideas
How to take good pictures of yourself by playing with colour
How to take good pictures of yourself by using silhouettes or shadows
How to take good pictures of yourself with Contextual Backgrounds
How to take good pictures of yourself doing something you love
Get expressive!
How to take good pictures of yourself by adding depth
By using lens flares, light distortions, fabric, doorway, hair etc.
Black and white
Mirror Ideas
Now that you’ve decided the type of headshot you want, check out my 5 tips to looking good in a headshot or profile picture.
