On Taking Self Portraits
PHOTO CHALLENGE | Take a self-portrait to share something about yourself on your social media. Use a timer or remote to set your scene (with an object in place of you to focus).
As a photographer, you’ll have thousands of photos you’ve taken, with few of you in the picture. It’s also likely that you don’t care to be in the picture as much as you like being behind it. Am I right? When I put together photo books of my family, for my family, I want to be apart of those memories. Often enough I can hand the camera off and get a quick snap of me, but there are smaller moments that I want taken when no one’s around or with more of my own style infused in it. Self-portraits are challenging, but a worthwhile skills to conquer. Here are a few steps I hope will help you:
Invest In a Remote | A wireless remote will make a huge difference for self-portraits. There’s no running from the camera and back to make it into shot, they’re fairly inexpensive, and completely worth the ease. This is the one I started with and the one I use now, both for Nikon. And here’s one I see highly rated for Canon, and another highly rated that’s a little more budget friendly.
If you don’t plan on getting a remote, check out your camera settings for ‘Interval Timer’. You can take a series of shots with just one click, so you have time for quick adjustments.
Use a Tripod | This might seem unnecessary to include, but having an adjustable tripod is handy. You could easily set your camera up on something, but the control of location is worth the bit of effort. This lightweight, portable tripod is so helpful when lugging your gear around.
Adjust Your Settings | Get your settings ready to go, take a test shot, and prepare for a few practice photos to get your positioning right. I like to shoot with a very low aperture, but if I can’t ensure 100% focus on my eyes, I’ll open up to around f/2.8. If you aren’t comfortable with shooting such low apertures, f/3.5-4 is a safer place to start.
Get In the Frame | You can either press the shutter button and then hop into the frame or you can use a remote that allows you to position yourself within the frame first and remotely activate the shutter once you are ready. Once your camera begins to take pictures, be sure you make small adjustments between shots to experiment with angles that are the most flattering. I like to adjust my shoulders and arms, rotate my waist, and look in a variety of directions.
Be Prepared to Try Again | All the tips in the world won’t help you if you aren’t willing to be patient and accept the first few bad images. It’ll take some practice and time to get comfortable. We’re our own worst critics, so just know you’ll find flaws with yourself no matter what you do, but so does everyone else. The more you get in the frame, the easier it will get.
Don’t forget to have fun with the self-portrait. Experiment with intentionally being out of focus, creative crops, and compositions. Sometimes the best self-portraits are those that are non-traditional.