Self-Portraits

Why are we starting with self-portraits? If you want to take better pictures of people, you must understand the experience yourself. The best way to achieve this is by making yourself the subject!

Whenever you take a photograph, you want it to generate interest for the viewers. Simply snapping a picture of yourself without any thought or planning will not help you to reach that goal. With self-portraits, you want to think of a way to show the viewer a little bit of who you are with just an image. As a photographer, this could be as simple as including my camera in my photo. For you, maybe that means including your dog, or a fanned-out deck of cards, your favorite book, wearing a shirt with a giant heart on it, or drinking a cup of coffee.

So, you've determined your "prop". What's next? Set up your space.

• Indoors: Light is the key element in producing a good photograph. Look for natural light through windows and doors. Plan to stand (or sit) facing the light, or partially turned away from the light but still facing it. Avoid harsh light. If the light is harsh and strong, move further away from the light to diffuse it. Try to avoid having the light behind you... for now. You'll be too dark and the background will be too bright.

• Outdoors: near sunrise and sunset are the best times for outdoor photographs. You want to be able to look in the direction of the sun (or partially turned away from the sun) without being squinty. If it's not early morning or near sunset, you can accomplish this using shade but still try to face toward the light. Try to avoid having the sun directly behind you... for now.

• Anchor your phone. You need to find something to hold your phone up without having your phone tilted or interfering with the picture. Placing a book or another tall object behind the phone and something in front of it should suffice.

• You are going to want to use the front-facing camera so that you can see the timer as it counts down. If you happen to have a timer that will count outlaid, the rear-facing camera will yield a better image. You want to place your camera so that the lens will be at approximately your chest height, or higher, but NOT lower. Shooting images of humans from below is unflattering.

• Typically, as we are taller than we are wide, it's best to keep the phone vertical but play around with this. Your image may be better shooting horizontally depending on your scene and how much of yourself you want in the frame. You also do not want to be super close to the phone (Ever wonder why your selfies always seem a little off?). The lens on a camera phone usually has a wider field of view than a standard 35mm lens and can distort images that are close up. We can always crop the image later to make it appear closer if desired.

• Keep the background simple (unless that's not your personality!). Remove all distractions from the background. The focus should be on you. Aim for a plain background that is a light color - white, beige, or gray. White is great because it will bounce light back at you, creating more even highlights and shadows.

Next, let's set up you! We take our best photos when we feel comfortable and confident. Wear something that makes you feel both of these. If your background is plain (white, beige, gray, etc), opt for a bold color top or dress. If your background is bold, opt for neutral clothing. You can also opt for neutral clothing for a plain background - it will give your photo a different look and make your face the focus of the photo instead of "all" of you. Do your hair and makeup, if applicable, so that you feel good! Avoid overdoing any eye makeup because, in a photo like this, we want a look at "you" and making eye contact connects the viewer to you.

Once you're ready, go back to your phone. Set your timer for 10 seconds, press whatever key you need to press to take the photo, make sure the phone didn't move, and go place yourself in your photo. You have to be quick!

Some posing tips to keep in mind (that you can certainly use when photographing other people too!):

• Glasses can produce glare. To avoid this, tilt your head slightly down OR move your glasses up off your ears a little bit to point the glasses slightly down. The glare is a direct result of light bouncing off the glass and into your camera's sensor. If the glasses are pointed down, the light will not bounce into the camera's sensor.

• Having the camera slightly elevated so that you have to look slightly up at the camera will help minimize a double chin. Making sure you sit up straight, bring your ears forward a bit, and point your chin very slightly down will also help minimize a double chin.

• If standing, avoid distributing your weight evenly on both legs. Keep your weight on your back leg and bend your front leg. Turn your feet so that they are pointing out slightly and not forward. Bend your arms slightly so they don't appear rigid and stiff, and are slightly away from your body.

• Lean forward slightly from your waist. This brings your top closer to the camera and helps create more of a connection with the viewer.

• Pressing your arm into your side, flattens it, making it appear larger than it is. Create some space between your arms and your torso. Place your hand on your hip, on your upper thigh, or in your pocket. Keep things relaxed and natural and avoid anything that feels forced.

• While we want your face aimed towards the camera, your photos will look better if your body is at a 45-degree angle to the camera, or turned slightly away from it.

• Watch your posture. Pull your shoulders back and imagine there is a string attached to your head and pulling you up to straighten your spine.

• Keep your mouth slightly open, breathe in through your mouth and out through your nose. Wait until right before the timer ends to smile. Smiles are more authentic that way.

• If you want a self-portrait with a genuine laugh - right before your countdown hits ONE, lean forward and laugh - a real, loud, genuine laugh.

Some other things to keep in mind:

• The further you are from your background, the more blurry your background will be. This is especially helpful when you have a distracting background. If your background is distracting, stand as far away as possible from it.

• A viewer's eyes will immediately go to the eyes in an image. The eyes should be in focus. This is hard to do with self-portraits because we cannot hit the focusing button and ensure our eyes end up in that spot. However, make sure the focus is on you and not something else in your image, like a lamp, a pet, etc. This is about YOU, so you need to be the focus.

Photographers often take MANY photos to get the "right one". So, you may not get your best result on the first try. That's ok! Take many photos, try different things, alter your pose, try sitting versus standing, wear a hat, move your arms, or change locations. The best way to learn what works for photography and what suits your photography style is to practice. Never ever feel bummed out if you take one picture and it isn't "good enough". Getting a great photo on the first shot is like hitting the lottery!